Heading to prescott ! (Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, Williamson: homes, living in, shop)

[VBeachRon]

The wife and I are coming to Prescott area in May to scout out

Any local area's a must see ?

We have a desire to check-out Paulden and Williamson valley area while were there, they both look like great places to live.

Are there any city data members local to those area's ?

[keninaz]

I am in Prescott, and not too far from the Williamson Valley area.
There is sure a lot of difference between Paulden and Williamson Valley in my opinion. But you will find that out for yourself when you get here.
I hope you have the time to spend a few days as the Prescott area is really spread out and you need to take the time to look around.
I don't have any idea what you are looking for.
Perhaps if you tell the members here what your desires are they can recommend an area to you.
And enjoy your stay. We moved here just under 3 years ago from SE AZ where we first retired to and we love the area.

[VBeachRon]

Thanks for responding Ken ! We are basically looking for a little space, I'm 51 my wife's younger were thinking a few acre's maybe close to one of the national parks would be great

We have been looking and traveling to a few places already

We have no children and like our privacy but are more than happy to help a neibor or participate in town events

The area around Chino valley looks great, I believe Prescott or Chino will be where we stay when we come out

Thanks for any idea's Ron

[keninaz]

OK, there are a lot more places to stay in Prescott than Chino Valley if you don't know. And they are just a few minutes apart. If you are looking for some space other than Williamson Valley you may also like Prescott Valley or any number of the smaller towns in the area.
Prescott is the center of the area for many and the area where many shop.
Prescott also seems to be a hub of activity in the summer months from the end of April through the end of Oct or so too with many events going on.
I know in the past when I was looking at places to live I liked to watch the local newspaper. Here is ours for your reference and reading~ The Prescott Daily Courier - Prescott, Arizona
It's a rather unique area, I guess that's why it was the original state capital, and why so many come to visit and come back and stay.

Enjoy when you come.

[Esenjay]

"Hub of activity" = congestion on most weekends. Prescott isn't much of a drive from the outlying areas--if you're looking for a peaceful residence then I'd suggest not being in Prescott proper but in one of the towns situated not far away. Really you just need to come out and scout the various communities including Prescott, weekday and weekend.

I live in Chino Valley and enjoy the smaller town atmosphere, while being a short drive away from all that Prescott/PV has to offer without living in the middle of it. Though to be candid on the subject, the congestion of Prescott is nothing compared to major cities so if you're coming from a heavily populated area, all the towns in the greater Prescott region will compare favorably when it comes to traffic and population density.

[VBeachRon]

Thanks Ken Thats probably where will stay in Prescott, can't wait wish it was next week !
Thanks Jay yeah were coming from a small city of 440,000 a couple of thousand sounds like a ghost town

Ron

[DellNec]

Originally Posted by VBeachRon

Any local area's a must see ?

We have a desire to check-out Paulden and Williamson valley area while were there, they both look like great places to live.

Are there any city data members local to those area's ?

I would go for WV (Williamson Valley). Paulden is very flat with surrounding hills and a lot of it is in a flood plain. When we looked out there, almost all of the homes were in some type of 100-year flood plain.

Chino Valley (CV) is OK but still in the plains/flats and the winds rip through there like crazy. It gets REALLY windy there.

WV is a lot nicer.

Are you looking for acreage?

If not, then try Talking Rock Ranch or American Ranch.

If yes, then try Crossroads Ranch II or Las Vegas Ranch (hate the name). Mind you, the drive to downtown Prescott from the mentioned areas is about 30 minutes. Driving on a 1 hour trip to get a gallon of milk might not be too fun for some people.

Either way, pull a flood plain map. You might be in a 100 year or even 500 year flood plain area. Better safe than sorry.

[keninaz]

And keep in mind that we are up in elevation. Here in Prescott I sit at 5400' and elevations do vary around town quite a bit.
If you live in other areas that are flat you will be exposed to more wind.
It seems most of our storms approach from the SW so if you are on a hill in Prescott for example you would be better off not to be on that side if you don't like wind.
I sit in between hills in town and I see very little wind.
You should also know that outlying communities are at lower elevations and as a result see less snow. I live on the SW side of Prescott and have been told we get more snow than the rest of town and based on what I have seen in the last 3 years that seems to be true.
Just driving from my home to the north end of town near the airport there was quite a bit less snow in the last few storms over the last couple of years, as much as 50% less.

[VBeachRon]

Thanks so much for the imput Williamson valley seems to be the best candidate so far but we'll have to put boots on the ground to be sure.

It looks like Williamson is mostly a long road as apposed to a town ?

I really like that it backs up to the National park and from the pics I've seen the park is awesome ! any of you go there often ? and if so any stories, I love the outdoors and hiking

Again thanks for all the comments so far


Ron

[keninaz]

Within the Prescott area we are pretty much surrounded by National Forest. Lots of areas to hike and such.
I like to fish and there are several lakes in the area too.
Enjoy your stay. I know when we first looked here we almost hated to leave again. We looked at many areas of AZ and beyond as we wanted to move out of SE AZ to get away from the wind and get a more mild climate.
My wife is a native of AZ, born in Tombstone many years ago, and she had not been to Prescott or this general area herself since she was a little girl so it was even a surprise to her when we got here.
Enjoy your stay.