Why we won't be moving to Prescott (Phoenix, Flagstaff: fit in, apartment complex)

[keninaz]

We looked at Payson, Flagstaff and the Prescott area before we moved to Prescott some 9 years ago from SE AZ along the border.
Just my comment. We found Payson surrounded by the NF and therefore only so much real estate was available and it was high priced.
Medical care was almost non exsistent in that area and the ER was pretty poor and small too. Anything serious and you are in for a helicopter ride to Flagstaff or Phoenix.
We have had no problem finding specialists and doctors in the Prescott area. I have had surgery several times in the last 18 months. relating to my heart and been satisfied with the doctors and hospitals
RE prices are high again now. You missed the low. We paid 180k for a 3 bedroom/3 car garage, 10 years old, some 5 years ago. It appears now it's worth some $250k plus and homes are selling fast.

[Ex New Yorker]

Originally Posted by LadmoFan

We visited Prescott three times. The first time was a couple years ago and we liked what we found. The second time was a fairly good visit too and we planned to move. The third time we realized what made Prescott special was gone.

We were looking in the Prescott Valley area, to be fair, and what we saw is what we were trying to escape. Traffic was heavy, housing was beginning to look like the familiar tract homes found in California, and prices have gone up.

Thanks for all your help! Sorry it didn't work out.

I don't know? We've been here for 7 years and there really isn't too much to complain about. We work from home and don't have to commute so traffic isn't an issue. We're just outside of city limits so I'd say it's semi rural yet close to everything. We also have city water but are on a septic system. We have natural gas (UNS) and electric (APS) along with cable and internet (Cableone). We've only been to PV maybe half a dozen or less times since we've lived here. We really have no reason to go there.

This area has 4 mild seasons and is centrally located in the middle of Arizona. This makes day trips to practically anywhere in the state possible.

I don't know what you're looking to get out of this area? But for us our quality of life has improved tremendously. It's got everything we could have ever dreamed of. We moved out here knowing absolutely no one. We've had no trouble meeting people and making new friends. It's been rare if ever to hear anyone complaining about this area or about life in Arizona in general.

Payson is pretty nice too, but I don't think you'll find all of the amenities that we have here. We looked at many places throughout Arizona before settling on Prescott. We're not in the least bit sorry and after 7 years we couldn't imagine living anywhere else. It's almost as if we've lived here all of our lives. Great area, great people. Coming from New York it's been a liberating experience. Free at last! What more could one get out of life?

[LadmoFan]

Originally Posted by keninaz

We looked at Payson, Flagstaff and the Prescott area before we moved to Prescott some 9 years ago from SE AZ along the border.
Just my comment. We found Payson surrounded by the NF and therefore only so much real estate was available and it was high priced.
Medical care was almost non exsistent in that area and the ER was pretty poor and small too. Anything serious and you are in for a helicopter ride to Flagstaff or Phoenix.
We have had no problem finding specialists and doctors in the Prescott area. I have had surgery several times in the last 18 months. relating to my heart and been satisfied with the doctors and hospitals
RE prices are high again now. You missed the low. We paid 180k for a 3 bedroom/3 car garage, 10 years old, some 5 years ago. It appears now it's worth some $250k plus and homes are selling fast.

I need access to a hematologist and a rheumatologist. Prescott has one rheumatologist which according to HealthGrades was not rated well. There wasn't a hematologist I could find in Prescott. It would be nice to see a doctor that was close by as for years we've driven to the Los Angeles area to see the specialists.

Payson is a bit closer to Phoenix than Prescott. If I remember right, it's a quick trip down the Bee Line Highway.

We missed the real estate low period, would have loved to have bought, except we had to finish paying off the house. We've done that.

I appreciate your input as I would LOVE to live in the Prescott area.

[Dorskate]

We will be retiring to Prescott & will need a good Endocrinologist, a good GI Dr, & a good Cardiologist.
Where should we start, any suggestions will be appreciated. Which Medicare plan should we choose that the better Drs accept?

Thank you

[KurtAZ]

OP...if Medical Care is on the top of your list, why in the world are you looking at Payson? Very few medical practices up there and if you need any major tests or procedures, they will be sending you to the Valley. Granted it is only about 70 miles to get to Scottsdale but that drive is going to get tiresome sooner or later. Top it off that the only "hospital"...and I'll use that term loosely, is run by Banner. You can do your own research on that but if your idea of medical care is talking to a doctor in Israel via video chat, then you should be fine.

[jgustav]

The OP may want to consider looking at Anthem if they need to be within a fairly short 30 mile commute to Phoenix for medical specialists. The weather would be slightly cooler than Phoenix, more like Tucson. Probably similar to the weather where they are at now if that is the Palmdale/Lancaster area in CA.

[fluffythewondercat]

Originally Posted by LadmoFan

We are now researching Payson as Payson is a bit closer to Phoenix and a bit more rural.

I've been reading City-Data for about three years. In that time one constant has become evident: You can have rural or you can have easy access to a wide array of medical specialists. But you can't have both.

I mention this because I've seen spouse after spouse lament their isolation from the big city after a husband or wife comes down with a serious illness and their doctor is 2 or 3 hours away, one way.

Many Phoenicians use the Beeline Highway to escape the summer heat, from what I understand, which means the inevitable slowdowns and accidents that make a 70 mile drive seem much farther.

I understand you want what you want. Heck, so do I. But we'll probably all have to compromise a bit.

[Deeela]

Originally Posted by keninaz

We looked at Payson, Flagstaff and the Prescott area before we moved to Prescott some 9 years ago from SE AZ along the border.
Just my comment. We found Payson surrounded by the NF and therefore only so much real estate was available and it was high priced.
Medical care was almost non exsistent in that area and the ER was pretty poor and small too. Anything serious and you are in for a helicopter ride to Flagstaff or Phoenix.
We have had no problem finding specialists and doctors in the Prescott area. I have had surgery several times in the last 18 months. relating to my heart and been satisfied with the doctors and hospitals
RE prices are high again now. You missed the low. We paid 180k for a 3 bedroom/3 car garage, 10 years old, some 5 years ago. It appears now it's worth some $250k plus and homes are selling fast.

I agree with your comments about not having a problem finding specialists (as I commented previously) in Prescott and more are coming all the time (just got an additional neurosurgeon here). Also, I would never live where there isn't a hospital within 15-20 min away...important for those in the senior age bracket and much more important than how close you are to TraderJoes/Costco. :-) We are fortunate to have two sister hospitals in the quad cities.

[LadmoFan]

I am super busy at the moment but I will try to respond later to anyone who replies.

I live in a rural area near Death Valley. Our population is around 30,000. Prescott/Prescott Valley are far bigger than where I live and I was surprised at the dearth in medical care. Especially since it seems Prescott caters to an aging population.

We have specialists who visit our area on a regular basis including a hematologist and a rheumatologist. Both are okay but we have elected to see UCLA specialists as we've received excellent medical care.

We also have done our time driving to Los Angeles for medical care for our daughter who was born with cerebral palsy and autism. We know the medical system well.

[deathdealer]

I'm a 4th gen prescott area resident,.... probably the only one left still here that can say the same. That being said, this place has truly gone to hell as they say. The traffic is as bad as Phoenix on any given day/time; it once took about 10 min. And 4 stop lights to get from P.V. to downtown Prescott in the 80's/early 90's, now there are literally 29 stoplights from my location in P.V. to downtown and if you're lucky, around 40 min.Three lanes of traffic merging into two at the most inconvenient intervals coupled with the most horrid drivers from around the country. Hardly any skilled/higher paying jobs for college grads, (most of my fellow college alumni never came back) and a corrupt town council/police force to boot. Don't think so? Read our own paper, which is also susceptible to withholding certain inconveniences. One can fact check that our last two police chiefs have been forced to resign due to ethical issues, at least five officers over the last seven years have been convicted of felony charges ranging from child prostitution to stealing drugs from the evidence locker and fraud. The Fain Corp, well, I don't have the time to go into that. There are many more things that I could delve into but quite frankly it begins to anger me the more I write, that being said, if anyone would like to know more here I will continue to post, please let me know as I have a long standing residency/memory/history of this area. In parting I will say this, if you're relocating from California to this area, by all means this IS the place for you as most of your like-minded countrymen are already here (I say countrymen due to the fact that I consider any state that disregards the Constitution it's own country), just don't be shocked when you run out of water.