Want to move to Prescott Valley, AZ (Phoenix: crimes, new home)

[bellagoof]

Hi, can anyone tell me about the weather in Prescott. I searched down south and heard so much about big bugs, snakes and termites, we then went back to checking out Prescott. Also how is the weather in the summer?
If anyone could tell us first hand experiences of living in Prescott it would be appreciated. thank you
bellagoof

[Gretchen B]

Well bellagoof, we're in the monsoon season here now. The temps this past week have been in the lower to mid 80's and that's what's predicted for next week, too. I haven't had to water my lawn or shrubs for over 2 weeks now, and the native grasses on the hills and mountainsides are starting to green up now, too. This is my favorite time of the year from now through mid October. We'll be in monsoon season through about the first or second week of September, and then we'll start drying out and getting into fall temps in the 70's.

My family moved here about 6 years ago from the midwest, so we really like the weather - 4 seasons but no extreme temps like we were used to (or should I say never could get used to). The other thing that continues to amaze us is that within an hour to 1-1/2 hours we can be enjoying even cooler temps in Flagstaff and the surrounding mtns, or sight seeing in the red rock country of Sedona, or shopping in Phoenix. If we're hot in the summer we head to Flag, if we're cold in the winter we head to Phoenix.

Have you been to Prescott for a visit? Check out the historic downtown. That's fun in the summer - lots of arts/craft festivals at Courthouse Square. We enjoy Prescott - not too big, not too small for what we like.

[bellagoof]

Thank you Gretchen for responding You seem to know a lot from experience. The reason we are considering Arizona is to get to an area with clean air (I have bad allergies and the doc's can't help me, we live in the Sacramento area, CA) Friends told me that the Arizona air would help in that area, being cleaner (?) After looking into Tucson and Phoenix and hearing lots of negative things as mentioned before, I don't really want to be there but the mountains...oh the mountains bring such peace to the soul, you know what I mean.
If you could please tell me more about anyone having allergies there (Prescott) and/or moved there to get away from that problem, could you tell me more. Sorry to be so long winded. Yes, we are planning on coming to check it out. We have family in Mesa (too many people there) so don't want to relocate in Mesa. Thanks again for your input

[Gretchen B]

bellagoof - well as far as air quality in the Prescott, here are some things to consider:

As far as air that's not full of smog and industrial pollutants - yes, we have nice clean air here. Plus the smell of the pines after a rain is wonderful.

However, here's some things that may affect you negatively - a lot of my friends are allergic to certain plants that grow in the area. Juniper seems to be a big allergen for some folks. Also, the forest service conducts controlled burns during the winter months. Usually the smoke is not in the immediate area, but occasionally it will drift in. Also, May and June are our windy months. This year we've had several new commercial developments going in, and there has been a fair amount of dust in the air on those windy days.

I personally don't have allergies so I'm probably not the best one to answer your question. From what I've been reading in other threads, I think a lot depends on what types of things trigger your allergies. If you're bothered by smog and industrial pollutants, then you'll probably do better here. On the other hand, if you're allergic to certain plants that we have in the area, then you may not feel any better at all.

I think if you come for a visit that should help, although it's probably best to visit at different times of the year to tell for sure.

[Red Hatter]

We fell in love with Arizona during a vacation in June. Now considering relocating fro Florida. If we did, I would be seeking a transfer in the VA system. Wow, lots of info on this site, some very encouraging, some very concerning. I agree one has to really check things out. We are plannig a long weekend over Labor Day to see the Tri City area so we'll have a better idea. A few questions I have now is:
-What is the reference to "Unit" when adressing different housing areas?
- Is there a difference in the weather in these areas Prescott, PV, and
Chino Valley? (We actually want the most snow)
-Are there any Florida Gator fans out there?
-Any young Red Hatters?? (Yes that means I'm 50 or so)
-What end of town is the VA Hospital?
-What do you know about Community Mental Health Agencies (for jobs)

Appreciate any info!

[Gretchen B]

Originally Posted by Red Hatter

We fell in love with Arizona during a vacation in June. Now considering relocating fro Florida. If we did, I would be seeking a transfer in the VA system. Wow, lots of info on this site, some very encouraging, some very concerning. I agree one has to really check things out. We are plannig a long weekend over Labor Day to see the Tri City area so we'll have a better idea. A few questions I have now is:
-What is the reference to "Unit" when adressing different housing areas?
- Is there a difference in the weather in these areas Prescott, PV, and
Chino Valley? (We actually want the most snow)
-Are there any Florida Gator fans out there?
-Any young Red Hatters?? (Yes that means I'm 50 or so)
-What end of town is the VA Hospital?
-What do you know about Community Mental Health Agencies (for jobs)

Appreciate any info!

All very good questions, Red Hatter. Here goes:

-What is the reference to "Unit" when adressing different housing areas?
I'm assuming you're searching our MLS or Realtor.com. The "Units" are out in Prescott Valley, and generally refer to different parts of towns. Kind of like subdivisions, but not For instance, Unit 20 is the SE part of PV, Unit 15 is toward the north end of Robert Rd to the west. If you'd like to know where certain areas are I have an MLS map that outlines them that I could email to you (send me a PM if you'd like that).

- Is there a difference in the weather in these areas Prescott, PV, and Chino Valley? (We actually want the most snow)
Our snow levels generally go up as the elevation goes up; therefore Prescott has the most snow, especially once you get into the pine areas. Temps are about 3 degrees cooler in Prescott, generally. Again, once you get into the tall pines the temps will decrease even more.

-Are there any Florida Gator fans out there?
You betcha! I personally know of BIG Gator fan here.

-Any young Red Hatters?? (Yes that means I'm 50 or so)
I know there's plenty of Red Hatters, just don't know their general age.

-What end of town is the VA Hospital?
The VA Hospital is at the intersection of Hwy 69 and Hwy 89 in Prescott.

-What do you know about Community Mental Health Agencies (for jobs)
That one I'd have research - you might try checking with Yavapai Regional Medical Center Yavapai Regional Medical Center I would think that would be a good place to start.

Hope this answers most of your questions. I think you'll find that most of the folks that live here really like it here. I know I do. Glad to hear you're coming to check out the area personally!

[christyca]

I am still looking forward to our move...I am sad that I will miss the Fall season.I have sooooooo many Halloween decorations that I cant wait to use again.I havent decorated since we have moved to CA because people would take short cuts through my yard and take things. I am looking forward to my own yard

[joeyla91601]

hello
i will say as the biggest problem is meth. its a very serious problem. my mom and dad have lived there for about 14 years in prescott valley. east of robert rd on a street off of tani between lakeshore and yavapai. on tani theres a few drug dealers the cops have arested people on a number of times. also tani needs to be cleaned up its time to put presure on the town. my moms neighbor has been after them. there are people that don't know how to clean there yards. as for homicides there are a couple a year so i would not worry about that. but tani between lakeshore and yavapai is terrible now.

Originally Posted by Gretchen B

Pettrix - I totally agree with you on the whole Young's Farm thing. I think everybody would have liked to have seen it stay the way it was. Not only was it part of the history of the area, but it was also a boon to the economy as well. But, alas, it is gone, and I don't see where a lawsuit is going to do anything but hurt the Dewey/Humboldt community. First of all, the Town has no money in the coffers. They need a tax revenue base, which the new development would have provided. Now they have to spend the taxpayers money defending this lawsuit. To me, this is a lose-lose situation. The developers are already at the "throw in the towel" point, and this will probably nix the whole thing. What's going to be the alternative? More mobiles on individual wells and septics. Pretty. At least the planned development addressed the infrastructure and was also willing to address the density issue. Whoever they sell to (because I don't think they're going to hang in there any longer) will probably not be that accommodating. It's called shooting yourself in the foot!

As far as the whole Prescott/PV/CV area being anti-growth, I have to disagree. We now have 3 Mega Wallie Worlds, basically subsidized with city sales tax revenue. And the commercial sites (PV Crossroads, Lowes, Kohl's/WalMart, Centerpointe, etc) just keep on coming. I really can't see where growth has been hindered. And now there's the approval of the developments in The Dells. I'm sorry, but I think The Dell's are one of the most beautiful natural areas in the state. Already there's commercial buildings in the area that are marring the views of The Dells. Plus the one developer came in there and plowed down the old trees and filled in a natural pool. Of course, he was fined by the EPA and told to "put it back to the way it was". How do you replace 100-yr old trees? None of this would have happened if The Dells were earmarked as "open space" to begin with. I really believe there needs to be some sort of balance here.

Re crime - Yes I usually lock my doors. Our area population is nearing 100,000. With a larger population comes an increase in crime. However, I do feel safe here. I accidently went off for a weekend and left the garage door open and the house unlocked. I wouldn't recommend doing that, but nothing was touched, either in the garage or the house.

[Gretchen B]

Originally Posted by joeyla91601

hello
i will say as the biggest problem is meth. its a very serious problem. my mom and dad have lived there for about 14 years in prescott valley. east of robert rd on a street off of tani between lakeshore and yavapai. on tani theres a few drug dealers the cops have arested people on a number of times. also tani needs to be cleaned up its time to put presure on the town. my moms neighbor has been after them. there are people that don't know how to clean there yards. as for homicides there are a couple a year so i would not worry about that. but tani between lakeshore and yavapai is terrible now.

I'm glad to hear your family is doing their best to put pressure on to get that part of town cleaned up. Keep it up!

You bring out some very good points in your post. A neighborhood that's starting to slide hurts everybody, not only monetarily (property values in the neighborhood will decline) but especially being able to feel safe in your home/yard. PV actually has very strict ordinances, but I know they're lacking when it comes to manpower to enforce those ordinances. Perhaps you might try organizing a neighborhood watch group. There's probably others in your area that feel as you do and are trying to keep up their properties. If you all band together to put pressure on the Town to enforce the ordinances and to report any suspicious activity, you'll have a much louder "voice" as a group.

The best to you! It's wonderful to see people take pride in their community and change things for the better.

[LBear]

Well, the first "cure" to the problem is ADMITTING YOU HAVE A PROBLEM!

PV has really good PR (public relations) and DC (damage control) when it comes to these issues. You see, bad news (crime, drugs, etc.) does not bring good business $$$. All the controlling entities in Prescott & PV, would not have the money and power they have today, if not for the real estate boom they experienced.

So, you have to dig & search The Truth Prescott Valley, AZ for TRUTH. As the newspapers (controlled by the politics) do not report the complete and accurate happenings. It's all about image and selling that image. PV is known (in inner circles) as being the black sheep of the family of Prescott. While Prescott is the high-end, Beverly-Hills & Sun-City wannabee, PV & CV is known for being the area where all the work force drives from to go to work in Prescott.

Stand at the entrance/exit of the Ranch at Prescott or Yavapai Hills, how many people will you see going to work? Now, stand on Hgy 69 in PV going into Prescott or Hgy 89 going from CV into Prescott. BIG DIFFERENCE!

Anyway, news about crime does NOT sell and does NOT do good. Case in point, I know of police department supervisors who will give a direct order to their patrol officers to NEVER give out information about criminal activities to citizens or the news media, UNLESS authorized by the watch commander. Yet, some officers will and if and when you talk to them, they will state that they need MORE training and MORE resources and MORE help in fighting the crimes taking place in PV, CV & Prescott. Some have even asked for Phoenix to send officers to help them train PV officers about gangs. As PV is seeing more gang violence.