Question: Prescott or Scottsdale? (Phoenix, Prescott Valley: low income, rental, sex offenders)

[Ella_Bella]

Hello, My name is Ella, and my husband and I are considering a move to Arizona this year. Let me give you a little background and information so maybe someone here can point me in the right direction. My husband and I are both from Florida, originally, and we were stationed out in Oklahoma due to the military. We are no longer in service, and we are looking to go some where we WANT to live, instead of somewhere we were brought to live.

We both agree that with our 10 year old daughter we do not want to raise her in Florida, for many reasons, which I would rather not get into at this time. We have agreed as a family that Arizona may be the right state for us, and while we have been considering both Prescott and Scottsdale, we are unsure of which area would be more suited to our lifestyle.

We home school our daughter, so the public school system is not a concern for us. My husband telecommutes for work, and I am a personal trainer, so being close to a big city for work is not a huge issue either. We are not planning on buying a home, at least not right away, so we would be more interested in a rental property vs. home ownership.

When we moved to Oklahoma, we did buy a home, and being new to the area, we did not really know what to look for. We bought a brand new home, in what seemed like a really nice neighborhood. Turns out gangland is 2 streets away and every night we hear police helicopters and sirens all around our area. My husband and I have lived in low income areas before, but nothing like what we have experienced here! We now have much more income and we want to live some where we can feel safe letting our daughter ride her bike around the neighborhood, or even go visit a friend down the street without one of us having to walk her there and back!

I have been spending time searching through census data, and cost comparison charts and all kinds of dry information and I just can't seem to get a "feel" for any area, so I was hoping maybe some locals would be willing to help me out a little. We like the idea of being able to get to restaurants, and shops and what not, but we're more of what you would call a home body and prefer a smaller town feel.

We are very much family oriented, but we would like to have social outlets available also. I think what we are really looking for is a nice community where we can make friends, but we also need to have our own space at least a stones throw from neighbors. We don't live the Luxurious life style, and we're content with a simple life, filled with love, friendship, family, and community, and that is what we are hoping to find. I guess I've rambled on more than I expected, so if anyone could offer advice, I would be greatly appreciative!! Thank you!!

~Ella

[Snort]

and prefer a smaller town feel.

This more resembles Prescott than Scottsdale.
I like both places for different things and you'll soon notice the differences between these places on a visit. Actually, just looking at photos online will give you an idea.

[Kimballette]

Scottsdale is a city of over 200K, and part of the Phoenix metro area, which has a population of over 4M. Prescott is a town of approximately 40K in a rural area. Apples and oranges.

[Packard fan]

Originally Posted by Snort

This more resembles Prescott than Scottsdale.
I like both places for different things and you'll soon notice the differences between these places on a visit. Actually, just looking at photos online will give you an idea.

I'm going to say Prescott too. Colder winters than Florida but milder summers.

[Jkgourmet]

Apples and oranges. Compare the population size, weather, diversity, amenities (restaurants, shopping, the arts, etc.. Depends on what YOU want.

But why Scottsdale????? If you are looking for a small town feel, there are much better choices in the Phoenix metro area than Scottsdale!

I'd also be curious about why you eliminated the entire state of Florida. It's on our radar for retirement.

[Packard fan]

Originally Posted by Jkgourmet

Apples and oranges. Compare the population size, weather, diversity, amenities (restaurants, shopping, the arts, etc.. Depends on what YOU want.

But why Scottsdale????? If you are looking for a small town feel, there are much better choices in the Phoenix metro area than Scottsdale!

I'd also be curious about why you eliminated the entire state of Florida. It's on our radar for retirement.

Prescott is quite good for amenities despite it only being about 40K people. I like it better than Scottsdale but Scottsdale does have much warmer winters.

[keninaz]

I don't know if you qualify for VA care or not but both areas good good VA hospitals.
We live in Prescott. There are many other smaller towns around us too like Prescott Valley, Chino Valley and several other smaller towns.
Much less traffic and heat than the lower valley. On a given summer day we are 15-22° average cooler than Phoenix. Yes it's dry here so that helps but over 100° everyday for months on end from May through Oct is not my idea of fun.
And you did mention a small town, that lower valley, unless you live in the very outer areas of the cities, is certainly not smaller. Lots of traffic too.
Here are our averages and then those for Phoneix.

http://www.weather.com/weather/wxcli...nthly/USAZ0178

http://www.weather.com/weather/wxcli...graph/USAZ0166

[Burning Madolf]

Winter in Prescott is no joke. Daytime highs are nice, but overnight lows below freezing.

[keninaz]

But it's not like the Midwest to up north of there either.
There are many in Prescott that moved here from the now areas that think our winters are mild.
Now, in all fairness, moving from FL to Prescott may take some getting used to but our snow just normally does not stay with us for that long.

[gettingoutofAZ]

If you like a smaller town feel, Prescott will be more up your alley. HOWEVER. The area has a drug problem (which area DOESN'T have a drug problem anymore, right?) and if we chose to live anywhere near the square I would not let my 11 year old ride her bike by herself due to the high population of sex offenders in the downtown area. Would feel safer in one of the nicer neighborhoods a couple of miles away.

My sister just moved to Prescott near the square, and their home was in lockdown a few weeks ago when a neighbor shot someone and was "on the loose". Police officers were running through her yard with guns drawn. Soooooo, I guess that can happen anywhere, but she says downtown is "full of crazy people!".

Have you thought about Fountain Hills? It has that "small town" feel, while also feeling like Scottsdale in some ways and family friendly in others.