Ash Fork - Juniperwoods Area (Flagstaff, Prescott: for sale, real estate, employment)

[crazyjae]

With so many people asking questions about Juniperwoods in Ash Fork, this thread is to address common misconceptions about the subdivision. Property is cheap, but there are reasons why, as explained below.

1. Power - it is unlikely that the Juniperwoods Ranch area will have power provided by APS in the distant future. The last quote I received from APS, in 2009, to bring in power was $18 per foot from the nearest transformer, plus the cost of any additional transformers. This is roughly $100,000 per mile. A solar electric system, with battery, is currently running about $20,000.

2. Water - you either have to haul your own or have it delivered. Wells are impractical as you will have to dig around 2,000 feet down to hit water. The cost per foot to dig a well (again in 2009) was $16 per foot, so roughly $32,000 just for the hole itself. Now, to pump the water, you'll need a large pump, the ability to run that pump (a very large generator) and the wire to go to that pump. Figure $10,000 for a generator large enough to run a 10hp pump, $20,000 for wire from the generator to the pump (2 strands of #00 gage, plus ground wire) and at least another $2,000 for the pump.

3. Roads - the roads are not maintained by the county. Yavapai County ordinance requires roads be brought to standard (e.g. paved) before they will assume control of the roads. Roads are privately maintained. They are dirt and they are abused.

4. Permits - permits are required, despite what local real estate agents may say. Permits are also enforced. In the past two years, Yavapai County has stepped up enforcement and is surveying land via aircraft and Google Earth for permit violations and for property tax violations. There are no minimum sizes for permits -- they are required for storage buildings, for travel trailers (even if they are just parked and are for recreational use away from the property) for storage containers and for barns, outbuildings, etc.

5. Open Range - this term is a misnomer but it describes the fact that if you do not want cattle ranging on your property, you must fence them out. Despite a legal fence built to keep the cows out, they may still break through it and cause damage to your property. At that point the rancher is liable, but good luck collecting.

6. Accessibility - many properties are not accessible year round. Check with nearby neighbors that are actual residents before buying a property. Many of the roads are accessible only part time. Many properties also flood. This is not always information that a real estate agent will be forthcoming with. See pictures below of one such example.

7. Growth - The proposed theme park in Williams has been listed as one of the 20 biggest scams in Arizona history by the Arizona Daily Republic. The project has been proposed by at least three different investment groups over the past 30-years, none of them bringing it to fruition. Part of the reason a theme park has not been built is that Williams is also an area that lacks water. Ash Fork itself has seen recent economic shrinking from the closure of many of the stone yards that once employed a large work force. Reasons for this are both political and related to the economy. Ash Fork recently opened a Family Dollar store and there is some hope that Pilot opens a truck stop. The Pilot truck stop is, however, not a done deal and may not actually come to be.

8. Employment - Ash Fork has limited employment, most being minimum wage. The nearest areas for employment are Prescott and Flagstaff (40 and 65 miles away respectively). Average wages in those area run between $30-40,000 for management level employees with senior level experience.

9. Emergency Response -- Expect at least a 45-minute delay in response for a BLS/ALS certified ambulance. The nearest BLS ambulance is in downtown Ash Fork and run by a volunteer fire department. The nearest ALS ambulance is in Williams. Also expect at least a 45-minute delay for law enforcement personnel. The substation in Ash Fork also serves Seligman, which is 25-miles away.


This is the north east corner of Bullock Road and Cattledrive. These are main roads in and out of Juniperwoods Ranch south of Ash Fork. This was taken after a very short lived monsoon rain. Note how the property is underwater. This is approximately one foot of water. The property now is under about two feet of water. It will remain this way for at least several more weeks.


This is heading east on Cattledrive near the corner of Bullock Road. Properties are for sale on all corners of this area. At the time the picture was taken, the entire area was under approximately two feet of water.


This is another shot showing the corner of Bullock Road and Cattledrive. As you'll note, this entire 10-acre parcel, currently for sale, is flooded under at least one foot of standing water. It will remain flooded for several weeks

[magnum0417]

Very informative and quite accurate having traveled both Juniperwoods and Kaibab Estates when I was looking for acreage a couple months back. I eventually decided to buy an acre in Grand Canyon Estates in Valle. All 3 subdivisions are water haul and limited areas of Grand Canyon near the Valle intersection of 180/64 and parts of Kaibab don't require solar. I recommend looking at Grand Canyon Estates myself as the roads are better. Atleast in Unit 9 where my property is they are easily driveable. GC Estates are one acre lots for the most parts however. The South Rim Ranch Road area north of there has the 10 plus acre units near Red Butte and to me is far better than Juniperwoods and fewer wackos too.

[crazyjae]

:

Originally Posted by magnum0417

Very informative and quite accurate having traveled both Juniperwoods and Kaibab Estates when I was looking for acreage a couple months back. I eventually decided to buy an acre in Grand Canyon Estates in Valle. All 3 subdivisions are water haul and limited areas of Grand Canyon near the Valle intersection of 180/64 and parts of Kaibab don't require solar. I recommend looking at Grand Canyon Estates myself as the roads are better. Atleast in Unit 9 where my property is they are easily driveable. GC Estates are one acre lots for the most parts however. The South Rim Ranch Road area north of there has the 10 plus acre units near Red Butte and to me is far better than Juniperwoods and fewer wackos too.

Anywhere in Northern Arizona, outside of a city, is pretty much water-haul. Seligman, Paulden and Chino Valley may be the only exemptions to that. But, the water there isn't that great in quality. You'll get oil in the water. Both Paulden and Chino were once oil producing areas (1930's as The Arizona-Oklahoma Oil Company), as can be seen in the Sharlot Hall Museum photos -- available online at sharlot.org. Most people in those areas can't figure out why they have black rings in their showers and toilets -- to those of us that know, it is simply because there's still oil in the water.

If you are new to "Highway 64" as the locals call it (Red Lake, Valle, GC Estates, Tusayan), you are in for a surprise in the winter. That road is dangerous and closed fairly often during the winter. The road may look good now, but in the winter, it's often closed due to drifts. I've seen 7' plus drifts pretty much every year on it over the past decade. My parents, who have lived here for the past 25-years have seen it closed every year since they moved here with 10+ foot drifts. It is usually the first road in the area that is closed by DPS. It's generally considered the worst road in the area due to fatal accidents due to bad drivers (tourists), fatal accidents due to elk crossings and snow drifts.

[magnum0417]

Very informative post once again. Once you get north of Williams, it is mostly grassy flat rangeland so there are no natural barriers to slow down the drifting for sure. Rte 180 is an even bigger nightmare since it crests at over 8000 feet and it goes through the heart of the snowbelt in Northern AZ.

As far as water quality in CV and Paulden, can't confirm or deny but know the aquifers there are shallow and well water is prevalent.Hopefully some of Prescott's best posters like DellNec and Brians Perspective can discuss. Paulden most definitely has inexpensive real estate without being "off the grid" as well and worth checking out for newcomers to Prescott that can't afford Prescott prices.