deciding whether to move to Sedona or Phoenix area for a new Job (Scottsdale: rentals, crime)

[theoaks]

Originally Posted by riderxcx

I moved from Philadelphia, PA to Phoenix, AZ in 2013. After a year or so staying in Phoenix, I decided to move to Palm Springs, CA. I'd compare Palm Springs as being similar to Sedona. Similar demographics. Similar recreational activities. Similar natural beauty. Problem is that, as another poster suggested... The beautiful surroundings eventually can't compensate for the eventual boredom. I moved back to Phoenix in 2015 and am happy with my decision.

Los Angeles and San Diego were each 2 hours from Palm Springs. Phoenix is 2 hours from Sedona. You will get bored with the downtown strip in Sedona as I got bored with the downtown strip in Palm Springs. The Phoenix area has much more going on to choose from including Sedona, Central and downtown Phoenix, Tempe, Westgate, Tucson, Scottsdale, and so on.

Also... Working in Phoenix's favor is that the city does not have the dense and loud feeling as many other major cities like Philly or San Francisco. So... You can still find beautiful scenery and a more quiet and suburban feel within the city limits of Phoenix... Or, other smaller cities in the Phoenix metro area. Goodyear, Chandler, Surprise, etc.

I am just happy to take a road trip to beautiful Sedona every now and then just as many Phoenicians do.

I recommend Phoenix. It is a great city to live. Sedona [and Palm Springs, for that matter] is a great city to visit :-).

Moderator cut: .

But as for comparing Sedona vs. Phoenix, both are VERY nice for the outdoors. The best areas of Phoenix are in Scottsdale, Cave Creek, and Carefree, and the Tonto Ntl Forest, i.e. the Scottsdale Sonoran Natural Preserve with hundreds of miles of hiking and biking trails, very accessible with parking areas that are patrolled and safe.

City of Scottsdale - McDowell Sonoran Preserve

[theoaks]

Originally Posted by cab591

Flagstaff is a very interesting place. One of the only places I've ever lived where you'll have liberal, new age hippies sharing a beer with a gun-slinging, conservative cowboy, and they'll be having a pleasant conversation and getting along great.

I had a different experience, the two sides did not get along at all. The old time northern Arizonans do not like the liberal Southern Californians moving in.

As for the OP's additional question, Flagstaff has lots of outdoor recreation and is a 40 to 60 minutes from Sedona. If they live in Sedona they have opportunities in terms of excellent mountain biking in both the Sedona area, and the Flagstaff area. If they live in Phoenix, there are trails all over including in the Scottsdale Preserve, but it is very hot in the summer. Cave Creek, however, is 10 degrees cooler in the summer since it's at a higher elevation.

[theoaks]

Originally Posted by Duffye2

Thank you!! This has given me a good idea of what flagstaff is like and I think Phoenixbis more my pace. I live in seattle now and love the city convience with the beauty of nature only a drive away.

Oh dear. Speaking from personal experience. If you're from Seattle you will not get along with anyone in the state of Arizona, or in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, California ................ except Palm Springs, CA. Don't tell anyone you're from Seattle, or else the Flagstaff folks will resent you ! I'm an Independent who leans conservative, but they don't like people from the coast. Flagstaff is EXACTLY like Bend, Oregon where they don't like people from Portland ! The current (or previous) Sedona mayor is from Seattle. Sedona is more liberal. You'll do fine living or visiting Flagstaff as long as you don't mention Seattle to the locals.

[SFBayBoomer]

Originally Posted by infocyde

The only bummer about Prescott is it is really getting over-run with retirees. So is all of Arizona but Prescott seems to be graying out faster.

What is your problem with retirees?

[treedroppings]

Originally Posted by cab591

there's all sorts of issues between the state/federal government and the tribes. A big one that's just now making light is the water quality (worse than Flint, MI because of all the uranium mining).

Wow, how does the local American Newspaper not tell people about this?

[cab591]

Treedroppings: Like it or not, there's a lot of racism (not centralized to Flagstaff / AZ, just in general) against the Native population. The issues on the reservation don't get much media attention, and not much is done about it. Everything from poor water quality to no electricity or basic services. It's astonishing that people live in these conditions in the US.

I would think being a travelling nurse in northern AZ would be a lot more rewarding, if your goal is to help people in need. Phoenix is full of hospitals, walk-in clinics, doctors, dentists, and every other medical specialty you can think of. Nobody in the metro area is far from medical care. I suppose it depends on your goals, but I would think that establishing a mobile clinic and travelling around Northern Arizona would be far more rewarding of an experience.

[bbweckerley]

Your description makes Flagstaff even more intriguing as a place to move to. We're stuck in Vegas with low paying jobs, if you can get one and it's hard to make friends with anyone here. Apparently the rent here is good, but everything is rising fast, except the wages. For 50+ it makes it even harder.

My husband is a keyboardist and has been in bands and done quite a few solo gigs in restaurants for background music, as well as giving lessons. Here, that's been impossible for him. Do you have any idea what the music scene is like there? Do small venues often have someone playing in the background, or is there a fair amount of small bands playing here and there? I've been looking for work for 5 months and still haven't gotten anything. I'm considering other options, but my husband really needs to be in a place that he can play his music. He hasn't been on stage for 2 years and is getting more depressed.

[bbweckerley]

The year I spent in Phoenix, it was 125 degrees in August. Walking across parking lots was like walking through a convection oven. Yes, those figures are definitely wrong.

[cab591]

bbweckerley: the live music scene in Flag is pretty big (there's people playing live music everywhere, and several bars / venues host live music), but with 30,000 students at NAU, there's more than enough people with instruments. Not quite sure if you could make a living off of it. NAU does have a big music department, though, if teaching were an option. Vegas housing costs are about on-par with Phoenix (ignoring property near the Strip), and Flagstaff is generally more expensive than Phoenix.

[theoaks]

Vegas, Scottsdale, and Phoenix are no longer the sunbelt meccas that they used to be. They are expensive, congested, with rude narcisstics from the Midwest. Vegas not as bad as Arizona.

These same rude Phoenix people, many who were Midwest transplants, come up to flagstaff and ruined the place, especially the Texans.

The people in show low are a whole lot more polite than flag.

So in the sunbelt that leaves LA, Ventura county, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Palm Springs, Durango, and New Mexico. I would take any of these over the above.