AZ land available with river or lake? (Yuma, Flagstaff: how much, home)

[wannakatana]

I love Arizona but I really want a small family farm /ranch with water (river or lake), horses, other farm animals.

Is there such a thing in Arizona? I'm afraid I may have to go to a state further north or east. I don't want huge amounts of snow and I hay hate high humidity. I know I'm looking for perfection lol

[gemstone1]

Extremely hard to come by in AZ and even more expensive. St David comes to mind. Better start looking east and learn to live with humidity.

Regards
Gemstone1

[like-2-hike]

The Verde Valley area (Cottonwood, Camp Verde) or Yuma (or towns adjoining the Colorado River) would be the only areas I'm familiar with that might work for you if you want riverfront property with year-round water. Most any land in AZ adjoining water seems to be owned by the government - whether it's city, county, state, tribal, or federal.

There might be a few tiny lakes in the White Mountains - certainly looks to be some around Show Low and Pinetop-Lakeside but they're less likely to provide sufficient acreage for even a small farm/ranch. There are a few private parcels surrounding Rogers Lake near Flagstaff, but it's a seasonal lake (as are others in Arizona, like Davenport Lake). Also a few near/on Mormon Lake (also near Flagstaff).

As gemstone1 notes, it's likely to be very challenging to find and very expensive due to the scarcity.

[Ex New Yorker]

Originally Posted by wannakatana

I love Arizona but I really want a small family farm /ranch with water (river or lake), horses, other farm animals.

Is there such a thing in Arizona? I'm afraid I may have to go to a state further north or east. I don't want huge amounts of snow and I hay hate high humidity. I know I'm looking for perfection lol

I guess that would all depend on how much money you have, wish to spend and what's available at any given time? If you don't want much snow but don't mind some you'll want to find a place between 4500 and 5500 ft. in elevation. If you don't want any snow chances are that it's gonna' be hot as hell during the summer. Anything below 4,000 ft. and it's gonna' be pretty hot during the summer. Anything below 3,500 ft. and it will be hotter than all hell.

Flagstaff at about 7,000 ft. has the highest elevation. Show Low is about 6,500 ft. both get a considerable amount of snow. Prescott is about 5,400 ft. gets some snow, summers are relatively mild but good luck finding a small family farm /ranch. You might find one off Williamson Valley Rd. But it will indeed be very expensive.

Payson is about 5,000 ft. you might find something around that area. But if you really want to find something you'll just have to figure out what your budget is and keep on looking. There are many remote places throughout the entire state but they have issues such as close proximity to shopping, hospital facilities and everyday needs. You may have to drive an hour or more each way for that. Most if not all have wells, septic systems and propane for heat and cooking.

Access to these places once you get off the main road are not regularly maintained, you'll need four wheel drive. If you find something remote up in the higher elevations you'll need a snowplow and truck to handle it. Even if it only snows a coupla' times a year. You don't want to get stranded. You'll also want to maintain easy access in case of a fire or you need the police. For a medical emergency you'll more than likely get flown out by helicopter. Having a generator in case of a power failure would also be a necessity.

There are horse property's in a lot of places that are not remote where you'll have all of the amenities. Close to shopping and everyday needs, medical facilities etc. But I wouldn't consider them to be a ranch or small family farm? They're property's large enough for horses and other farm animals. Some have alpaca's, goat's, pig's etc. For that you may want to look into Chino Valley, Prescott Valley and Paulden. But you didn't mention your budget, so I'm assuming under $400,000? Acreage in those places depending on lot size can go for $90,000 and up. Then you'll have to build. Prescott proper and Williamson Valley Rd. between Prescott and Chino Valley are considerably more expensive.

We've lived in this area for over 10 years and this is just my basic observation of what I've seen for this area and from traveling about the state. I don't think that you're gonna' find too many if any lake or river front ranches or farms in this area though?

[SFBayBoomer]

Originally Posted by like-2-hike

The Verde Valley area (Cottonwood, Camp Verde) or Yuma (or towns adjoining the Colorado River) would be the only areas I'm familiar with that might work for you if you want riverfront property with year-round water. Most any land in AZ adjoining water seems to be owned by the government - whether it's city, county, state, tribal, or federal.

There might be a few tiny lakes in the White Mountains - certainly looks to be some around Show Low and Pinetop-Lakeside but they're less likely to provide sufficient acreage for even a small farm/ranch. There are a few private parcels surrounding Rogers Lake near Flagstaff, but it's a seasonal lake (as are others in Arizona, like Davenport Lake). Also a few near/on Mormon Lake (also near Flagstaff).

As gemstone1 notes, it's likely to be very challenging to find and very expensive due to the scarcity.

You mentioned Pinetop. A friend of mine sent me photos of his second Arizona home in Pinetop and there was a thick blanket of snow in the pictures, maybe too much for the OP.

[Prickly Pear]

You're looking in the state with the most deserts in the country, one of the top #3 if not #1 of the most arid states, with the highest percentage of sunshine and sunshine hours, and you are asking for waterfront property? That's going to require some cash money.

Don't forget anything north of Arizona is still a desert or very arid, just colder.

You're really in the wrong half of the country unless you are extremely wealthy. You want the South, there's no getting around this.

[Ex New Yorker]

Originally Posted by Prickly Pear

You're looking in the state with the most deserts in the country, one of the top #3 if not #1 of the most arid states, with the highest percentage of sunshine and sunshine hours, and you are asking for waterfront property? That's going to require some cash money.

Don't forget anything north of Arizona is still a desert or very arid, just colder.

You're really in the wrong half of the country unless you are extremely wealthy. You want the South, there's no getting around this.

That's for sure!!! Supply and demand and there's not much supply.

There's plenty of places where someone can buy a decent single family home. But once they get into horse property, ranches and small family farms they'd better have an awful lot of money. Or live way out in the middle of nowhere. Which as I mentioned earlier has a lot of issues to take into consideration. Before we moved we looked into all of that.

We have friends that live north of Chino Valley not too far from where Williamson Valley Rd. turns to dirt. They have 11 acres and it's absolutely beautiful there. But every time they go shopping or just run out of something they've got at least a 45 minute drive. They love the views, quiet and solitude but that is one of their biggest issues.

[PartIrish]

Wannakatana, Keep in mind that almost 82 percent of all the land in Arizona is owned by the federal, state or tribal governments. That doesn't leave a lot of private land with water in a state comprised mostly of desert. Not a lot of private land with surface water.

[WestGuest]

My guess is water will only become more scarce in the future and with warming more rivers will tend to dry up.


Try SW Washington. Nice cool summers too but gray winters,