Finding a small town New England vibe in AZ? (Phoenix: house, neighborhood)

[Suey123]

We are contemplating a move from the east coast to AZ to be closer to family. (Parents in Sedona, rest of extended family in northern Phoenix.) This contemplation has gone on for several years, but is getting more urgent as the parents get older. Our biggest challenge is finding a place that we think we'd like to live.

We lived outside of Boston for years and loved it. Technically it was a suburb, but it really had the feel of a small town (population ca. 25,000) with diverse housing and a great little walkable downtown (town hall, theater, restaurants, bars, coffee shop, library, town square, etc.). It had a sense of community and history while still being open to outsiders (lots of people who came to Boston for college and stayed in the area). But it was still close to the advantages of Boston: museums, colleges, a liberal and educated population, lots of job opportunities, two major airports.

(We've also lived in a small town in the south and hated it: too religious, too conservative, too racist, too far from civilization, too closed to outsiders.)

I'd like to find some place in Arizona that has the atmosphere that we found in New England, but I don't know if it exists.

I don't want to live in a planned community or deal with an HOA. I want to be able to walk to a grocery store, library, restaurant, coffee shop, etc.... and would prefer that they not be a Walmart, Starbucks, other mega-chain that exists in every-other strip mall. I want decent schools (I have two kids in middle school). I'd like a single-family home and our budget is probably in the $400,000 range. We are white and non-religious and I'd love some diversity (without the racism and segregation that we saw in the south.)

I loved the vibe of Tucson -- specifically the area around the university -- but that's a pretty far trek from Sedona (and from the rest of the world). Flagstaff seems like a possibility, but the downtown area seems more targeted to tourists than locals and I don't know how open the town is to outsiders. Cottonwood and Jerome are cute, but WAY too small. My family has mentioned Prescott, but I'm not familiar with it at all. And all the cities around Phoenix seem like hellish sprawl nightmares. (Although I've heard that Mesa might have an actual downtown.)

Does what we are looking for exist in AZ?

[grmi66]

Nope, this is Arizona not New England. That's the beauty of different regions of the country, they have their own individual character. For the most part, Arizona is where you drive your car into your stucco home and never chat or meet your neighbors. It's car-centric and designed around long commutes similar to California.

Arizona had 3 million residents when I first moved here and now has almost 7.5 million people. Everyone here is an outsider.

I love Prescott, but it has a reputation for being very conservative. Which I don't mind, but it doesn't have the same character that it did 25 years ago.

Almost anything with a quaint, walkable downtown is going to be overrun with tourists on the weekend (Flagstaff, Prescott, Payson, Bisbee, etc.....)

[jdhpa]

Honestly, I don't think you're going to find the New England atmosphere outside of New England, it is unique. You may find towns with elements of what you're looking for, but the overall feel in Arizona is going to be desert southwest, not New England.

My suggestion is to just enjoy the local culture. Comparing it to somewhere else will make you unhappy. If you're not able to let go of New England you'll end up feeling the same way about Arizona as you do the south.

If it's possible for your parents to move to Massachusetts that may be your best option.

Good luck in your search.

[HTY483]

I'm sorry but you're just not going to find New England here and quite frankly it's a completely unrealistic expectation. Best of luck on your search though.

[DetroitN8V]

I think Flagstaff is your best option. Plenty of local restaurants, small community, not overtly religious at all, liberal. You will have to contend with summer visitors and the university, but I think it’s the closest you’ll come to what you’re looking for. Bonus points for being close to Sedona for your parents.

[NoMansLands]

Flagstaff would work for you.

[DAXhound]

Perhaps Nogales would be similar..hard to tell if people are speaking English.

[Hschlick84]

Try Washington state.

[Suey123]

grmi66 & jdhpa & HTY483: Thank you for the reality check. My parents are never leaving AZ -- they have found their perfect place. It just sucks that my perfect place looks completely different!

DetroitN8V & NoMansLands: Thank you. I've done some looking in Flagstaff and will continue to do so.

DAXhound: I'm guessing you're being sarcastic about Nogales... but I loved it when we visited there years ago.

Hschlick84: The commute from Seattle to Sedona for Sunday dinner would be a bit rough...

[agorski]

Originally Posted by grmi66

I love Prescott, but it has a reputation for being very conservative. Which I don't mind, but it doesn't have the same character that it did 25 years ago.

Almost anything with a quaint, walkable downtown is going to be overrun with tourists on the weekend (Flagstaff, Prescott, Payson, Bisbee, etc.....)

Prescott definitely has the downtown you're looking for because the tourists make sure it is vibrant and attractive. I personally avoid the downtown in the tourist season and it's great the rest of the year.

If you live in Prescott proper, and not an outlying town or area, you'll still have the character you're looking for. Don't live in Prescott Valley to save money on a home purchase and then complain about the PV ugliness or the traffic on Hwy 69. I walk a mile from my house to the library downtown.

Yes, the county is uber-conservative. But I've found a large number of liberal churches, groups, and opportunities to get involved in Prescott. Prescott College is probably the most liberal college in the US, it's got "social justice" in its mission statement. I also live in a neighborhood of liberals, which you can see in my message header.