Pinetop/Show Low: Dining, Shopping, Monsoons & Wind, please tell me more! (Phoenix: where to stay, appointed)

[PacNWpibble]

Hello! I currently live in Bend, Oregon and have been researching new places to eventually live as Bend is slowly but surely becoming “Little Portland” .
Pinetop/Show Low are on my list as they seem to have a similar landscape and climate (mountain towns, pine tree forests, hiking, lakes/river and outdoor activities, etc). (Employment would not be an issue as the move wouldn’t come for a few years when husband and I are ready to retire). I will obviously be making some trips out there to visit in person, but hoping you all can answer some questions as I do my cursory research .

My questions/concerns
~Weather/monsoons: How bad are these monsoons I keep reading about? Are they for weeks on end? Or just a day or two here and there? Do they shut the town down or impede business and life?

~Wind: Is it windy all the time or are there just windy days here and there, or only certain times of year? And how windy is the wind, like can you still take nice long walks with the dog without getting blown over?

~Shopping/dining: Is there a cute Main Street or downtown area anywhere that is walkable for shops and dining? From what I can gather looking at maps, it kinda looks like there are just strip mall type options along main roads, but it’s hard to tell from looking at a map.

Reasons for my questions/concerns: I love(d) Bend for its natural beauty, and I like having a couple cute restaurants in a nice setting (either a cute walkable town or just a place for cocktails that has a nice water or Mountain View). Sadly though Bend is getting so overpopulated, and the progressive city council has irrevocably altered the landscape by allowing and pushing development that has stripped so much forest and covered beautiful mountain views. I love the weather and climate here (dry mountain air with four seasons, with winter consisting of a decent amount of snow but nothing crazy), and I love having quiet trails and forest spots for walking the dog.

I am not a big fan of rain and wind! I can tolerate the occasional rain and windy days, but if it’s incessant I think it could drive me mad. However, I also understand that if a place is too perfect, it won’t stay that way forever- so I am willing to concede on a few of my ‘wants’. Mainly what I want is a smaller-scale mountain town (around 50,000 or less), that has at least a couple decent dining spots... AND, of equal if not greater importance: a conservative town! I do not want to be in another town that is run by leftists. What do you all think, is Pinetop/Show Low a contender for me?

Bonus point: For anyone that’s familiar with Sunriver, Oregon (a golf/vacation resort just outside of Bend), a ‘neighborhood’ like that would be my dream place to live! Looks like there are a couple golf resorts/communities in Pinetop and Show Low that could pass for small-scale versions of Sunriver. I would love a quiet community with walking trails and a cozy restaurant for cocktails (if we could walk to the restaurant, even better!).

Thank you in advance!

[gemstone1]

I've been to Bend, know of Sunriver, and have spent time in the Cascades and Show Low....you'd like Show Low- Pinetop...the weather will be like Bend...visit in summer when tourism is peak, and weather is almost perfect...and winter.

Monsoons are a non issue.
Not much of a walk-able main street
Several good restaurants.
Torreon might be close to Sunriver, in that there are plenty of upscale homes, just no gorgeous river.

[MGS4EVER]

I've also been to Bend and Sunriver and was thinking of retiring there. Just way overpriced and I didn't think I'd like the winters. My neighbors have a place in Pinetop and we visited. I love it up there! A lot of promising looking local restaurants, antique stores, street fairs, plenty of hiking and outdoor activities too. My neighbors stay from late May and leave in October and come back to Tucson. They said that there's only a couple of full time residents there in the winter (on their street). So it sounds like you'd have the place to yourselves in the winter months. That sounds kinda nice!

Show Low, Pinetop-Lakeside and Greer are remote in the respect that they are far away from big cities and that type of entertainment/shopping. No Costco etc.

Pinetop is definitely conservative. They even have a Trump store.

[JGMotorsport64]

Show Low has a few nice restaurants near the Temple that are within walking distance of each other. Both have main drags but they are built with cars in mind. Pine top has a better drag of local restaurants and is pretty conservative. The local culture is pretty rural white with a heavy dose of Native American and then a lot of Phoenix/Tucson summer cabins. Show Low is very Mormon as are a lot of the small towns around it. That’s not to say anything ill of Mormons but if you’re unfamiliar with that aspect of the Southwest it’s a good to keep it in mind.

Combined they will have all of the amenities you need but the general form will be big box retail/strip mall development. You’ll have a few grocery stores, and about one of every type of department store, a few car dealers, mid range hotels, etc.

I love it up there and if I had the money I’d consider a cabin in Bison Ridge. Torreón might be your speed. It doesn’t have the River but it has a small lake, a country club, a golf course, and a restaurant.

[PacNWpibble]

Thank you so much for the responses, each one is very helpful!! I was kind of expecting to be disappointed, as I felt like Show Low or Pinetop as a Bend alternative might be too good to be true. But I am pleasantly surprised by your responses! I have noticed Torreón while checking out houses on Zillow, etc, and it piqued my interest. It sounds like it could be just my speed. And I am thrilled to hear monsoons are a non-issue!

Thank you all again, for taking the time to read my uber long post and actually respond! I am very eager now to plan a trip out there soon to check it all out for myself! On that end, any suggestions for where to stay for a short visit?

[JGMotorsport64]

Hmm. Depends on what you like to do. There’s a seen better days but alright Indian casino and hotel (Hon Dah), Holiday Inn type hotels, or you could AirBnb a cabin in an area you want to test out

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by PacNWpibble

~Weather/monsoons: How bad are these monsoons I keep reading about? Are they for weeks on end? Or just a day or two here and there? Do they shut the town down or impede business and life?

Hardly ever. It's a stormy season, and that part of the state can get quite a bit of rain during the summer months, but it's usually not to the point where flooding is a problem, or everyday life grinds to a halt. If anything, the winter season can be more hazardous with the heavy snowfall ... however, even the winters are fairly mild compared to places further north & east.

Originally Posted by PacNWpibble

~Wind: Is it windy all the time or are there just windy days here and there, or only certain times of year? And how windy is the wind, like can you still take nice long walks with the dog without getting blown over?

It's not in a wind zone, but late spring/early summer is when the wind can be a problem. It's the dry season, and also the fire season. A cigarette butt or a campfire left unattended can cause an inferno.

Originally Posted by PacNWpibble

~Shopping/dining: Is there a cute Main Street or downtown area anywhere that is walkable for shops and dining? From what I can gather looking at maps, it kinda looks like there are just strip mall type options along main roads, but it’s hard to tell from looking at a map.

Show Low has a main street area, but I wouldn't say it's very walkable. Pinetop & Lakeside used to be individual towns, and you can kind of see where their original town sites are if you drive through there, but most of it consists of one long narrow strip.

Originally Posted by PacNWpibble

I am not a big fan of rain and wind! I can tolerate the occasional rain and windy days, but if it’s incessant I think it could drive me mad. However, I also understand that if a place is too perfect, it won’t stay that way forever- so I am willing to concede on a few of my ‘wants’. Mainly what I want is a smaller-scale mountain town (around 50,000 or less), that has at least a couple decent dining spots... AND, of equal if not greater importance: a conservative town! I do not want to be in another town that is run by leftists. What do you all think, is Pinetop/Show Low a contender for me?

The Show Low/Pinetop/Lakeside area averages about 18 inches of precipitation every year. From what I know about Bend, it's located in a rather dry part of Oregon, and it averages less precipitation than Show Low. The two wet seasons hardly ever see incessant precipitation ... however, the area can get quite a bit of snow in the winter, and there are thundershowers in the area almost every afternoon during the monsoon season. Personally, I like the summer monsoon up there because the temperatures are pleasant, and the forest is usually green.

Yes, the area is conservative. Lots of retirees there who basically like the small town life, the outdoors, and don't want any part of the big city, nor leftist politics.. There are quite a few visitors during the summer months who come from the Phoenix & Tucson areas, but most of them just want to escape the heat, and aren't there to cause any trouble. Keep in mind that because the business area of Pinetop/Lakeside is one long strip, the traffic can sometimes be an issue in the summer.

Originally Posted by PacNWpibble

On that end, any suggestions for where to stay for a short visit?

Worldmark Pinetop is my recommendation, but there are many other hotels along the main drag which are fairly decent.

[Hschlick84]

Did you ever check out the western slope of Colorado? Grand Junction and Montrose has better views than Pinetop/Show Low.

[PacNWpibble]

Valley Native: Thank you so much for all of this info and feedback! It sounds like the wind is similar to what we get here in Bend, it can be annoying when out for a walk but it’s not all year long. And the rain sounds like definitely more than Bend, but nowhere near a gloomy place like Portland (I lived there for a few years and found it terribly depressing!).

I will check out Worldmark, thank you for the suggestion!

[PacNWpibble]

Originally Posted by Hschlick84

Did you ever check out the western slope of Colorado? Grand Junction and Montrose has better views than Pinetop/Show Low.

I have looked at Grand Junction as it was suggested in another thread. But I wasn’t excited about the real estate... the homes and neighborhoods look more like city suburbs than the pine forest landscape that I love. But maybe I’m looking in the wrong area, or my $$ isn’t high enough?

I have not looked at Montrose, but will take a peek- thanks for the tip!

In general though, Colorado wouldn’t be my first choice as I’m concerned it is a very purple state on its way to turning blue. Any thoughts on that?

p.s. For the record, I don’t take issue with anyone’s personal politics. I just don’t want to live in a city/state that is run by leftist leadership/representatives as I do not like the effects of their policies.