The perfect area for me in AZ (Phoenix, Tucson: insurance, crime)

[Jeremy.Bingham]

Hi... I'm looking at moving out of the Seattle area to somewhere warmer... AZ seems like a good fit. I'd prefer to stay on the West Coast... For business purposes, California won't work... However, I wouldn't mind being 6-8 hours from the Pacific Ocean.

I'm looking for a place that is safe, without a major illegal immigration or crime problem...gangs, drugs, etc.... I don't want to deal with that.

I'd prefer a place that isn't in the hottest areas of the state but am willing to deal with the heat. A city that isn't a total snowbird town would also be nice.

If anyone can recommend 2-3 places that meet this criteria, I'd appreciate it. Home pricing, etc are super important to me as anything is better than Seattle, Washington these days.

[redjan1225]

Immigration is the problem in much of AZ including the big towns of Phoenix and Tucson. I live here and have seen improvements since we enacted laws that prohibited business owners from hiring illegals. This took the work away and many illegals left to find work elsewhere. Still, I think you will find immigration issues and gangs just about anywhere.

I'd recommend checking out Prescott/Chino Valleys, Prescott, Camp Verde, and Cottonwood.

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by Jeremy.Bingham

Hi... I'm looking at moving out of the Seattle area to somewhere warmer... AZ seems like a good fit. I'd prefer to stay on the West Coast... For business purposes, California won't work... However, I wouldn't mind being 6-8 hours from the Pacific Ocean.

I'm looking for a place that is safe, without a major illegal immigration or crime problem...gangs, drugs, etc.... I don't want to deal with that.

I'd prefer a place that isn't in the hottest areas of the state but am willing to deal with the heat. A city that isn't a total snowbird town would also be nice.

If anyone can recommend 2-3 places that meet this criteria, I'd appreciate it. Home pricing, etc are super important to me as anything is better than Seattle, Washington these days.

Greetings from a fellow Seattlelite!

When we decided to find a retirement destination we were looking for a place that mild winters (not averaging below freezing at night for any month of the year), warm and sunny but not too hot summers (not averaging over 100 for a high for any month of the year), and with enough rain so that the environment does not appear barren.

We started looking at various areas of Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Nevada (we considered California likely to be too expensive). Because we were looking for retirement property, we were not limited to the large cities such as Phoenix - in fact we specifically were NOT looking at large cities (currently living in Seattle, we've had enough of that). Considering though that we will be living on this land during our older years, nearby medical resources were a requirement, as was some degree of shopping - so, we wanted to be near a small town of some sort (with basic services) and within an hour of a major city.

The answer to our search for a "perfect climate" was pretty conclusive: All of Utah and New Mexico are too cold in the winter (mainly due to elevation). Northern Nevada and northern Arizona are again, too cold in the winter. Southern Nevada and SW Arizona are too hot in the summer - but SE Arizona seemed "just right" - for the simple reason that there is a general elevation gain in Southern Arizona as you move east (and way from the lowlands of the Colorado river). Thus while Yuma is a blast furnace at a mere 200 feet, and Phoenix not much cooler at 1,000 feet or so, Tucson is a bit more temperate at 2,400 feet, Benson much more temperate at 3,500 feet and Sierra Vista near perfect at 4,200 feet or so (depending where in the area you happen to be).

So, we ended up with land in the J-6 area, at 4,200 feet - and with January average highs of around 60 (and overnight lows in the mid-30's or so) and Summer highs typically in the upper 80's and low 90's (we average just 3 days/year with temps (barely) in the 100's) and with about the same amount rainfall as Sequim (average of 16-20 inches)/year - though because the rainfall pattern is very different from Sequim (less frequent, but heavier) the landscape is more or less arid grassland/shrubland with just an occasional scattering of mesquite trees.

In addition our location puts us 4 minutes from I-10, 10 minutes from the town of Benson (with a basic hospital and some shopping (including a large Walmart)), and 40 minutes from downtown Tucson.

As a general rule, climate throughout Arizona is driven by elevation rather than latitude. Northern Arizona is cooler not because it's further north but because it's higher in elevation. Much of the northern half of the state sits upon the Colorado Plateau - which is 7,000 feet high - this gives relatively pleasant summers, but the winters can be a bit chilly. Southern Arizona is as described in the paragraph above. The most gentle climates in the state are in the SE corner (as described above) or the area near Kingman. North of that it's a bit too chilly for me in the winter, and the southwest corner of the state (being very low in elevation) is much too warm. Personally, I think that SE Arizona has an almost perfect climate - the best in the continental US (aside from SoCal).

Elevation map:

Map - Elevation - Arizona

Ken

[mohawkx]

I came from Portland, Or. to the Verde Valley. Cottonwood, just outside of Sedona. This area may have pretty much what you're looking for.

[CosmicWizard]

The OP wrote:

AZ seems like a good fit. I'd prefer to stay on the West Coast

You probably know this already, but I'll say it as a friendly reminder. Get out the map and you'll re-discover that Arizona is a landlocked state. It is NOT on the west coast. Only California, Oregon, & Washington are on the west coast of the USA.

[maverick974]

Originally Posted by CosmicWizard

The OP wrote:

AZ seems like a good fit. I'd prefer to stay on the West Coast

You probably know this already, but I'll say it as a friendly reminder. Get out the map and you'll re-discover that Arizona is a landlocked state. It is NOT on the west coast. Only California, Oregon, & Washington are on the west coast of the USA.

I don't mean to argue but many people (myself included) already know that Arizona is land locked. However, we include Arizona as a west coast state simply because it is in the "western U.S". Much like Nevada would be considered the west coast by many.
It's a common generalization by many people even though we know better.

[grippit]

What do you like to do? Outdoor activities, nightlife, etc.? Does your business limit you in any way other than Cali won't work? Any moe specifics?

[CosmicWizard]

maverick974 wrote:

I don't mean to argue but many people (myself included) already know that Arizona is land locked. However, we include Arizona as a west coast state simply because it is in the "western U.S". Much like Nevada would be considered the west coast by many.
It's a common generalization by many people even though we know better.

I'm well aware of the generalization. That's exactly why I took the time to point out that Arizona is technically not a west coast state. Arizona is a western state, but not a west coast state. Same issue with some eastern states. People often ( though mistakenly ) refer to Pennsylvania for example as an east coast state, but like Arizona it's not situated on the coast. Technically speaking.....Pennsylvania is an eastern state and Arizona is a western state. I'm sure that the common, though incorrect generilizations will persist, even though we know better.


BTW, I second mowhawkx suggestion to check out the Verde Valley. If money is a non-issue for you then check out Sedona too.

[oduinnin]

I am happy to hear some folks suggesting the Verde Valley! Last year my wife and I scoured the Prescott / Prescott Valley area looking for a decent lot to build our retirement home on. Due to poor selection and high prices, on a realtor's suggestion we decided to look in Sedona. As soon as we arrived there, as beautiful as the red rocks and pine trees are, we realized we couldn't afford it. On our way back down I17, we stopped for lunch in Camp Verde. We just loved the downtown area and began looking there (also Rimrock / Lake Montezuma, Cottonwood and Clarkdale). A few days later, a server in a small cafe asked us what we were doing in town. When we mentioned that we were looking for a home lot, she introduced us to a local couple that were thinking of selling a lot they owned in Camp Verde. Two days later, the deal was done. We have children / grandchildren living in Phoenix suburbs and wanted to be near them in retirement, but neither us wanted the year round heat. We realize Camp Verde can get very hot in the summer like Phoenix (103 the day we looked at the lot in July), but it seems to cool off a bit at night. At either of our daughters homes (Glendale & Surprise), it stays hot pretty much all night. We've been visiting when the temperature has topped 120 for days at a time.

[Howard Roark]

Many of you talking about outlying areas should be aware that today's or yesterday's Arizona Republic published an article that many doctors in small towns in Arizona (such as Prescott) are now denying medicare.

This may be a small problem now, but as us boomers get into our 60s it will be a larger problem. So instead of paying for the biggest house in smalltown, AZ, consider downsizing and set aside a couple hundred thousand dollars for each of you (you and your spouse) in case no insurance will take you up.