Cities and towns that we are looking at. (Phoenix, Tucson: rental, crime)

[famlife]

It's between AZ and CO.

Can you guys give me a local's perspective on the areas we are considering? We are mainly concerned about pollution, having things to do, safety, venomous creatures that hide in your shoes, housing prices, and Catholic Middle and High schools. But feel free to add any additional helpful infos or suggestions! Also, we are not a big fan of "cookie cutter" areas, but we can cope if need be.

Thanks!!!

Apache Junction

Lake Havasu City

Yuma (i know, it's freakin HoT.)

Tucson

Phoenix (i realize there is some crime and pollution, but are there "better" areas of town, or just outside?)

Tempe

[Ritchie_az]

"Apache Junction
Lake Havasu City
Yuma (i know, it's freakin HoT.)
Tucson
Phoenix (i realize there is some crime and pollution, but are there "better" areas of town, or just outside?)
Tempe"

I'm guessing you won't have trouble with employment where ever you chose to live. But I'll say what I say to everyone: your job location should be a consideration for where you chose to live.

OK, now on to you cities. I'll start with Phoenix and include Apache Junction and Tempe, because they are both a part of the Phoenix metro area. Please note: there are many other great suburbs of Phoenix (Scottsdale, Chadler, Mesa, Glendale, Peoria, Goodyear, Surprise, Gilbert, etc, etc, etc) that may be worth your time to investigate. There's some pollution in Phoenix, but it's nothing like L.A. Phoenix actually rank's ninth (Most Polluted U.S. Cities by Ozone (http://www.stateoftheair.org/2009/city-rankings/polluted-cities-ozone.html - broken link)). There are "better" areas within the Phoenix city limits, and there are "better" areas all around Phoenix in the suburbs. There are so many "better" areas it would be impossible to list them all here. My advise is to come visit and explore the area.

Tucson has slightly less pollution than Phoenix, but it has more crime. Finding the "better" areas will be a tad tougher than Phoenix, but there are many nice areas (especially in the Catalina Foothills). I personally like Phoenix over Tucson (I've lived in both), but folks in Tucson tend to not like Phoenix very much (and folks in Phoenix tend to not like Tucson very much). Tucson is slightly cooler than Phoenix and has Mt Lemmon just to the north (which has the furthest south ski lift in U.S.).

Yuma is hot, but not as hot as Lake Havasu City. I've never stoped in Yuma for more than a few minutes, so I cannot comment other than it doesn't appear (from near the freeway) to be a great place to live. But who knows? Lake Havasu City is a party town, and I'm not sure that would be a good fit for you.

Have you concidered Prescott? Sierra Vista? Wickenburg? Flagstaff? There are tons of other towns, too.

[famlife]

Sierra Vista is one that I'm looking into as well. Prescott is not so much of an option. We are self-employed so work isn't an issue, since it's done remotely. I've heard that Flagstaff is really expensive like Scottsdale. I have nothing to back up these claims.

I just threw out what i thought was a good variety of places, adequately scattered, just to begin the weeding process. We are hoping to visit in May, but we won't be able to visit the WHOLE state, so we're just seeing what areas spark our interest.

We don't want anything too remote, and definitely not a party town. We need things to do for little kids, and would prefer to be far away from the parties LoL

[kdog]

Judging particularly from your last post, I might suggest you take a look at Kingman as well. It's an excellent small-to-medium sized town for raising kids. There is a Christian school here as well as a charter school, and very good elementary schools. The weather is moderate here for AZ. Not nearly as cold as Flag, but not as hot as Phoenix. Cost of living is probably one of the lowest in AZ as well. Clean air, no traffic, no gangs, no border hassles, just a decent small town life. I know I'm sounding like a Chamber of Commerce ad, but it's true. It's also centrally located in northern AZ, not far from Bullhead, Las Vegas, and Havasu.

We've been here for 3.5 years now, and really enjoying it. We came here from NY and Silicon Valley before that, so we have a pretty wide perspective on places to live. We originally planned on staying here for 3 years, but it's so nice we're staying indefinitely now.

[famlife]

EXCELLENT. Just the kind of info we are looking for. I will definitely look into Kingman!

I'm gonna look for some pics of the area, I'm kinda excited to see what it looks like.

[Ritchie_az]

"Sierra Vista is one that I'm looking into as well. Prescott is not so much of an option. We are self-employed so work isn't an issue, since it's done remotely. I've heard that Flagstaff is really expensive like Scottsdale. I have nothing to back up these claims."

I'm not trying to pry (you need not respond with an answer), but if Yuma, Lake Havasu City and Sierra Vista are options, why is Prescott not an option? In all honesty, that part of the state (from Flagstaff to Prescott) is my favorite, and I'd move there if I could (not that I have issues with where I live, because I love where I live--in Goodyear). Prescott's not too expensive and (IMHO) is a very nice town. The Verde Valley (Camp Verde, Cottonwood, Clarksdale, etc) might be considered slightly "remote" (depending on which town), but is also nice and not expensive. Sedona is very nice and very expensive (but also a little wierd for some reason). Flagstaff is nice and can be expensive. It is a college town, so maybe it would be better live close enough to enjoy it, but not in it.

Sierra Vista has great weather. It's small enough to have that "small town" feel but large enough to have most of the stores/restaurants you could ever want (it even has a small-to-mid-sized mall). Be sure to check out The Cove.

As kdog suggested, Kingman's a nice town many don't think about. It's worth looking into.

As far as Phoenix metro, there are so many nice places all around the valley. I wouldn't limit yourself to Tempe or Apache Junction. I live in Goodyear and love it. Verrado in Buckeye is very nice. Surprise is nice. Lot's of places are nice. Do a little research, and you'll see your options are, um, overwhelming. That's why it would be a good idea to drive around the valley for a few days and take a look at some of these places.

[Brenda-by-the-sea]

Not sure where you are living now, but one thing to understand about Arizona is that there is a stronger dichotomy of big metro area living vs. living in the sticks than in most other states. In other words, there aren't a lot of nice mid-sized cities with full amenities that have the feel of a small, yet well-cultured town. Many cities (like Sierra Vista) that should be the perfect size based on their population seem much smaller than they are and emit a rather backwater vibe. It seems like a population of 100,000 is the minimum threshold for getting out of the sticks in southern AZ (in northern AZ it might be half that). Sierra Vista is also a military town so be prepared for an ultraconservative mentality and jarhead culture. Sierra Vista has also has problems with its proximity to the Coyote Trail (illegal immigration) and unexplained child cancer clusters. It's a pretty area, though, and it probably has Arizona's best year round climate.

[Gandalara]

Kingman is *great*, but are there Catholic schools there? That was a need listed in the OP.

According to parochial.com, Catholic schools are located in .... (excuse the caps I cut and pasted) BAPCHULE, CASA GRANDE, CHANDLER, DOUGLAS, FLAGSTAFF, GLENDALE, GLOBE, GOODYEAR, MESA, NOGALES, NOGALES, PHOENIX, PRESCOTT, SAN CARLOS, SCOTTSDALE, TEMPE, TUCSON, YUMA

[kdog]

Pictures? Hmm, let me see if I can dig some up.

Standing just above the city in the Hualapai Mountain Foothills.

The view from my front yard looking back at Mt Hualapai. There is a County Park with tons of hiking, playgrounds, camping areas, and rental cabins at the top of the mountain. Temps are generally 15 degrees cooler up there in the summer, so it's a great place to visit and cool off. We are fanatical hikers and love it up there. The views are amazing. Takes maybe 15 minutes to get there from town.


The view from my backyard, looking out across town, and at the Cerbat Mountain range. Yes, Kingman is almost completely surrounded by mountains.



The old Rt. 66 runs right through Kingman, along with all the nostalgia of that piece of Americana.
A fun night shot of Mr. D'z Diner downtown.



30 miles west on Rt 66 is Oatman



20 miles east is Hackberry



Those are just fun shots. What specifically did you want to see?

[famlife]

Thanks so much )

my reason for not considering Prescott, is because I heard that they do nuclear testing in Nevada and anything downwind from there gets what they call nuclear fallout? I don't know too much about all that, but it sounds unpleasant. ;o

But I also wouldn't want to live in an area that has unexplained child cancer clusters either!

Have you heard about any issues with "nuclear fallout" in northwesten AZ? I know it has been an issue in southern Utah.