Bend or Prescott, AZ? (Phoenix: how much, living, restaurants)

[supchick]

Hi, I'm questioning whether my husband and I should retire to Bend or Prescott, AZ. Both have colder weather than here in the SoCal high desert, but it does get cold here and we see some snow flurries and sometimes what I call a skiff- if it sticks, it melts within a couple of hours, usually. Bend sounds aweome and off the hook gorgeous and FUN! We're into paddleboarding, but not so much winter sports YET, as we have nothing to do here. The mountains are an hour away. Prescott gets some snow and has small reservoirs, but I don't think it gets as much as Bend. We would definitely visit both places before a decision is made. How long are the winters in Bend and how many months of summer are there Thanks in advance!

P.S. I'm not another rich Californian. I'm not out to destroy an environment with a mansion! LOL!

[Snownut]

Don't live in Bend yet but have visited, heavily researched and are seriously looking to move there.

If you use the search tab at the top of the Bend forum page you can find loads of topics and information about Bend.

Just type in a key word or short question and it will show all posts connected to the question or word. A good research tool that I wish I knew about the first time I joined the forum.

Good luck in your searching. Visiting is the best way to know if Bend or Prescott match your retirement needs.

[delta07]

Originally Posted by Snownut

Don't live in Bend yet but have visited, heavily researched and are seriously looking to move there.

If you use the search tab at the top of the Bend forum page you can find loads of topics and information about Bend.

Just type in a key word or short question and it will show all posts connected to the question or word. A good research tool that I wish I knew about the first time I joined the forum.

Good luck in your searching. Visiting is the best way to know if Bend or Prescott match your retirement needs.

Great advice! To sum Bend up in a nutshell, we still have a predominant PNW weather pattern. This includes winter with overcast skies and a mix of sun, rain, and snow. Spring is the longest season, and remains cool and overcast, rainy and snowy until as late as July. Summer is short but beautiful. Long days that are almost always clear and sunny. Autumn is pleasant with cooling temps and mostly sunny skies.

Arizona will provide you with much more sun and some winter weather too.

[kapetrich]

I agree with both of the last posters.

Depends how much weather weighs into your decision. Flagstaff will definitely have more winter/spring sun. Bend will have more summer sun without monsoons, but our summers are very short when compared to most of the rest of this country.

Also, depends on culture. I personally prefer the PNW culture to the SW, but that's me and we're all different.

Take a visit and see which one grabs you......then think hard......

Also, I'd imagine Bend is a bit more affordable, but I could be totally off on that....


My gut says you should go with Flagstaff, honestly.... Have you checked out Santa Fe, NM or Prescott, AZ? Seems like they, along with a mountain town or two in Colorado, would fit your criteria, too.

[whirnot]

Having recently made that decision, we chose Bend. As it turns out we just returned from Phoenix yesterday (Fiesta Bowl) and were in Bend just before Xmas, and to us there is no comparison. The PNW is so much more beautiful! I don't know about Prescott but the Phoenix area probably has a lower cost of living, and Flaggstaff is higher. They also get more snow.

When we decided, we took Bend as a baseline and compared every place we could imagine retiring to. Nothing compares with Bend. we are very outdoors oriented and Bend is an Outdoor Mecca. One of the other huge advantages for us is if we want a weather change, just jump in the Car and you have it in a couple of hours.

[supchick]

Thanks for your input, everybody! Kapetrich, Flag is too snowy, cold and expensive, that's why I was originally comparing Bend to Prescott. They both are outdoorsy, just one gets more snow than the other. I don't think that Prescott is quite as green as Bend, but it's greener, more scenic and cooler in summer than Phoenix. Where I live now (Yucca Valley, CA near Palm Springs) is just brown year round and has nothing to do in the way of outdoor recreation. Cold winters, wind, hot summers, no bodies of water closer than an hour away.

[dogflower]

Supchick-

I agree Prescott has a lot more sun than Bend, plus you can get to warmer areas, such as southern Arizona, readily. When you're here in Bend, it's hard to get to warmth, although the coast and temperate rainforests are incredibly spectacular. Prescott and all of Arizona are considerably more politically conservative than Bend and Oregon; we have much better restaurants; and I have heard that there are some water issues in Prescott. I personally find the long winters of Bend somewhat depressing and wish for more sun and warmth.

[Snownut]

Originally Posted by dogflower

Supchick-

I agree Prescott has a lot more sun than Bend, plus you can get to warmer areas, such as southern Arizona, readily. When you're here in Bend, it's hard to get to warmth, although the coast and temperate rainforests are incredibly spectacular. Prescott and all of Arizona are considerably more politically conservative than Bend and Oregon; we have much better restaurants; and I have heard that there are some water issues in Prescott. I personally find the long winters of Bend somewhat depressing and wish for more sun and warmth.

we have pondered sw locations to relocate too but for the reasons you mentioned they are off of our list. Everytime we compare a place to Bend, Bend wins. That said we are very picky about where we would live in Bend and will not move there unless we have plenty of reserve money to vacation to warm locations during the long Bend "spring" of erratic but mostly chilly weather. Love reading about the what and whys of why people live where they do and often like me where they would like to live. I hope supchick shares where she decides and why....

[supchick]

I'm pretty set on Bend, but for warmth I choose Prescott and for the abundance of recreational opportunities, I choose Bend. However,Prescott has five smaller lakes (reservoirs) and lots of hiking trails. I think it'll come down to temperature and affordability, which will require visiting. Yay! Just kidding, we'd never move site unseen. Although all the paddleboarding is tempting!

[whirnot]

Although Bend really doesn't get that much snow, you have to realize that Bachelor gets a ton, and is only 18 miles away. They just reported a total of 652 inches in 2012.

I am guessing you would quickly adopt some winter fun. Snowshoeing comes to mind as it is inexpensive, doesn't take a lot of skill or lessons, and gets you out in the environment. Paddleboarding in Bend has to be amazing. Besides the Deschutes right downtown, you have the Little Deschutes which is windy flat water, and dozens of lakes. We are looking forward to kayaking these same waters.