Winona??? (Phoenix, Flagstaff, Williams: for rent, how much, houses)

[1badcj8]

Does any one here live in or near Winona? It seems like a fairly nice place. While not as picturesque as Williams it has its own beauty but is it a better place to live? Is this another place there where you have to "haul in" your water?

[buckeyenative01]

Why not just move to Flagstaff? Winona is essentially an exurb (for a comparison, think of the town of Maricopa relative to Metro Phoenix)

[azdr0710]

Originally Posted by buckeyenative01

Why not just move to Flagstaff? Winona is essentially an exurb (for a comparison, think of the town of Maricopa relative to Metro Phoenix)

1badcj8 may not be able to afford Flag's high housing prices, so may be looking for a nearby alternative....Winona isn't nearly as far from Flag as Maricopa is from Phx, but I wouldn't call it a suburb, either....gotta say I don't know the water hauling situation in Winona, but, to me, there may be better alternatives in Parks (some water hauling there), Doney Park, Kachina/Mountainaire or Cosnino....look around and compare.....

is water hauling your main concern?...or housing prices?

[buckeyenative01]

With the fire and subsequent flooding during the 2010 and 2011 monsoon seasons, I'd strongly recommend against Doney Park/Timberline at least until there's some sort of definite action plan set in place to deal with the aftermath of the Schultz Fire. There's a reason people up there are trying to sell their houses for dirt cheap prices with little success...

[1badcj8]

It would be the water Hauling, seems like a HUGE hasstle... I'm not getting sticker shock at all. I have had a number of people talk about the high housing prices there. You guys would be in super shock out here. The prices there for the same thing are WAY better. Not why I'm looking to move though...

Here where we live we get about 70" of snow a year and are at 7500ft, that is what I've found that Williams and Winona get with Flagstaff of course getting 100" a year (give or take on either for any given year, of course). When I worked at the mine here close to me it was at 10,600ft and snowed every day, up there it was prolly in the 250" or more in a year range.

Point is I didn't mind driving up there to work but didn't want to live in it. So same deal here, Williams and Winona are closer than the mine was to me here by about 15 min. Live in a little less snow but drive to work where there is more would be good. HOWEVER, I have found a number of places that are considered Flagstaff (prolly same snow though) that are on the out skirts that are not only affordable but away from the heart of Flag, which is another thing...

While Flag is not near as big as our closest metro (Denver) here its bigger than what we live in. We very much like small(er) town living and really don't want to be in a big neigborhood... Thats why we don't "just move to Flagstaff" ...

We have for sure come to the conclusion however that you must have really expensive ass grocery's and gas there because over-all the housing cost there is WAY better than here... Renting or buying...

Thank you both for the responses, it is very appreciated .

And yes... Kachina is one area we have looked at, looks pretty nice around there!

[azdr0710]

just in case you thought this, you actually don't have to HAUL your own water home every few days....most people have the companies that do this in the area do it.....but you can haul it if you want.....

Kachina and other areas often have homes on small lots, if that's a concern....most homes in Doney are on well over an acre and most areas of Doney are NOT threatened by flooding from the recent fire....

[1badcj8]

Thanks ... I didn't know for sure but figured it wouldn't be a problem paying some one to haul in your water. I'm sure its kinda like having your propane brought to you and filled only doesn't last near as long. I suppose it would simply be a matter of how much it cost. So I can assume that 'well' water isn't an option there. I've never heard of not having the option of a well but I've never lived in AZ either...

I have not looked at Doney at all, have not even heard of it until you mentioned it. As for Kachina I agree there lots are quite small, pretty much like a regular neighborhood with a little more room from what I have seen on-line. If we went there we would rent to start, which is what we will do any way so that we can find what we really want. If we do get to move we will not be buying right off the bat, we will want to be able to learn the area a little first and find what is right for us both in price and location. Buying right out of the gate I think is a mistake that too many people make.

I will give Doney a look though... Any way to tell what is and isn't effected by the fire?

[buckeyenative01]

Timberline is a bigger concern. The county has constructed several mitigation efforts to ward off any potential threats to Doney Park of future flooding. The biggest area hit last year by flooding was Sunset Crater Estates on the northeastern end of Doney Park as water came down off the mountain and crossed over Hwy 89 (the area sits in whats called an alluvial fan drainage system).

Down by Cromer Elementary and further south in Doney Park is pretty safe from most natural threats.

Long story short, the fire isn't a concern, its the aftermath, which resulted in flooding during the 2010 and 2011 monsoon seasons.

[1badcj8]

Yeah Doney Park looks nice. Its close enough to town for some convenience and rural enough for our comfort. A bit more trees would be nice but I do like its openness. We are really starting to like some of the possibilities. Not alot for Rent up there but we can still look up there later.

[buckeyenative01]

Look along Townsend-Winona Road if you're interested in more trees. Its just to the south of Doney Park.