Munds Park or Mountainaire? (Phoenix, Tucson: real estate, vacation home, neighborhood)

[grmi66]

Thinking about heading up the freeway to relocate up the Flagstaff area. My S.O. wants to move back to be closer to her aging father. From looking on Flagstaff's MLS it appears that the only region close to town that is within our price range are Munds Park or Mountainaire area. Anyone know anything good, bad or indifferent about either location?

[azdr0710]

Munds Park is better known as Pinewood to I-17 drivers and locals....it's about 19 miles south of Flag and has a wide variety of housing choices, ranging from trailers and manufactured homes to $1M+ vacation homes for Phoenicians....developed starting in the 1960s, it has a good rep, but few close-by businesses or action

Mountainaire is on the east side of I-17 about six miles south of Flag across the highway from similar Kachina Village....lots of vacationy-looking houses/cabins on very small lots, mostly....probably has more permanent residents than Pinewood....other than Sunnyside, a neighborhood in Flag proper, Kachina/Mountainaire may have the lowest price/sq. ft. real estate in the immediate Flag area....(am I wrong about that, locals?)

[thedirtman]

That's good advice azdr0710 (although I can't give reputation because city-data says I must spread it around). Sunnyside may be cheaper, but one can get a better value in Kachina or Mountainaire. Sunnyside has some of the worst dumps in the state and that includes Phoenix and Tucson.

[WCArch]

My family has a summer home in Munds Park. Mountainaire is a lot closer to Flagstaff, and thus groceries, restaurants, and entertainment. Munds Park is a typical mountain resort community that is always full of life. I love going up to the high country, and my family has been going to munds park since the early 60's. It is bigger than Mountainaire but feels more secluded to me. Both areas are rural communities, and both are heavily forested.

[grmi66]

Moot point right now, staying here in Phoenix for the foreseeable future and making monthly visits to Flagstaff. Thanks for the tips.

[BillR1]

I lived in Pinewood for a couple of years. The winters were nice as the place was nearly deserted. Many/most of the residents were summer-only retirees.
I didn't care much for summers however. Those same senior citizens nearly took over the narrow roads with their golf carts going to and from the country club. It made it difficult at times to get in and out of the community.
Being nearly 20 miles out of town, grocery trips needed to be planned well.
I would choose Mountainaire in a second over living in Munds Park again!