Moving to Jerome ☺️ (Phoenix, Prescott, Prescott Valley: rental, houses, buying)

[MissyK3]

Hi everyone!
My husband and I are looking to move to Jerome, AZ in the next year or so. I'm looking for help from anyone in the area. We enjoyed a day visit but have no connections. My husband loves the desert and we both love artist colony type places. We're thinking about renting for a year first and then buying. We'll need to sell our home in Valparaiso,IN. We're just two adults (34,42)so schools don't matter. We have two cats so a good vet is important

The things I noticed in other threads that are asked are occupations and budget. So we're looking to buy a house in the $250k range. We prefer smaller homes. And my husband works from home as a software developer, so faster tiers of high speed internet is super critical. I will have to find work in town.

Let me know what you guys think.
Thanks so much!
Missy ☺️

[Hschlick84]

Have you guys consider looking into Prescott Valley? There is a better selection of housing in your budget and more amenities.

[ryanst530]

Really not a great town for everyday living, IMHO. It is 99.9% geared for tourist entertainment... housing is in short supply, as are jobs.

I agree with Hschlick84 here... Prescott Valley has a much larger, more diverse selection of homes, and is far more livable.

[agorski]

Prescott Valley is certainly not an artist colony type place, although Prescott is a little better that way. Gigabit ethernet is available in this area.

I agree that Jerome has challenges. You'll have to shop in Cottonwood, which isn't great if you want access to a Costco or Trader Joe's, which Prescott has. You'll also probably have to work in Cottonwood, Camp Verde, or even Sedona.

Have you looked at Bisbee?

[Hschlick84]

Downtown Prescott has artists that sell their paintings and crafts in town. They rent out commercial space in some of the buildings and during the spring or summer, they have an art festival every year by the Yavapai county courthouse. It's quite busy.

[infocyde]

I looked at moving to Jerome a couple times over the past 7 years or so. If you hit Jerome on the right days it is an awesome little town. Great views, forested mountains on one side and sweeping desert vistas with some of the red of Sedona the other side. Good restaurants. Cool little town.

Then I went there a few times when "Phoenix was in town." That one lane road going through town can sometimes be a near parking lot, people everywhere. Unfortunately the number of days like that in Jerome is only going to grow not shrink.

If you can handle that, and as others have indicated have to do some shopping in nearby areas, it would be a cool place for a few years. Lot's of restaurants, cool vibe, beautiful.

As to high speed internet I don't know, that was a big question on my mind. Cottonwood down below had one of the nation's first gigabit internet services through Cable One, so Jerome might be close enough to take advantage of that. I'd call Cable One or look online to see.

Back a few years at least there were some houses that were even semi-affordable in Jerome. I looked at one kind of at the bottom of the hill coming up into Jerome right before you get into town. They were pretty much new-agey decorated shacks. That would have been fine for me at the time but beyond that finding affordable housing might be rough.

Good luck.

[MissyK3]

Thanks for the replies. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.  Yeah, I'm seeing that housing costs are an issue if we want to stick to our budget. There's a cute place listed right now in budget that my hubs loves so we'll see if we adjust our time frame. Thanks for the tips and I'll check on the internet company tomorrow. I'm thinking I'll maybe have my own business. A yarn store as I'm passionate about yarny things. ☺️ in not sure what is be looking at for initial startup and overhead. Perhaps I can find a business that will lease space as opposed to trying to buy a place plus a home? I know there was a yarn store in Jerome before but I'm not sure why it's closed. Does anyone know? I have a couple ideas that maybe weren't thought of before to help make it work out. We're great with the tourist thing. Again, thanks so much for the help. Have a great week!

[infocyde]

There is at least one rent a space building in Jerome that I know of, probably more. Not sure how a yarn store would do but that isn't my demographic. I think you can find space but it might be at a premium...depends on if a local or a Phoenix developer owns the building. 602/480 area codes give away the Phoenix investors.

[kytoaz]

Most of the artists and shop owner/operators I have met in Jerome actually live down the hill in cottonwood or clarkdale. I love Jerome but don't think I could handle living there.

[trouillot]

Whether living in Jerome or down the hill in Cottonwood, you will take frequent drives to and from Prescott/Prescott Valley. The drive you will be taking across Mingus Mountain, as beautiful as it is, can be very dangerous because route is full of twists and rises and slopes, and impatient drivers abound. Especially during the warmer months. In fifteen years driving that route, personally witnessed accidents and many near misses and every year aggressive motorists have become more of a problem. I know a sheriff who patrolled that route for years and told me of horrific accidents. If you move to Jerome, Verde Valley - be very patient driving across Mingus Mountain. Don't attempt to pass other vehicles, especially RV's and vehicles pulling trailers. While most motorcyclists are cautious, there are more than a few impatient motorcyclists who will weave in and out and around slower moving vehicles. Most all Harley Davidson riders I saw were cautious riders. Some taking that route do so early morning to avoid traffic that builds up after early morning. Being that the VA hospital is located in Prescott, many vets do the Mingus Mountain drive even though there is a small VA clinic in Cottonwood. Vets I knew would schedule VA appointments early to avoid Mingus Mountain traffic. Be smart, be patient and stay alive. The whole Verde Valley/Prescott Valley area is ever growing and I noted aggressive driving has been increasing each year. FYI - there is a fabric store in Cottonwood that I've been in, and they have hobbyists who knit. Perhaps in visiting that store, you might gain an insight or two that would be beneficial to you? In past lived in Sedona, Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Camp Verde and close to Thumb Butte in a rental in Prescott. Lolling on lawn around Courthouse Square with the dogs mid-Spring. Good times (: