Sedona Sunrise II apartments? (Phoenix, Tucson: foreclosure, rental, how much)

[tiredofms]

We are considering a much needed move to Arizona but I am not sure of the exact area to move to. I am married with 5 children ranging in ages from 1-13. We were thinking of Sedona but don't make Sedona income. We did run across these apt. online; Sedona Sunrise apartments and was wondering if anyone knows anything about them? We were also looking at Camp Verde and Oro Valley. I am aware of how different all these areas are, we are pretty undecided though. Thanks for any and all opinions or advice you have to offer.

[kdog]

A quick search on google shows that the biggest appt that Sedona Sunrise apartments I and II is a 900 sq/ft, 3BR, for $900. Would that work for a family of 7? It's been said in this forum that Sedona is not a good place to raise kids though.

Why are you moving? You mentioned lack of money, so I'm assuming at least one of you will need a job. What makes you think you'll find one in AZ? The two other towns you mentioned are very small, will have very limited opportunities for work, most likely bad schools and very little activities for kids.

[adventuregurl]

Here's a quote off their website 'You have reached the golden years of life, think of the peace and joy of living somewhere where people are more than your neighbors, they are your friends'.

How do you think those people in their golden years are going to like having kids around?

The site also says 'it's an easy commute to Phoenix', that is if you don't mind a 2 hour commute (each way) !

If you can find work here the pay is $8.50 an hour, for a job like working at the grocery or health food store, there's no industry here excapt tourism and even that's suffering some, that's why I'm self employed . I know many people out of work here and see so many places closing that I'd be surprised if you could find work, remember it's a small place.

Another thing to consider, and I don't know where you're coming from but things are more expensive here, especially groceries etc. and if feeding 7, that should be a big consideration. I've also heard 33% of the town is in foreclosure, I hope that's wrong but it probably isn't.

[redjan1225]

I have friends that raised their kids in Camp Verde and the kids are healthy, well rounded kids who have never felt like life was boring. They live on a small ranch with lots of land, goats, sheep, dogs, etc, so they are always staying active. My guess would be that Verde would be a more favorable place to raise children than Sedona. Sedona is a short distance away for visiting if you'd like. You will find that in Verde, things are reasonably priced, like gas, groceries, etc. It has a very small town feel, without the tourist traffic like Sedona. You may want to check out Cottonwood and Chino Valley or Prescott Valley too. I have an uncle who just moved to Oro Valley and he finds the cost of living there somewhat expensive.

[kdog]

Oh, it's an adult living complex? Oops, I missed that.

[tiredofms]

My husband is also self employed and he can work anywhere really, that is not the issue. I have read many post about the jobs in Arizona, trust me, the job market is pitiful most everywhere. I may or may not get a job....I like to work but only if I can come by that difficult to find school hour job.
The Camp Verde area was interesting to me because it sounds like a place where material possessions is not an issue. We are in no way materialistic, I will go on vacation instead of buying a big tv any day...Ya know?! That is just us though, we were also looking at Show Low though.
We currently live in Mississippi, from New Orleans, lived in Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, Alabama, and Georgia. I am sooooo tired of the super high humidity I am ready to leave the south completely.
BTW, I did read a little more on Sedona last night and have realized it is much more than we want in every way. Also, you would not believe the magic I can make with a grocery list and bill. I do have friends that live in the Tucson area that say the food cost is not that much different from here. Whether or not that is true I am not sure. We will be taking a trip there in February to check some towns out. However, we will only be there for 3 days so I am hoping to narrow my search down to 2 cities.
Oh, do either of these towns have a Walmart and hospital within a 30 minute drive?

Thanks to the ones that have answered me.

[kdog]

Well, if you've got the work situation covered, I might throw Kingman into the mix. It's a small town, about 28,000 people, plus that amount again in the outlying county area. Clean air and little traffic. You can drive across town in 10 minutes which is handy for us "soccer" parents. Cost of living is as low as anywhere in AZ. The public schools here are excellent. We moved here from NY expecting the worst, but we've been surprised how good our elementary school is. Of course we did our homework and picked the best school district. We have friends who moved up from the Phoenix area with young kids and now rave about how much better the schools are here. Surprising, yes, but there it is. The teachers are great. We have one excellent hospital in town that's won all kinds of awards, and a second hospital just opened as well. Shopping is pretty decent for a small town, we have some of the big box stores like Walmart, Staples, KMart, etc. We're 100 miles from Vegas, so it's easy to travel there for additional shopping for entertainment once in a while. Also 35 miles from Bullhead/Laughlin for more shopping and entertainment as well. Altitude is 3400', so the temperature runs about 10 degrees cooler than Phoenix. Ok, that's my pitch, I'll shut up now.

[adventuregurl]

Originally Posted by kdog

Oh, it's an adult living complex? Oops, I missed that.

I don't think it is exactly, I had a friend who lived there years ago and she was in her 40's but most places around here, espeically rental apartments, aren't set up for kids.

[adventuregurl]

Originally Posted by tiredofms

My husband is also self employed and he can work anywhere really, that is not the issue. I have read many post about the jobs in Arizona, trust me, the job market is pitiful most everywhere. I may or may not get a job....I like to work but only if I can come by that difficult to find school hour job.
The Camp Verde area was interesting to me because it sounds like a place where material possessions is not an issue. We are in no way materialistic, I will go on vacation instead of buying a big tv any day...Ya know?! That is just us though, we were also looking at Show Low though.
We currently live in Mississippi, from New Orleans, lived in Tennessee, Kentucky, Florida, Alabama, and Georgia. I am sooooo tired of the super high humidity I am ready to leave the south completely.
BTW, I did read a little more on Sedona last night and have realized it is much more than we want in every way. Also, you would not believe the magic I can make with a grocery list and bill. I do have friends that live in the Tucson area that say the food cost is not that much different from here. Whether or not that is true I am not sure. We will be taking a trip there in February to check some towns out. However, we will only be there for 3 days so I am hoping to narrow my search down to 2 cities.
Oh, do either of these towns have a Walmart and hospital within a 30 minute drive?

Thanks to the ones that have answered me.

Good luck to you! I think Tucson might be a better bet for a family, there's more to do but you will see for yourself.

Sedona is full of people with money and some without any (it's 2 extremes) and it is not very diversified, population wise. I knew someone who had a mixed race adopted child (he was around 12 -14) who she had adopted and he couldn't go to school here, the kids just wouldn't accept him so she had to home school him. He was so happy to get out of Sedona.

Cottonwood has a Super Walmart and it serves Sedona and Camp Verde....a poster above was calling Camp Verde 'Verde' and that is a bit confusing and the whole general area, inclusing Sedona, is the Verde Valley.

Camp Verde is more of a western town and can be a little rougher but I like it too. By rougher I mean more blue collar (or dusty collar , this is the desert). The main drag is getting quite nice. It may have more for kids to do, I don't know.

[mohawkx]

Cottonwood is a very nice option for you. There is a super wal mart and a hospital right in town. Prices are more in line also.