The Prescott Perspective

[keninaz]

I don't think proposition 13 caused all the damages in CA.
Mismanagement by elected officials is one good reason.
But I could see it sliding downhill fast after I spent my life there as I was born and raised in N CA.
That's one of the reasons we left.
When we left our community was canceling bus services for school children and getting ready to fire the drivers and sell off the school bus fleet.
The kids were going to be forced onto public transit like it or not.
That was in the Fairfield/Suisun City area just North of SF.
Just another reason we bailed in '93.

[Ultrarunner]

Originally Posted by ExNooYawk

We left CA in 2006 after having lived there for five years. Our taxes were $10k and we had one kid in the school system.

Our neighbors lived in the house where the wife grew up and whose mother still resided there. They had four kids in the school system and were paying $700 in property taxes.

Gee, I wonder why California is broke.... Hmmm... Can't figure that out.... Beats me.... Don't understand it....

For starters... the Mom probably owned the home since the 70's... so 40 years of taxes going in... also, the home is probably original, without upgrades... otherwise the tax base would automatically be adjusted upward when permits are pulled and the work completed.

$700 sounds very low... the home is valued at 60K or less.

Even at the State Tax rate of 1%... there are always added assessments.

I thought the home I bought had a low tax base... the couple built it in 1956 and were paying $1,200 a year until I bought it and the taxes went to $9,000.

I don't begrudge them one bit and hope to be in a similar situation after 50 years for ownership...

[longton52]

So, getting back to the original post, the weather does sound pretty ideal in Prescott. From what I've read there's a difference between weather in Prescott, Prescott Valley and Chino Valley, yet they're so close. Is it more of a subtle difference?
And how's the medical care in the Prescott area? I saw that there's a medical center. Good reputation?

[Esenjay]

There's a difference in elevation between the 3 areas. Prescott is the higher elevation (5400') and will get more snow/colder temperatures, but a little cooler in the summer. Chino Valley is 15 miles north of Prescott, 4700' elevation, so less snow but slightly warmer (few degrees). PV is probably closer to Prescott than Chino Valley for weather, though I think it's a little lower elevation on average (but higher than CV).

Can't answer the medical center question really, haven't had to use the services yet (knock on wood). My uncle is a vet and uses the VA, he's quite happy with their service.

[longton52]

Thanks ! Looks like you're getting a little snow today.

[Esenjay]

We do have our days of snow, but from what I can see of the forecast this storm will blow out by the weekend and we'll be back to sunny days (and cold nights, of course). So, a couple days of snow, first we've had in CV this winter. I imagine Prescott is getting quite a bit more than us, being 700' higher up. I'm not going to drive there to find out.

[keninaz]

I have 2-3" here at the house now on the SW side of town.
The heavier stuff is just getting here.
Prescott is predicted to have 6-12" in the 36 or so hours of snow predicted. It's very soft and pretty dry snow so far.
I know that up the hill where I fish at Goldwater Lake it's about 700' higher and they have more snow right now than than we do.