Yavapai Hills (Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley: house, to buy, to live)

[goatboy 1]

Is this a desirable area to live?

[keninaz]

Yes, many like it. They have a clubhouse, tennis courts and pool.
On the downside if you live up one of the hills and it snows you may have a little problem before the streets are cleared.
Homes seemed to have been started in the 70s (I think) and up and the area in not all the same type of house which makes it nice. Mostly custom built in appearance.
Our daughter's family lives there.

[DellNec]

I second that. It is a nice area but if it snows or ice, some of those roads & driveways are insanely pitched. I am talking 18% or higher grades. So as long as you don't have to drive if it snows or there is ice.

[keninaz]

And be aware that Prescott has some really nice rolling hills throughout town and the elevations can change quickly as a result. I have not checked all locations but I would bet that the average elevation in town is around 5400' but that can vary from some 5000 to over 6000 within the city limits.
I was pretty picky about where I was going to live as a result as I don't have a 4 WD and they are not perfect anyway. One good coating of ice or packed snow pretty well cancels most 4 WDs out.

[wretched wrench]

This may or not be a small point, depending on the house's insulation, and he heating budget, but a house at the bottom of a hill gets much colder at night, caused by the denser cold air from the higher elevations moving downward. A house situated like that can be a lot colder at night than one at the same altitude in a flat area.

We are in a valley, and people don't believe our lows.

For example, the airport always reports higher overnight lows than locations described.

[keninaz]

I would, I too am in a low spot and I have a good WX station and my lows can be 6° or more cooler than the current temps in Prescott at any given time.

[goatboy 1]

Thanks for the info. Shopping around Prescott and have a number of questions with more to come as time goes on. Does anyone have a favorite housing location that might spark my interest? Being from the midwest I am familiar with ice and snow but every bit of info is helpful.

[keninaz]

Within Prescott, depending on your style, wants and budget the SW and NW sides of town are pretty nice. Do you want a tract home or some property with it. Do you want to be in the pines? Many variables here to choose from
But there are pockets of the town all over that people really like. It's an older town dating back to the 1800s and was the original territorial capital at one time.
Many also like the smaller outlying towns of Prescott Valley which has city limits right next to Prescott. Some also like Chino Valley, Dewey etc.
Prescott tends to have more hills and we can get more snow as we are a bit higher than the rest.

[DellNec]

Originally Posted by wretched wrench

This may or not be a small point, depending on the house's insulation, and he heating budget, but a house at the bottom of a hill gets much colder at night, caused by the denser cold air from the higher elevations moving downward. A house situated like that can be a lot colder at night than one at the same altitude in a flat area.

We are in a valley, and people don't believe our lows.

For example, the airport always reports higher overnight lows than locations described.

Very true. Just look at the lows in places like Chino Valley (4,500 - 4,800 feet). For instance, tomorrow (Wednesday), the temps are:

Prescott = 55F / 31F
Chino Valley = 62F / 29F

While Chino Valley will have HIGHER daytime temps (7 degrees higher) due to lower elevations, Chino will have LOWER nighttime temps due to lower elevations. Of course there are micro-climates which create their own temperature phenomena.

Like I mentioned, the pines are nice (in the summer) but not my thing in the winter due to ice/snow, colder temps and the pines BLOCK a lot of sunlight which prevents the snow/ice from melting. When we looked at the pine areas, a lot of them were "gloomy" to me. They even block sunlight in the summer and create this dark area that made me feel claustrophobic, we (my wife & I) did NOT like it. You can live ABOVE the pines but that will cost $$$ and you will get BLASTED with high winds, all the time.

That is why I like the juniper areas. They are 1/4 of the height of pines so they let in a lot of light and don't block views, yet they are much nicer than chaparral/scrub brush.

[DellNec]

I remember driving through Yavapai Hills looking for a home to buy. Some of the driveways were SO STEEP that they were at 30% grade. It was scary going up that thing when it was DRY, let alone what it would be like wet or icy.