Suggestion on where to move to in AZ

[techieguy]

I'm thinking of moving in the next couple of years to AZ and am I looking for suggestions. I would like an area where the housing market is inexpensive and not in town or a large town, I will need to work but if I'm completely debt free I'm not too concerned about making wages, just something to pay for monthly bills and gun money

So let hear your suggestion and the reason why.

Thanks

The post title should be: Suggestions of where to move in AZ

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[BlackFeather]

I've often thought of moving to Heber/Obergard area. {apologies if I've misspelled that}
Sure is pretty up there. Lots of wide open space, clean air, abundant wildlife, forests....
No congestion, friendly people. Not too awful far from major cities like Mesa & Phoenix but without the blast furnace heat of the valley. Just the right distance from The Babylon as we used to say in the West Indies.
Everything is of course a trade off. Winters are colder than I care for. Having spent most of my life in the tropics however I'm pretty jaded. 50 degs is unreasonably cold to me. Don't even get me started on snow! Yes they get it there but winters are supposedly mild by normal peoples' standards.
I'd want a house where I can shoot my rifles from the porch. You can get one there and prices aren't so bad at all.
Lots of really good places in our fine state. If I ever move it will be north of where I am now. Good luck and best wishes to you. Maybe we'll meet at the range one fine day. Perhaps even my porch

 

[techieguy]

That's exactly then insight I'm looking for! 50 for winter temps is about perfect! My wife hates snow and where we live now (north of Medford just under 2k in elevation, we get snow every other winter, upto 18") so I'll look into the area mentioned!

Thanks so much for the input! Being able to shoot from my own property is a plus! I can do that now, but don't much as where my neighbors are located.

 

[1jayC]

Even though Az. is a reliable red state with lenient gun laws, some areas are very liberal leaning. Sanctuary City Tucson has all of the same woes as it's sanctuary counterparts in other states. Poor budget planning, crime, and virtually no representation for gun owners. Cochise county in the S.E. has decent climate if you find something with elevation. The town of Sonoita is nice but has recently gotten expensive for real estate. Has a nice Cowboy vibe. Phoenix and entire metro area has a decent economy but blazing hot in the summer.
I live in Tucson but well outside of the city limits. If I could move, it would be either to Sonoita, or an area dead center of the state. Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Page Springs, Camp Verde area. All within a few miles of each other. Still hot in the summer, 90*-100*, but fairly mild winters.

 

[targetshooter]

Sonoita also has annual fires, big ones! they had at least 2 huge ones this year requiring evacuations and loss of property.

 

[billt]

Go where the money is, (Phoenix Metro Area). Housing is very affordable, and property taxes are low. If you try to work in a small town, like Prescott or Lake Havasu City, you're going earn crap. And believe me, that gets real old, real fast. My wife and I moved to Lake Havasu City from the Chicago area back in 1991.

We bought a brand new home for cash, and life was good. (We have no kids). I worked as a die cast moldmaker for McCulloch Corporation. Wages weren't as good as they were in Chicago, but they were close. After 5 years McCulloch got into financial hot water. They invested heavily in a plant in Hermosillo, Mexico after NAFTA was passed. It didn't work out, and they were going bankrupt. Rather than waiting for the other shoe to drop, we moved to the West Valley. I ended up making more money than I did in the Midwest, with better benefits.

Had we stayed in Lake Havasu I wouldn't have earned anywhere near what I made up until I retired 2-1/2 years ago. I was able to fully retire at 62. There would have been no way I could have done that, if we had lived and worked in Lake Havasu for the last 20 years. Another problem is Californian's have overrun places like Lake Havasu City and Prescott. And they bring all of their liberal California mentality with them.

They get involved in local government, and screw it up much like they did in California. Lake Havasu City still doesn't have city wide sewers, sidewalks, or streetlights...... But they have a multi million dollar, "Aquatic Center", that's built right on the lake, of all places. A 30 million dollar jail, and a, "Fire Training Academy". All of that money could have been put to far better use, had it been properly managed. I'm not saying Phoenix is perfect. Far from it. But you have very good weather, good health care, and if you're raising kids, there are good schools available. There are a lot of things to consider that go along with, "small town living". Many of them aren't very desirable.

 

[CAMPMEAT]

I moved to Az. last year. Best thing I ever did. I can carry my AR in my truck locked and loaded w/o any problems. Everybody loves guns down here. Friendly people, every single one of them. The only bubblegumty part is the monsoons for a month, give or take. I love it here anyhow...

 

[targetshooter]

Don't know that I'd call 115 plus in Phoenix "Perfect Weather". ITS HOT THERE, at least 5 degrees warmer than Tucson on a daily basis, and Phoenix is crowded, has s lot of crime, mucho traffic, etc

 

[CAMPMEAT]

That's why I never even thought about Phoenix or South Tucson.

 

[billt]

As far as the heat, this IS the Sonoran Desert, not Fargo in January. I lived 38 years of my life in Chicago. And have done the below zero Winters. I have also done 128F in Lake Havasu City, in June of 1994 when we set the all time record high for Arizona. I'll take the heat every day of the week, and twice on Sunday. I don't ever want to see another snowflake.

 

[techieguy]

Here in So. Oregon fires are fairly common, thankfully we haven't had one yet, but one started on our property before we purchased it and that one was put out fairly quickly, it only burned 400 acres. As to temperature, currently Sonoita is 4 degree cooler than here in town, which put the temp about the same as my home.

I work in the Medford area in Southern Oregon, with way too many Socialist transplants from the south, so I would rather be as far away from them as possible. I don't want to be in or too close to the Phoenix Metro area for two reasons (the heat and the crowed living conditions) I had in Laws that had a place in Congress AZ, but I still believe that area get too hot as well.

Please keep tossing out places! I have lots of time before anything happens... I still have to convince my wife about this too!

 

[MadDuner]

I've been looking at the Prescott area lately. It's more temperate than Phoenix and if you absolutely HAVE to go find some terrible traffic and crime - Phoenix isn't that far away.

 

[targetshooter]

Fact still is that if it gets over 105 its still almost intolerable. Prescott area has nasty fires and lots of snow in winter, cold, not like the desert. Sedona is VERY EXPENSIVE, as is Scottsdale. Tombstone and Sierra Vista have cooler weather and are not as heavily populated. There are many smaller towns around the fringes of the bigger ones that have moderating climates, less population, less negative influences, yet are within an hour of bigger towns.
Places like Flagstaff and Winslow get cold and lots of snow. Hopefully someone will chime in with some other towns like Oracle or Bisbee or Safford that I don't know enough about.

 

[MadDuner]

I didn't know Prescott got much snow. We went up there a few times during our 'winters" and it didn't look like there was much white stuff around at all. Of course maybe we just timed it right? LOL

Here's a link to the U.S. Climate Data page for Prescott:

Climate Prescott - Arizona and Weather averages Prescott

 

[targetshooter]

I've visited my sister in law who lives there many times during the winter. Plenty of snow and enough hills to make life interesting. Not only that, much if PC s kind of expensive. And gets pretty cold during the winter

 

[MadDuner]

I've visited my sister in law who lives there many times during the winter. Plenty of snow and enough hills to make life interesting. Not only that, much if PC s kind of expensive. And gets pretty cold during the winter

I'm just turning into a wimp that dislikes the heat and wants something more middle of the road and not at one temperature extreme or the other. Of course I AM from cold country up in North Dakota. The winter wind would cut right through you. LOL

 

[1jayC]

I've lived on the east coast from N.C. to Florida, short time in Chicago, and Hawaii. Arizona is now my home for 14 years. Will never leave. Yes we suffer through hot, hot summers, but tourist stay away for months at a time. I carry all of the time, and law enforcement respect that too. I assure you I got out of a deserved ticket because I had a CCW Permit.
There are many great small towns in Az. where you can live a great free life without Government infringement of basic liberties. I'll never leave.

 

[Huggy]

I moved to Az. last year. Best thing I ever did. I can carry my AR in my truck locked and loaded w/o any problems. Everybody loves guns down here. Friendly people, every single one of them. The only bubblegumty part is the monsoons for a month, give or take. I love it here anyhow...

Campmeat, I'm happy you are enjoying your new AZ home but if I may make a suggestion for you. I'm NOT being critical or a Dick, so please understand what I am fixing to advise you on is ONLY meant to (hopefully) keep you out of hot water!
As a former LEO, I was (am!?) ticked at one aspect of gun laws in AZ and that pertains to what you mention as a mode of carrying your AR in your vehicle.
Unless the law has been changed (and I admit it has been some time since I researched the topic) Arizona Game and Fish laws make it illegal to carry a LOADED rifle or shotgun inside of a vehicle as a normal means of transporting it to and fro. It has to do with some laws about hunting.
The gist (jist?) of the law is that if you are driving around with a loaded "long gun" (i.e., rifle or shotgun) you are perceived as being a potential poacher.
Dumb, huh??
Now turn that AR "long" gun into a "pistol" and all is hunky dory.
Anyway, like I said, not trying to be a Peckerhead here. Just trying to keep you from a potential issue if you are stopped for some other reason.
As to the question of the original post about where is a reasonable place to live in AZ, those who have posted have pretty much covered the bases of several good places to live.
As I was born and raised in Tucson, I've only been away for a stint in the US Army and a 4 year stint in Ajo, AZ with the Sheriff's Dept., before returning to the Tucson area, although I bought property well outside the city.
I can tell you that the City Clowncil is made up of Kommiefornistan Leftists and Chicago 'hoods who are very happy to bring the worst of those places here in terms of how politics are run and handled.
NOT a gun-friendly town at all as a result, but the State HAS slapped them down on more than one occasion because they tried to pass onerous and BS laws against the 2nd Amendment and such. Even so, they did manage to circumvent the state by enacting watered down laws to get around the spanking they got.
Oh, and they (the Clowncil) is VERY adept at raising property and other taxes under the guise of fixing the roads and keeping LEO, First Responders and teachers employed. But no sooner than they RAM the "temporary" tax increase down our throats do they siphon off that money for BS purposes like helping illegals stay here and strengthen the "Sanctuary City" status they recently enacted. And the roads are STILL crap!
But they have NEVER reduced the budget or swollen ranks of the Clowncil staffing or perks. THEY get regular pay raises when all other departments do without for years sometimes.
And just last night, the Pima Country Board of Stupidvisors put out they want to make illegal Tannerite and ALL binary explosives because a Border Patrol officer caused a MAJOR fire last month IIRC that cost millions to fight and several homes were lost.
It's a knee jerk reaction as is typical of our local government.
Anyway, my tirade has gone on too long. All in all, if you keep to yourself and don't expect much for your tax dollars, Tucson isn't too bad a place to live. AT least not if you buy 10 or more miles OUTSIDE the city limits somewhere.
For my money, Phoenix is a place to avoid like the plague! Hotter than the surface of the sun in summer, ALL the trappings of Kommiefornistan traffic jams in the morning and afternoon commute and, from MY personal experience, a lot of folks just aren't especially friendly. YMMV depending on where you go, though.
Otherwise, research the other areas mentioned and I'm sure you'll find something to your liking.
(PS, Sorry for the combined post response. Trying to be a brief (??) as possible while conveying some info.)
Overnout.

 

[CAMPMEAT]

Fact still is that if it gets over 105 its still almost intolerable. Prescott area has nasty fires and lots of snow in winter, cold, not like the desert. Sedona is VERY EXPENSIVE, as is Scottsdale. Tombstone and Sierra Vista have cooler weather and are not as heavily populated. There are many smaller towns around the fringes of the bigger ones that have moderating climates, less population, less negative influences, yet are within an hour of bigger towns.
Places like Flagstaff and Winslow get cold and lots of snow. Hopefully someone will chime in with some other towns like Oracle or Bisbee or Safford that I don't know enough about.

Bisbee is a cool place, but full of hippies and old miners. Douglas is cool, still far enough away and kinda has a western feel to it in town. Tombstone is a tourist trap. I live in Tubac and is a split between Bisbee and Bisbee. It has a nice little feeling here with the locals, they're all pretty damn nice people. It's 50 minutes from Tucson. We do get snowbirds in the winter, but the leave in Mayish or earlier, depending. The house range from townhomes for maybe, $130,000 up to very nice homes. There is around 1700 year round residents. I love it here. I'm retired and have ORVs and can leave the house and be gone all day and longer if you want. You can shoot guns anyplace when it's not fire season and to dry, which USFS posts. There is no work here, except the government type work, Border Patrol, I.C.E., Customs, L.E. Green Valley is completely different. Full of retirees, not for me. It has everything you want there. Walmart, McDonalds, Taco Bell, movie theater, Hospital, you name it. Hope that helps.

 

[CAMPMEAT]

Huggy,
You're not being a dick to me. Besides, I have really thick skin. The Sheriff told me it was 100% legal to carry my AR like that a month ago.....???? I'm new down here and ask questions to keep my bubblegum outta trouble not get in it. Easy fix though, take my mag out ( never carried it loaded, personal smartness on my side ) problem solved. Thanks for your insight.