Want to move to AZ.

[jwd]

I know this is a subjective question but, where in AZ. is a nice area to live year round. I plan on retiring next year and want to get out of the Pacific Northwest where we wait 9 months for maybe 3 months of nice weather. My Cobra and Corvette need year round exercise. Any info. would be greatly appreciated.

[Fitz]

Being from the Midwest, growing up in Indianapolis, School in Milwaaakee and Chicago and Holland Mich, Phoenix is a whole new piece of southwest pie. In the Midwest you have big open yards with no fences where neighbors share their back yards which was green rich grass. Hardly any fences to speak of.

In phoenix you may know your neighbors (barely). That is why most residences have large walls around their homes. On top of that you have fences around all the pools for kid reasons. No grass to speak of here because people like to wash off the rock surrounding their houses. Water is important out here because in the summer months it gets so hot your lips swell up during the day and at night they explode. Cloudy cool days are wishful thinking here from June - Oct 1. Give me the cloudy days sometimes over the hot 111 days here.

As far as areas to live: Best sq ft for the money is West right now. Booming! Far North (look up around New River) as they are building outer belt way in future years around the valley. Sports are downtown or west in Glendale. Far northeast is expensive but nice. Southside is like most towns but still some nice areas. Phoenix is booming. Every neighborhood has homes from 100,000 to 1 Million and these can be 5 blocks apart like my neighborhood. Drive bys occur in all neighborhoods. Some just have better cars then others.

Welcome

[double ugly]

Payson, Wickenberg, Sadona etc. Most anyplace between Phoenix and Flagstaff is more moderate than the valley. We like the valley and it does get hot but July and August gets humid and isn't necessarily where I want to be.
Good luck with the move. It's a great place to live. (at least 10 months of the year.)
John

[G.R.]

What do you guys know of the Bull Head City/Laughlin area on the AZ/NV border? My cousin just moved there from So CA and swears by it ...of course he said the same thing everytime they moved to a new place in CA too.

Curious as the wife and I are thinking of leaving the Seattle area in the near future a bit more seriously now than a few years ago we are again thinking AZ.

[LMH]

North or east Tucson, Oro Valley and up towards Catalina. Doesn't get better than that.
Oh yeah, Pinetop in the summers.
Larry

[jwd]

Thanks for the info. Property prices here have skyrocketed like everywhere else. I may have to take a trip soon and see what's available down there. Maybe buy a piece of property and build in a year or two.

Larry, are fellow Hurricane owners welcome in your area?

[vettestr]

Hey GR
Bullhead is on one side of the river (Colorado) and Laughlin is on the Nevada side. Not far from each is the new home of the london bridge in Lake Havasu. Havasu is in Az. but Ca. is on the other bank. Parker is another party town on the Colorado river kinda between them all.
Bullhead is a smaller town or about 40 K population with tourism by far the biggest $$. Weather is OK but compared to PHX. so I am used to HOT. Seems like the wind blows there more than here but just keeps the air clean. A lot of people work in/on/around the casinos on the Nevada side.
What line of work is your Cuz in GR? There are a couple of board members here that will give a better feel for town life I am sure.

[eschaider]

Originally Posted by jwd

I know this is a subjective question but, where in AZ. is a nice area to live year round. I plan on retiring next year and want to get out of the Pacific Northwest where we wait 9 months for maybe 3 months of nice weather. My Cobra and Corvette need year round exercise. Any info. would be greatly appreciated.

jwd,

We have a house in Phoenix. It is really nice weather except for about three months each year. Now those three are humdingers. It gets so hot the scorpions emigrate to death valley to cool off. Definitely not open roadster weather, especially if you have black seats. The temperature hovers somewhere north of 110 and south of 120 with occasional surges above that. This is the indoor A/C season. The rest of the year it is gorgeous.

If you go looking for housing definitely look at the Dell Web facilities. They are planned communities with excellent facilities, great property appreciation and frequently a great golf course. If you are looking now I would suggest you look at Corta Bella. You can find a good web review of the property at http://www.delwebb.com/homefinder/Co...aspx?ID=100466 .

Phoenix is a great city with some really nice places and tremendous driving opportunities nine out of twelve months.

Ed


p.s. I was talking to a Blond who got sun burnt while driving a lesser caliber of roadster. She was suprised you could get sunburnt if the car was moving.

[jwd]

Ed

Great info. Thanks much.

Jim

[G.R.]

Jeff
We knew Laughlin was on the NV side of the river. Bull head city is a small town/city that might suit us fine. We like the PHX area but after 11 years on a small island big cities don't do much for us.

I'm a building contractor and am seriously thinking about really retiring after this go around...maybe do some small jobs only to keep from going nuts with boredom.

How's the weather in that area say summer/winter average any idea?

[vettestr]

GR
Check this out under under vital stats = http://www.desertusa.com/Cities/az/bullhead.html or
http://www.bullheadcity.com/facts.asp
lots of building going on so no problem keeping busy and you won't have to work in snow and not much rain ! Jeff C

[John-Tucson]

To jwd, come on down to Tucson and we will spend a week showing you the town and area. I really don't like to step on other peoples opinions, however, we do drive our Cobras all year long in Arizona. Yes, we complain bitterly about the hot black seats in the summer ( throw a beach towel over them ), we show that our fingers have been burnt by the steering wheel in August ( get use to it, you live in Arizona), and we tell our Cobra friends that we won't make the drive because it is suppose to be 108 that day, but we do show up anyway. Arizona is big and beautiful, you can live in the city, Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma, Kingman, etc., where the streets absorb the days heat, or you can live in the mountains by Payson, Showlow, Pinetop, Lakeside, Flagstaff and have cooler summers and snow in the winter. I can not say enought about the beauty of the state, there is so much to do here that you have to first decide what you want in your lifestyle. Some where in Arizoan you will find it. If I can be of any help in the Tucson area please let me know. John

[LMH]

Originally Posted by jwd

Thanks for the info. Property prices here have skyrocketed like everywhere else. I may have to take a trip soon and see what's available down there. Maybe buy a piece of property and build in a year or two.

Larry, are fellow Hurricane owners welcome in your area?

Always!
Larry

[Bill Bess]

Larry,
I might as well give you my two cents with regards to AZ, and especially Lake Havasu City.

Lake Havasu City is located on the Colorado River, Lake Havasu is 45 mile long lake with attaching rivers that lead all the way north to Laughlin and Bullhead. Havasu is a small town about 25'000 full time residents and 30,000 week enders. We have numerous events, the primary business being tourism and boating. Excellent shopping and great homes with hugh garages, some bigger that the house its self. Hot rodding is King here especially with all the retirees here living their second childhood. Fishing, watersports, off-roading and Jeeping....O Ya! Cobras are here too. I've lived here 6 years and love it.


Good luck on your search for the right spot.
Havasu Bill Hurricane,428FE

[ttmb]

Take a look at Wickenburg. We have some great roads nearby, and the real estate is (was?) a little more affordable than some of the better-known areas. Small town atmosphere with all the plusses and minuses that go along with it. I love it, myself. I suspect that if you like Gig Harbor, you'll like Wikenburg. I moved (retired) here for much the same reasons you cite.

[mikiec]

The main thing you need to decide is.... What do you want in lifestyle.

Bullhead and Lake Havazu have the highest temps in the summer. But, the river is there so you can boat and cool off. If it's a small rural setting.. they are all over the place. Do you need some snow during the year? There are places for that. Do you want flat? do you want Mountains? We have it all.

I think you should decide then talk to a relocation specialist.

Mike

[jwd]

Thanks for all the info. and offers. I think the best thing is to research the heck out of the whole state, narrow it down to a few areas and take a trip.

[BossCER]

Southern Az. Sonoita and Patagonia areas are beautiful, as is the Oro Valley, Pusch Ridge area if you like to be a bit closer to a bigger city.

[jwd]

You guys are great with the suggestions. It sounds like the majority of the state is beautiful. Maybe I should change the topic to - " Where in Arizona should I avoid moving to?"

[Mulv]

Not to step on toes or anything (I have never been known to do that) , you might want to check out the crime rate in Phoenix before you move here. It has a lot of crime especially murders and property crime. It has very high insurance rates due to car theft and illegal aliens bombing around in uninsured cars whacking into people. There are more than 200 murders a year in Phoenix by the way, which is probably a lot more than Gig Harbor...

The violent crime rate is much lower in Scottsdale although it is wise to have an alarm on your house, particularily if you are planning on being absent for extended periods. Chandler is better as is Tempe and I suspect that Mesa is too although I am not sure. One of the other guys will know more. It is a little tricky driving at night in the winter as there are a lot of people on vacations and they tend to be drinking and driving. Arizona has one of the highest rates of DUI in the nation - mostly in Phoenix/Scottsdale. Arizona is also last in school funding so don't expect much...

It is great for weather and the people I know here are really good guys but if I did not have to work I would probably go to Prescott or Wickenburg. same 300+ sunny days without the traffic and polluted air...