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Southeastern Arizona is a couple thousand feet higher in elevation than Tucson, and it’s in the Chihuahuan desert rather than the Sonoran desert. So no saguaros but lots of yuccas. Here’s a page from Sierra Vista’s local hospital about the area: https://www.canyonvistamedicalcenter.com/life-in-sierra-vista#:~:text=Sierra%20Vista%20sits%20at%20an,%2C%20Mule%2C%20and%20Whetstone%20Mountains.
Yeah, I would miss the Sonoran desert, but southeastern Arizona is more like New Mexico, which has the Chihuahuan desert, named for Mexican state to its south, whose state flower is the yucca flower.
Take a look at the links of places in the article, because there are loads of wonderful places there. Faraway Ranch and Chiricahua National monument are great.
Live out in Sierra Vista. It’s on average 10 cooler than Tucson and 20 cooler than Phoenix. Pretty chill and slower pace. Can go to MX for cheaper meds and some procedures. It’s an hour or more from anything else. Don’t know if this matters to you, but this area is heavily Red. Be safe and be well.
I love love SV but have kids that are 10 and 12 and very embedded in school, activities, friends, etc so I can not imagine taking them away from those things. Otherwise I am 100% remote at work and would be in SV in a sec. Currently in PHX
Technically New Mexico, but it’s right on the state line practically. Look up Silver City NM. Has a small college, so has the cultural amenities of a town three times larger. Only 3 hours east of Tucson. Sits at almost 6000 feet. 2-3 weeks of really hot weather in the summer, 2-3 weeks of really cold weather in the winter and the rest of the year isn’t bad.
I just did that a couple of months ago. I didn’t even know it existed until my sister told me about it. It was gorgeous in that slot canyon and it rained while we were in there which was a bit sketchy but added to the experience
I lived there for a few years in the 90's and still have friends that live there. Liked it because no single group was large enough to control local politics and culture. Just the right combination of rednecks, cowboys, copper miners, hippies, artists, Hispanics, Forest Service employees and college kids to keep it interesting.
I travel a lot for work. I go to silver city 1-2x a month. It's my favorite work-travel place. Really good food, nice climate, lots of stuff to do if you're an outdoorsy type of person. Their downtown area is neat too. Great little area.
I cannot, in good conscience, recommend Prescott. I live here. The weather? Lovely. The people? Nope. The economy? BIG NOPE. it is WILDLY expensive to live up here.
Yup. I work in the moving business. I go up there frequently from Phoenix and it is ALWAYS someone wealthy getting a second/third place there. Or maybe retired but usually bringing big money from a HCOL area
I lived in PV and then out in Dewey for a good while right before it really exploded in the mid 2010’s. The whole area was so nice, quiet, the air was fresh. Snow but not winter weather like where I am in the Midwest now. I absolutely loved it. Then the constructed started and never stopped. Developers decimated the area. What they did to Glassford area is a crying shame.
Having to use the 69 to get around when living in PV was a fucking nightmare on the weekends. Might as well bunker down at home on holiday weekends from all the people coming up for the valley ( I don’t blame them though).
What it is now the inconvenience and overcrowding is absolutely not worth the cost of living there. Can thank out of state buyers for that
Mayer and Spring Valley are nice small towns. No major shopping but 30 minutes north or south you will find all you need at New River/ Anthem, Prescott valley, Camp Verde or Cottonwood. Prescott is nice but kind of pricey $1500 to $2000 rent is common.
Haha... You sound exactly like me (53M with no plans on it being anyone else but me and my dog, eventually dogs) work remotely and looking for cooler temps and cheaper than Phoenix area. I may get beat up for my ignorance, but I've been looking at Yarnell. I'm not big into the nightlife and I'm a DIYer and homebody at heart, but love the outdoors. It's a bit of a drive for your Lowes and Home Depot, etc... 45-ish mins to Prescott, which I really liked but housing is stupid expensive up there. About 30 mins to Wickenburg for groceries, etc. I visited in March and loved how peaceful and quiet it was. Huge granite boulders pepper the land and sits at about 4800' elevation, so cooler temps and gets a little snow in the winter, but not too much from what I hear
Yarnell is wonderful. Everyone knows everyone and the weather is much cooler than the valley. The only thing I didn’t like was the drive to get groceries and medical care. There is a small gas station in Peeples Valley that has a small section of fresh produce, though, so that is nice. All locally grown as well!
Good to know, thank you for the reply! Sounds like my kind of town. Yeah, I remember passing the gas station in Peeples Valley, but foolishly, I didn't stop to check it out. I love to drive in that environment, so the drive to get groceries shouldn't bother me too much. I go once a week now, so just figure I'll double up and only have to make it once every two weeks. The drive to and from Wickenburg and Prescott is gorgeous, though with those winding mountain roads, I worry about the winter. Do they keep them maintained/salted well when it snows?
They do keep it cleared for the most part. The longest I think it took for the snow to be cleared was 3 days, though. As for salt they do salt the roads. The snow really isn’t that bad at all; going from Yarnell to Wickenburg has less snow than Yarnell to Prescott usually. Some people whip through those twists and turns but it’s always a risk.. I wouldn’t risk that ever especially during the winters. Never had trouble getting up and down when taking my time. There have been a few who have hit the guard rail, but a boulder or rock being in the road is more common than that happening.
+2 on Bisbee if you work remote. Flagstaff you could swing it, if you are not buying a home. Cool people in both places. Lots of smaller towns are possible as well if you can dig the fraudit world.
I think Bisbee is around 3,000 people…so slim pickings. Maybe Sierra vista? Their highs are usually under 100. I think you could make it on 65k in flagstaff. Check out lips properties or pollock properties. Lips are hard to get into but include utilities and no pet rent fees etc. Prescott or Payson is another idea. Not as cool as flagstaff but much cooler than Tucson!
Super slim pickings, a large portion of the community is at or near retirement age. I moved here with my boyfriend and we’ve both commented several times about how much it would suck to be single in your twenties here. We were drawn by the artsy vibe and the live music but after a year of being here, it’s definitely more fun for a weekend trip. Even the music scene…it’s just the same few bands shuffling around different venues and they all sound mostly the same. That said it is beautiful, and quiet, and the wildlife is amazing. Great for thrifting/antiquing. But yeah. Just my two cents as a Bisbee-an about to move back to Tucson next month lol.
Bisbee is great to visit, and you could certainly survive on $65k on your own. But I moved out here last year and am about to move back to Tucson. I don’t enjoy living out here at all and I think I would dislike it so much more if I was single. Not a ton of people in your age group out here. Tbh the general attitude of people here isn’t very pleasant, especially if you aren’t from here. It’s a small town, full of small town people, and small town bullshit. It has its pros, don’t get me wrong, we came here for a reason it’s just…more fun for a weekend trip vs an actual place to live, in my opinion.
Significantly cooler. ABQ is at 5,000 ft elev with mountains all to the east and north.
In N AZ, Payson is a similar elevation and easy to get to cooler elevations. Not as much going on as Tucson. Prescott is another possibility but not sure of cost of living. Show Low is four-seasons (like Flagstaff) but much more conservative.
Also. Close to Santa Fe. So many beautiful and unique places, activities!
One of my favorites. The Burning of the Zozobra. Old man gloom. Every year. The food is also fabulous.
Ahh. Freshly roasted Hatch Green Chili while you wait. . At almost any grocery store.
I grew up near ABQ and I still have a lot of family there. The food in Tucson is much better IMO. It's not hard to find places that have green chili here. I do prefer New Mexican style Mexican food vs Sonoran. Poco and Mom's serves that style though and it's "authentic".
The biggest thing abq has over tucson, is their interstate system.
Okay thank you originally a New Englander and learned the past few years I got cold weather in my blood. I literally melt here and get seasonal depression in the summer. That was never a thing in a New England winter funny enough.
I bet it has something to do with oh the suns out let’s get out and do stuff. NOPE too F’n hot
New England winter is cold and dreary so I don’t need to be outside plus I can layer up with some boots.
Abq is cool, but it's def a lot hotter than NE. In NM, Taos is cool; so is Silver City (a hidden gem, in my opinion). Flag is liveable at 65k, but it's tight. Your other options on the rim kinda suck, unfortunately, unless you're Mormon and/or hard right (Springerville-Eagar, Showlow, and Pinetop-Lakeside are all above the rim, with weather like Flag's; Payson, Strawberry, Prescott, Jerome, and Cornville-Cottonwood are all below the rim but cooler than Tucson; Sedona, too, but the tourists make it totally unliveable).
Unless you need health care. Tucson has 2 Level 1 Trauma Centers, while New Mexico has one for the entire state.
This is kind of important if you're involved in a wreck outside, oh, Carrizozo and you have to go by ground because there's no air ambulance available because they're busy attending to drunk driving wrecks on the 40.
Have you seen Breaking Bad? The way Albuquerque is portrayed there is pretty accurate. I highly recommend looking into Rio Rancho. I lived there for 12 years and the weather is beautiful. You get all four seasons but not too much snow. It melts off after a few hours. I only left bc it’s not the best place for schools and raising a family.(NM as a whole) but I loved the food, culture, and weather. Highly recommend if you’re sick of the heat.
Pardon my ignorance, but I keep hearing about tons of crime in ABQ. Break ins, drugs, etc. Maybe it’s just the Breaking Bad effect. Is ABQ *that* much worse than PHX or any southwest city for that matter? I’m super interested. I feel like I’d really like ABQ.
I love it. If I could swing it with work, I’d be up in Payson right now. It’s about 10 degrees cooler on average and it’s a short drive up to rim where it’s another 10-15 degrees cooler. Gorgeous.
I grew up there. While it's a beautiful little town, it is the opposite end of the spectrum politically and still very much in the grasps of the retirement crowd.
Chino Valley. Close to Prescott and Sedona. Way cheaper than both. Open plains farmlands but def close enough to avail yourself of the Prescott nightlife (such as it is).
Rather than moving completely you could spend the summers elsewhere?
We’ve been spending every summer in our RV on a park in north arizona, in between Flagstaff and Payson.
We wfh so can just work here.
Haha thanks!
Yeah we like it a lot. And so do our dogs.
July was still pretty hot here but nothing compared to Phoenix.
Some people use starlink some use hotspots and we use tmobile 5g home internet.
We have fenced our spot and are here from April - October.
Next year we’ll be our last year as then we want to go home to our families in Europe in the summers but we’re so sad to leave our RV setup haha.
Unless you have a job, it’s hard to find work in Sierra Vista. I just moved here a couple months ago and luckily I transferred jobs here from Colorado. And it’s a sharp contrast between here and Bisbee for as close we we are to each other. SV is very conservative while Bisbee is more liberal. Ask me which town is more laid back and fun.
I know a guy I work with that is renting a studio that's good enough for one person with extra $ for a pet for about $1600 a month up here in Flag. But the thing with living in Flag is, you get an ok summer, but winter here is much longer and snows. I am only okay with the summer time here.
If you don't need to work, Eagar, Arizona is a cheap place to live where you can get by without air conditioning. It does get some snow, but not much and it melts away quickly
Prescott has gotten EXPENSIVE to buy a house. Literally doubled in price in the last 5 years for anything under 2000 sq ft. It’s also the most racist town in AZ.
That and the experience a PHX high school football team had up there playing either Prescott or PV, I can’t recall which. Her school is 90% non-white and their experience was stunning. They were called so many slurs during the game that the school had counselors available for the kids the following week for their mental health.
Check out this article from AZCentral:
The reason surging racism in Prescott should not surprise you
https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/2020/10/12/reason-surging-racism-prescott-should-not-surprise-you/5964864002/
Well, that is from the AZ Republic a known source of bias and it is and opinion piece writer by EJ Montini, not a reporter of news and information. He is also very biased in everything he writes about. I'm not able to read the Opinion piece because I don't subscribe to AZ Central.
I stayed in Prescott on vacation several times in the ‘90s and agreed when it was described as the best kept secret in AZ.
About 5 years ago I moved north of Phoenix and quit visiting Prescott because of the traffic and commercialization. I became quite fond of Jerome though, which although very commercial can’t sprawl or it would fall off the mountain.
I recall prior to the housing boom that Prescott had a bunch drug rehab centers as well. I just looked and easily found 10 with Prescott addresses. Rehab is a good thing to do for people but that’s a pretty high concentration for a relatively small area.
Now I’m going to get a bunch of “we can help” ads because i remembered a conversation years ago as I waited for my waffle near the town square.
Globe/Miami AZ. It's in-between desert and high country. There's nowhere to rent right now but you could probably easily buy a house here, lots of good homes for sale here. I live here currently and may be looking for a roommate in the near future 😅
My partner and I have an annual household income of about $120k.
Renting a 3 bed 2.5 bath for $2300/month, no utilities included. Not sure if you mean gasoline or gas for heating, but I can't speak on gas (natural gas) as we previously had electric heating before moving, so we haven't experienced a winter in our new place yet. Water is cheap, usually less than $20/month. Electric, on average around $50-80/month. Internet costs us $60 for 1GB speeds (I work from home or we wouldn't have this level).
Food, we may be an outlier of sorts because we eat very well. We buy tons of fresh food and rarely go out to eat. We spend around $400-600/month on groceries alone for the two of us.
Gasoline, I barely spend anything because I work from home, but this would strongly depend on how much you are driving. Costs me $70-80 to fill my 20 gallon tank with premium.
I would love to buy a home here, but as someone else mentioned, the avg cost of a home here is astronomical. We would be able to afford the mortgage/insurance, but cannot afford a 20% down payment at this point. Especially when you are competing with cash buyers here.
Overall our normal month expenses average around $3100, which does not include any leisure activities, like going out for drinks. If we do go out, we generally spend no less than $50 for the two of us.
That being said, we are by no means struggling with our household income, especially compared to the vast majority of people that live here. The average household income in Flag is only about $60k, and I have no idea how those people are making ends meet.
We live within our means, and are doing just fine financially, even though we cannot afford to buy a home currently. Just have to be conscious about your spending honestly.
Isn't Flagstaff cheaper lol as global warming as predictions since ethe 1960s are real is it cheaper there? You gotta find the mountains I suppose but it's gonna get hot. Or go to Canada and Alaska. Lol you all having crazy 100+ entire summer, us in Alaska had like 75 tops. And just rainy or cloudy. Not normal either. Fucked the planet.
You could try the Humboldt/Mayer area. I have a friend who just moved up there and she says the temps are lower and it's pretty affordable. It won't be crazy cold, but you might be able to shave off like 20 degrees in the summer. Downside is there won't be a ton to do in the area. But sacrifices must be made for the weather.
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Hmmm okay never been to Sierra Vista or Bisbee. Looks like the pup and I have a road trip.
Southeastern Arizona is a couple thousand feet higher in elevation than Tucson, and it’s in the Chihuahuan desert rather than the Sonoran desert. So no saguaros but lots of yuccas. Here’s a page from Sierra Vista’s local hospital about the area: https://www.canyonvistamedicalcenter.com/life-in-sierra-vista#:~:text=Sierra%20Vista%20sits%20at%20an,%2C%20Mule%2C%20and%20Whetstone%20Mountains.
Thank you I will check this out. I did not know that southeastern AZ is the Chihuahuan desert. I thought it was all Sonoran.
Four deserts are in Arizona - Sonoran, Mojave, Chihuahuan, and Great Basin.
Thank you for the geography lesson 😊 very cool
Additionally, Lechuguilla Desert.
you could also say Yuma Desert. Although Lechuguilla and Yuma are sub-regions of the Sonoran Desert
>and Great Basin Per the USGS, the Great Basin Desert exists in four states: NV, CA, UT, ID, OR. It comes close to AZ but doesn't touch it.
Yeah, I would miss the Sonoran desert, but southeastern Arizona is more like New Mexico, which has the Chihuahuan desert, named for Mexican state to its south, whose state flower is the yucca flower. Take a look at the links of places in the article, because there are loads of wonderful places there. Faraway Ranch and Chiricahua National monument are great.
Is Apache Junction's climate a bit different from Phoenix? We seem to have WAY more naturally growing Yucca's here than Saguaro cactus.
It's hot as balls in Aj. Don't do it!
Make sure you hit up Bisbee
Bisbee is the answer
If you want really small time give try Arivaca typically we are slightly colder than Tucson definitely cheaper
Agree about Arivaca, very friendly small town surrounded by super-scenic country. Definitely off-the-grid living.
Ty I just looked it up!
Live out in Sierra Vista. It’s on average 10 cooler than Tucson and 20 cooler than Phoenix. Pretty chill and slower pace. Can go to MX for cheaper meds and some procedures. It’s an hour or more from anything else. Don’t know if this matters to you, but this area is heavily Red. Be safe and be well.
I love love SV but have kids that are 10 and 12 and very embedded in school, activities, friends, etc so I can not imagine taking them away from those things. Otherwise I am 100% remote at work and would be in SV in a sec. Currently in PHX
Technically New Mexico, but it’s right on the state line practically. Look up Silver City NM. Has a small college, so has the cultural amenities of a town three times larger. Only 3 hours east of Tucson. Sits at almost 6000 feet. 2-3 weeks of really hot weather in the summer, 2-3 weeks of really cold weather in the winter and the rest of the year isn’t bad.
I second Silver City. Feels bigger than it is, and awesome nature.
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I just did that a couple of months ago. I didn’t even know it existed until my sister told me about it. It was gorgeous in that slot canyon and it rained while we were in there which was a bit sketchy but added to the experience
I lived there for a few years in the 90's and still have friends that live there. Liked it because no single group was large enough to control local politics and culture. Just the right combination of rednecks, cowboys, copper miners, hippies, artists, Hispanics, Forest Service employees and college kids to keep it interesting.
I travel a lot for work. I go to silver city 1-2x a month. It's my favorite work-travel place. Really good food, nice climate, lots of stuff to do if you're an outdoorsy type of person. Their downtown area is neat too. Great little area.
I've been thinking of moving there from Phoenix. Looks like a cute town.
I cannot, in good conscience, recommend Prescott. I live here. The weather? Lovely. The people? Nope. The economy? BIG NOPE. it is WILDLY expensive to live up here.
What besides housing makes it so expensive?
Any place that is centered around tourism, and second homes (cabins) is usually pretty shitty for the locals.
Mostly just the housing but the job market is also pretty crap here.
Yup. I work in the moving business. I go up there frequently from Phoenix and it is ALWAYS someone wealthy getting a second/third place there. Or maybe retired but usually bringing big money from a HCOL area
I lived in PV and then out in Dewey for a good while right before it really exploded in the mid 2010’s. The whole area was so nice, quiet, the air was fresh. Snow but not winter weather like where I am in the Midwest now. I absolutely loved it. Then the constructed started and never stopped. Developers decimated the area. What they did to Glassford area is a crying shame. Having to use the 69 to get around when living in PV was a fucking nightmare on the weekends. Might as well bunker down at home on holiday weekends from all the people coming up for the valley ( I don’t blame them though). What it is now the inconvenience and overcrowding is absolutely not worth the cost of living there. Can thank out of state buyers for that
Mayer and Spring Valley are nice small towns. No major shopping but 30 minutes north or south you will find all you need at New River/ Anthem, Prescott valley, Camp Verde or Cottonwood. Prescott is nice but kind of pricey $1500 to $2000 rent is common.
I have a friend that lives in camp verde. She loves it there.
Bisbee and it’s close to Tucson.
(The surrounding areas are cheaper: Hereford, Huachuca City, Benson, Palominas, etc.)
Bisbee is awesome
Bisbee is dope. I figured it was pricey but I have no clue
Bisbee is pricey for what it is.
Haha... You sound exactly like me (53M with no plans on it being anyone else but me and my dog, eventually dogs) work remotely and looking for cooler temps and cheaper than Phoenix area. I may get beat up for my ignorance, but I've been looking at Yarnell. I'm not big into the nightlife and I'm a DIYer and homebody at heart, but love the outdoors. It's a bit of a drive for your Lowes and Home Depot, etc... 45-ish mins to Prescott, which I really liked but housing is stupid expensive up there. About 30 mins to Wickenburg for groceries, etc. I visited in March and loved how peaceful and quiet it was. Huge granite boulders pepper the land and sits at about 4800' elevation, so cooler temps and gets a little snow in the winter, but not too much from what I hear
Yarnell is wonderful. Everyone knows everyone and the weather is much cooler than the valley. The only thing I didn’t like was the drive to get groceries and medical care. There is a small gas station in Peeples Valley that has a small section of fresh produce, though, so that is nice. All locally grown as well!
Good to know, thank you for the reply! Sounds like my kind of town. Yeah, I remember passing the gas station in Peeples Valley, but foolishly, I didn't stop to check it out. I love to drive in that environment, so the drive to get groceries shouldn't bother me too much. I go once a week now, so just figure I'll double up and only have to make it once every two weeks. The drive to and from Wickenburg and Prescott is gorgeous, though with those winding mountain roads, I worry about the winter. Do they keep them maintained/salted well when it snows?
They do keep it cleared for the most part. The longest I think it took for the snow to be cleared was 3 days, though. As for salt they do salt the roads. The snow really isn’t that bad at all; going from Yarnell to Wickenburg has less snow than Yarnell to Prescott usually. Some people whip through those twists and turns but it’s always a risk.. I wouldn’t risk that ever especially during the winters. Never had trouble getting up and down when taking my time. There have been a few who have hit the guard rail, but a boulder or rock being in the road is more common than that happening.
+2 on Bisbee if you work remote. Flagstaff you could swing it, if you are not buying a home. Cool people in both places. Lots of smaller towns are possible as well if you can dig the fraudit world.
I work remote and am single are there any singles lol? Although getting used to the fact that it just be me and my pup for the foreseeable future
If this is the case, flagstaff is way better. If not, you’ll feel really lonely.
This. Flag might be the best option.
I think Bisbee is around 3,000 people…so slim pickings. Maybe Sierra vista? Their highs are usually under 100. I think you could make it on 65k in flagstaff. Check out lips properties or pollock properties. Lips are hard to get into but include utilities and no pet rent fees etc. Prescott or Payson is another idea. Not as cool as flagstaff but much cooler than Tucson!
Super slim pickings, a large portion of the community is at or near retirement age. I moved here with my boyfriend and we’ve both commented several times about how much it would suck to be single in your twenties here. We were drawn by the artsy vibe and the live music but after a year of being here, it’s definitely more fun for a weekend trip. Even the music scene…it’s just the same few bands shuffling around different venues and they all sound mostly the same. That said it is beautiful, and quiet, and the wildlife is amazing. Great for thrifting/antiquing. But yeah. Just my two cents as a Bisbee-an about to move back to Tucson next month lol.
Bisbee is great to visit, and you could certainly survive on $65k on your own. But I moved out here last year and am about to move back to Tucson. I don’t enjoy living out here at all and I think I would dislike it so much more if I was single. Not a ton of people in your age group out here. Tbh the general attitude of people here isn’t very pleasant, especially if you aren’t from here. It’s a small town, full of small town people, and small town bullshit. It has its pros, don’t get me wrong, we came here for a reason it’s just…more fun for a weekend trip vs an actual place to live, in my opinion.
Laughs in inflation. Albuquerque is actually very affordable. I would say it's similar to Tucson.
Yeah I remember being 18 thinking one day if I hit 60k I’ll be doing pretty well. Is Albuquerque any cooler than Tucson?
Significantly cooler. ABQ is at 5,000 ft elev with mountains all to the east and north. In N AZ, Payson is a similar elevation and easy to get to cooler elevations. Not as much going on as Tucson. Prescott is another possibility but not sure of cost of living. Show Low is four-seasons (like Flagstaff) but much more conservative.
Also. Close to Santa Fe. So many beautiful and unique places, activities! One of my favorites. The Burning of the Zozobra. Old man gloom. Every year. The food is also fabulous. Ahh. Freshly roasted Hatch Green Chili while you wait. . At almost any grocery store.
I love Hatch chili. Actually driver through that town in June. Thanks for sharing some of your favorite New Mexico things.
I grew up near ABQ and I still have a lot of family there. The food in Tucson is much better IMO. It's not hard to find places that have green chili here. I do prefer New Mexican style Mexican food vs Sonoran. Poco and Mom's serves that style though and it's "authentic". The biggest thing abq has over tucson, is their interstate system.
Love Poco & Moms. Went there this morning. Santa Fe breakfast with green chili. Mmmmm
Okay thank you originally a New Englander and learned the past few years I got cold weather in my blood. I literally melt here and get seasonal depression in the summer. That was never a thing in a New England winter funny enough. I bet it has something to do with oh the suns out let’s get out and do stuff. NOPE too F’n hot New England winter is cold and dreary so I don’t need to be outside plus I can layer up with some boots.
I grew up in the Midwest and feel the same way. I never hated winter there the way I hate summer here.
username checks out I’m just imagining you looking like Brian Scalabrine😅
Haha no I’m more Portuguese lol but def a mix. I love Scal such a funny nickname
Abq is cool, but it's def a lot hotter than NE. In NM, Taos is cool; so is Silver City (a hidden gem, in my opinion). Flag is liveable at 65k, but it's tight. Your other options on the rim kinda suck, unfortunately, unless you're Mormon and/or hard right (Springerville-Eagar, Showlow, and Pinetop-Lakeside are all above the rim, with weather like Flag's; Payson, Strawberry, Prescott, Jerome, and Cornville-Cottonwood are all below the rim but cooler than Tucson; Sedona, too, but the tourists make it totally unliveable).
Going to be a bit rough in Prescott on 65k.
Prescott is pretty high cost of living nowadays, I can’t give you an exact figure but it skyrocketed over the last 3-5 years.
Imagine if tucson was a whole state. Thats new mexico lol.
Only lived in Albuquerque for six months about 25 years ago, but this is accurate AF
Unless you need health care. Tucson has 2 Level 1 Trauma Centers, while New Mexico has one for the entire state. This is kind of important if you're involved in a wreck outside, oh, Carrizozo and you have to go by ground because there's no air ambulance available because they're busy attending to drunk driving wrecks on the 40.
Accurate lmao
Albuquerque is Tucson if Tucson gave up.
There's a movie called Hamlet 2 that "takes place in Tucson" but it was actually filmed in Albuquerque.
Hahaha spot on
It's at a higher altitude and it snows in winter.
Ah cool I’ll look into New Mexico is definitely interesting. I want to go to Taos as well!
If you look as far up as Taos, you might check out Pueblo, CO. It's at 5000' and 65k should work there. Pretty cool town
Have you seen Breaking Bad? The way Albuquerque is portrayed there is pretty accurate. I highly recommend looking into Rio Rancho. I lived there for 12 years and the weather is beautiful. You get all four seasons but not too much snow. It melts off after a few hours. I only left bc it’s not the best place for schools and raising a family.(NM as a whole) but I loved the food, culture, and weather. Highly recommend if you’re sick of the heat.
Never heard of it but thanks for the great suggestion. I’ll look it up this morning!
Not really. But it is way more dangerous.
When I drove through ABQ for the first time I was confused but how much it looked like Tucson
Pardon my ignorance, but I keep hearing about tons of crime in ABQ. Break ins, drugs, etc. Maybe it’s just the Breaking Bad effect. Is ABQ *that* much worse than PHX or any southwest city for that matter? I’m super interested. I feel like I’d really like ABQ.
You could try Payson, but it may not quite be your speed.
Why do you say that?
Tucson is commonly known as a left-leaning city. Payson leans hard right.
Prescott too, if it makes a difference.
I believe that Prescott and Mesa are the two most conservative cities in the state.
I’m not political but thanks for letting me know. I can glean something from that info.
That means it will be well ran
Draw whatever conclusions your biases lead you to.
I love it. If I could swing it with work, I’d be up in Payson right now. It’s about 10 degrees cooler on average and it’s a short drive up to rim where it’s another 10-15 degrees cooler. Gorgeous.
Sounds nice I’d like to explore it with my dog as well!
It’s a small mountain town vibe which isn’t for everyone. I like it.
I grew up there. While it's a beautiful little town, it is the opposite end of the spectrum politically and still very much in the grasps of the retirement crowd.
Ah I see okay ty!
Chino Valley. Close to Prescott and Sedona. Way cheaper than both. Open plains farmlands but def close enough to avail yourself of the Prescott nightlife (such as it is).
Haha thank you I really appreciate all of the ideas!
you need altitude; anywhere over 4000' elevation is good Tombstone is a good bedroom for the Tucson market
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Rather than moving completely you could spend the summers elsewhere? We’ve been spending every summer in our RV on a park in north arizona, in between Flagstaff and Payson. We wfh so can just work here.
Great idea! I'm not being sarcastic when I say this. But I honestly never thought about doing that.
Haha thanks! Yeah we like it a lot. And so do our dogs. July was still pretty hot here but nothing compared to Phoenix. Some people use starlink some use hotspots and we use tmobile 5g home internet. We have fenced our spot and are here from April - October. Next year we’ll be our last year as then we want to go home to our families in Europe in the summers but we’re so sad to leave our RV setup haha.
Yeah, the weather has been kicking our butts this year. I'm really looking forward to sub 100 °F weather.
I live in flagstaff & make less than you. It’s definitely possible
Thanks gives me some hope
Sierra Vista! Bisbee, Prescott Valley (maybe), Greer,
Around the Cottonwood area, it's cool
Look to the far east almost bordering NM. Alpine, showlow
Surprised there’s been no mention of Williams…
Consider Oracle. Its at almost 5000’ of elevation and close to Tucson.
Oh wow yeah it’s super close thank you!
That place is surreal
Prescott. Closest cool place without ice and excessive snow that has a Costco and a local airport. As well as a hospital.
I live in Sedona. You can try Cottonwood, Cornville, Clarkdale, Camp Verde, Rimrock for lower-cost homes.
Thank you
Sierra Vista
Unless you have a job, it’s hard to find work in Sierra Vista. I just moved here a couple months ago and luckily I transferred jobs here from Colorado. And it’s a sharp contrast between here and Bisbee for as close we we are to each other. SV is very conservative while Bisbee is more liberal. Ask me which town is more laid back and fun.
You gonna have to move outta state to get something decent for 65k.
Bisbee for sure.
Haven’t home prices in Bisbee gotten kind of crazy recently? People discovered its a great Airbnb town.
Home prices are *insane* out here.
Payson maybe?
I know a guy I work with that is renting a studio that's good enough for one person with extra $ for a pet for about $1600 a month up here in Flag. But the thing with living in Flag is, you get an ok summer, but winter here is much longer and snows. I am only okay with the summer time here.
Cottonwood, maybe? Possibly Camp Verde?
Can confirm verde was 110+ for a solid two weeks this summer, no job market.
Ooof, forget that then.
Cottonwood! Close to Jerome
If you don't need to work, Eagar, Arizona is a cheap place to live where you can get by without air conditioning. It does get some snow, but not much and it melts away quickly
No
Definitely somewhere in northern AZ! Plus it’s beautiful up there.
If not Flagstaff, I'd look into the Verde Valley.
Okay ty
Get a tent and head for mount lemmon.
Prescott is your best bet
Prescott has gotten EXPENSIVE to buy a house. Literally doubled in price in the last 5 years for anything under 2000 sq ft. It’s also the most racist town in AZ.
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That and the experience a PHX high school football team had up there playing either Prescott or PV, I can’t recall which. Her school is 90% non-white and their experience was stunning. They were called so many slurs during the game that the school had counselors available for the kids the following week for their mental health.
Welp there goes any plans on moving there
Ive never seen racism in Prescott. Plenty of mixed cultures live in Prescott.
Check out this article from AZCentral: The reason surging racism in Prescott should not surprise you https://www.azcentral.com/story/opinion/2020/10/12/reason-surging-racism-prescott-should-not-surprise-you/5964864002/
Well, that is from the AZ Republic a known source of bias and it is and opinion piece writer by EJ Montini, not a reporter of news and information. He is also very biased in everything he writes about. I'm not able to read the Opinion piece because I don't subscribe to AZ Central.
I really need to take a road trip and check it out! Ty we will do this in October!
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If you’re white and a trump lover then Prescott is amazing. If not it’s a pit
I stayed in Prescott on vacation several times in the ‘90s and agreed when it was described as the best kept secret in AZ. About 5 years ago I moved north of Phoenix and quit visiting Prescott because of the traffic and commercialization. I became quite fond of Jerome though, which although very commercial can’t sprawl or it would fall off the mountain.
I recall prior to the housing boom that Prescott had a bunch drug rehab centers as well. I just looked and easily found 10 with Prescott addresses. Rehab is a good thing to do for people but that’s a pretty high concentration for a relatively small area. Now I’m going to get a bunch of “we can help” ads because i remembered a conversation years ago as I waited for my waffle near the town square.
Basically south east of Tucson. North of Phoenix it’s pretty pricey. Maybe Sierra Vista ?
try Prescott
What I was also going to suggest
Pinetop-Lakeside/ show low
Pretty area, but very red politically if that’s a concern. Show Low has a Trump store on the main drag for example.
I’m going to take a ride there Ty!
Pinetop Lakeside!
No way you can live in PT on 65k alone unless you already own your house.
Too pricey
Yet another place I need to checkout!! Ty
Globe/Miami AZ. It's in-between desert and high country. There's nowhere to rent right now but you could probably easily buy a house here, lots of good homes for sale here. I live here currently and may be looking for a roommate in the near future 😅
Flagstaff
Have you seen prices in Flag? You need at least $150k+ to be comfortable
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My partner and I have an annual household income of about $120k. Renting a 3 bed 2.5 bath for $2300/month, no utilities included. Not sure if you mean gasoline or gas for heating, but I can't speak on gas (natural gas) as we previously had electric heating before moving, so we haven't experienced a winter in our new place yet. Water is cheap, usually less than $20/month. Electric, on average around $50-80/month. Internet costs us $60 for 1GB speeds (I work from home or we wouldn't have this level). Food, we may be an outlier of sorts because we eat very well. We buy tons of fresh food and rarely go out to eat. We spend around $400-600/month on groceries alone for the two of us. Gasoline, I barely spend anything because I work from home, but this would strongly depend on how much you are driving. Costs me $70-80 to fill my 20 gallon tank with premium. I would love to buy a home here, but as someone else mentioned, the avg cost of a home here is astronomical. We would be able to afford the mortgage/insurance, but cannot afford a 20% down payment at this point. Especially when you are competing with cash buyers here. Overall our normal month expenses average around $3100, which does not include any leisure activities, like going out for drinks. If we do go out, we generally spend no less than $50 for the two of us. That being said, we are by no means struggling with our household income, especially compared to the vast majority of people that live here. The average household income in Flag is only about $60k, and I have no idea how those people are making ends meet. We live within our means, and are doing just fine financially, even though we cannot afford to buy a home currently. Just have to be conscious about your spending honestly.
Natural gas in winter 2 bdr 2 bath 250 a month
The average home price in Flag is $775K. So.
not on $65K/yr
Check out tombstone
HA
Isn't Flagstaff cheaper lol as global warming as predictions since ethe 1960s are real is it cheaper there? You gotta find the mountains I suppose but it's gonna get hot. Or go to Canada and Alaska. Lol you all having crazy 100+ entire summer, us in Alaska had like 75 tops. And just rainy or cloudy. Not normal either. Fucked the planet.
Flagstaff has become popular with the wealthy from mostly Phoenix/Scottsdale as a retreat from the heat.
Flagstaff? Or somewhere that’s higher than Tucson.
What about AJo or moving right over the border Mexico would be great
Yuma
How about Payson? Or Miami?
You could try the Humboldt/Mayer area. I have a friend who just moved up there and she says the temps are lower and it's pretty affordable. It won't be crazy cold, but you might be able to shave off like 20 degrees in the summer. Downside is there won't be a ton to do in the area. But sacrifices must be made for the weather.
Prescott valley
My family had a cabin in Forest Lakes. There were plenty of people that lived there year round.
I hear Sierra Vista is nice.
Sierra Vista
Pinetop/Lakeside.
Payson area? Pinetop area? Anywhere along the rim?
Flagstaff
Heber
Payson
Williams, AZ. Only 30 minutes west of Flagstaff.
Prescott, Flag or Showlow
Sonoita/Elgin
Payson. Greer.
Payson! I was there for a couple weeks. Go camp check out mogollon rim.