SingleTrackMinded

You're right, no one should move here. Move to FL where it rains all the time and the humidity makes it unbearable.

OP: Lots of nice area to live in and around Maricopa County. Yes, there are plenty of places to get out into the woods. Fun fact: Arizona has one of the largest contagious pine forest in the country - yes, I just said that - and its true.

SixAddict

OP: Lots of nice area to live in and around Maricopa County. Yes, there are plenty of places to get out into the woods. Fun fact: Arizona has one of the largest contagious pine forest in the country - yes, I just said that - and its true.[/QUOTE]

Is that pine forest the one you see from off the Mogollon Rim? I believe they call that Hells gate? We were up there fishing and looking at that from off the rim, I understand why they call it that, awesome to say the least.
Not to mention all the elk and turkeys we ran into up there, great hunting and fishing only an hour or so from the valley.

joemessman

Arizona is just simply no place to visit, let alone live here. Don't waste your time traveling to this place of flat hot boiling bad lands.

Bajaholic

We lived in AZ for 5 years during gaming boom (87-92). It is different and depending on where in AZ you lived there is a completely different lifestyle and/or climate to live in. We were in the Bullhead AZ/Laughlin NV area. It is NOT the prettiest place on earth, but it had a good amount to offer as far as recreation for off road-ing, golfing, boating etc. Phoenix area(s) is a city, you could not get me to live there for any money. Flagstaff is a beautiful area, wooded, mountains, natural beauty, but LOTS of snow.

If we were to consider moving back to the west, I would look first at Lake Havasu, it has most of the boxes checked for beauty, decent priced housing, recreation and a reasonable distance to the big city's. In 2-3 hours your in LA,Las Vegas or Phoenix. That being said, the Del Webb communities have always had nice amenities and good reviews. Plus there is a number of their communities to pick from.

SingleTrackMinded

Yes, that is part of it.

L-46man

I've lived in PHX area for 25 years after moving from VT.

Traffic is NOT bad, not EVEN ON THE SAME PLANET as LA. There is one 'bad road' that's 1-10 coming from west to east. This is due to tens of thousands of californians (no caps) who bought houses waaaay away from the center of phx out west in Laveen and Litchfield Park and Glendale...they were cheap houses that they overpayed for, but virtually inaccessible. If you want to drive 30 miles to work, your choice...just don't bitch about it. I travel to LA VERY frequently...typical is 3 hours to go 40 miles....NEVER happens here.

I drive 14 miles from the north to Tempe (ASU area) it's an AVG 20 minute commute.

There are 5 distinct 'zones' in AZ. Phx area, the near rim country which is heavily forrested with pine trees, 'Up on the rim' Flagstaff etc, and the 'Native American North', and of course Tucson.

You can achieve ANY climate you like in AZ...from scorching hot to buried in snow and everything in between.

I love the winters and even the hot summers....you don't have to shovel sun. 45,000 people a year move here....so let the naysayers live somewhere ELSE.

365 days a year I can drive the Corvettes.

Unkahal

Silverton34

We are building in the west side of the Phoenix valley in an area called Verrado. 12k people, just north of the 10, reminds me of a small Midwest town with all the grass and tree lined streets. Not working but in our 50s so there is no commute. We are building in an age restricted section. I’m used to small towns, this place feels like home.

owc6

Grass in the desert. Amazing.

Myfourth1

Good for you, but 2,000 more "cargo" flights per year flying over my house in SE Gilbert isn't going to make me happy. I wish Gateway would get more commercial airlines to fly in and out of there like Southwest and others so I can use them to travel.

PS....drivers licenses do expire....now that I'm over 65 my license has to be renewed every 5 years with an eye exam. And prior to age 65 it's every 10 years. FYI...

Myfourth1

Artificial turf is the way to go in AZ. Grass is a PITA...sorry about the stripes in the picture....I-Phone issue....

BlindSpot

Yes on the artificial turf. Have it installed on three of my properties. A fourth one that will be finished in April is scheduled for artificial turf as well. The first that we did was our primary residence in Scottsdale. Had it installed in 2011 and still looks like day one in all this time and sunlight. It does so well that it is a no brainer in the desert.....and no watering or cutting.....

BTW, was just at Postinos in Gilbert for lunch Thursday. Nice town area.

Myfourth1

Yeah, they've really improved the Gilbert downtown area. Lots of restaurants to choose from. We like Zinburger, Joyride Taco, and Nico Heirloom Kitchen. Joe's BBQ is an institution there as well. A few miles west, the downtown area of Chandler is also filled with pretty good restaurants. That's why Gilbert improved so much. Everyone was going to Chandler. Have a great weekend.

PS....Nico Heirloom Kitchen is the sister restaurant of Virtu Honest Craft in Old Town Scottsdale. Great place for brunch.

Gearhead Jim

Thanks for posting that.
Wife and I snowbirded in SW Florida for 7 years but got bored by the "scenery", and tired of the horrendous traffic.
This is our third winter in Phoenix area (south Chandler). Weather is similar- February is sketchy, March is usually nice, April is warm and tending toward hot.
We have considered moving, but need to stay near OHare airport in Chicago for family travels.

But we took a drive out to Verrado yesterday and were impressed.
Pros-
Lots of trees & grass, does indeed recall the Midwest.
Nicely laid out.
No crummy houses or crummy sections of town.
A variety of home styles and family ages.
Cons-
Kind of out in the boonies, and traffic to/from Phoenix has been heavy every time we've driven or looked on Google maps.
Limited shopping and medical facilities. Buckeye (10 min west) has more shopping.
Most of the houses have very small back yards, though that may be a plus for some people.
In the original section of town, a high percentage of two-story houses. We live in a two-story now with no problems, but don't want to have one as we get older.

If we ever decide to move from Chicago, Verrado will be high on our list of places to consider.

BlindSpot

I've shopped every adult area in the PHX metro area. Verrado is a little low on my list, too much of the old stone quarry is too much a part of the community. Then add to that all of the cons mentioned. If you're looking for green and something to remind you of Chicago, try Encanterra on the opposite side of town. I have a property in Encanterra, but just went under contract.

If you're looking for newer retirement communities off the beaten path they are (and in my order):

Encanterra
Rio Verde Trilogy
Vistancia
Cantamia
Festival
Eastmark
Verrado

Then you can go way out, leave PHX metro
There is a Trilogy property in Wickenberg
And another property in Prescott
Others in Oracle in the other direction and 3/4 the way to Tucson

If you REALLY want "out there" along with some wild west, try Green Valley.

Gearhead Jim

Everyone's tastes are different, Encanterra is a nice place but did not remind us at all of the Midwest when compared to Verrado.
But since we'll probably stay near Chicago, it's kind of a moot point for us.

BlindSpot

Jim - yeah, smart move if your intention is to own a place here and go back forth from Chicago. Even if you intend to do that for a while, some of the properties on my list are not very cost friendly. The top 3 props are also the most expensive whether you're occupying the property full time or not. In fact, 80% of snowbird shoppers quickly drop off the top 3 on the list as it is less costly to maintain a part-time residence with others on the list. Eastmark and Festival, for example, are more manageable properties if you are shooting for PT.

In the case of Encanterra, I built new there to take advantage of builder's price increases then flip it, but not to live there, although everyone I've come to know there love it. The cost to maintain even a vacant property there is about $800/month. Buyers in Encanterra tend to be mostly California cash buyers, followed by Washington, Oregon then Canadian cash buyers. In fact, I just sold my property to a CA cash buyer. With a prop like Encanterra, the amenities are worth it if you're active in retirement and expect a lot and willing to pay for it. For example, Encanterra has a pretty robust car club with over 50 members. It started out as a Corvette club. About 2 dozen members drive Corvettes and a couple have multiples.

NOWUCME

Ha Ha that's funny Sent you a PM joemess...

wadenelson

Phoenix traffic has gone over the edge, nuclear, whatever you want to call it. One could bicycle along the shoulder, most hours, and move faster than traffic.

6pm two nights ago, leaving the airport, headed for Sun City. A 35 minute drive if traffic isn't stop and go. Got home 2+ hours later. Never saw a wreck or the cause of it other than too damn many cars getting on at every on-ramp.

To cross Phoenix in the morning without stopping you must leave before 5 a.m, even if you are able to use the HOV lanes which operate 6am-9am and 3pm -7pm. Otherwise you might as well not leave till 9 a.m; you'll get there at the same time.

I have to wonder, "How does this end?

Personally I stay in my little neighborhood and will only shoot across town between 10a.m and 2p.m But that window is getting ever smaller.

The only solution is a massive tax on gasoline to pay for mass transit before it turns into a 5mph crawl, 24x7. People moving within a mile of where they work, etc.

The rush hour traffic really makes you wonder about the intelligence of a society that would allow it to get this bad, with few or no alternatives.

BlindSpot

Traffic is pretty bad, but it changes throughout the year. Snowbird season is the worst, of course. Not just for traffic, but everywhere you go. Try a restaurant reservation from October to April. Snowbirds come here with nothing to do except drive around, shop and dine.

Then it changes from May through September. My wife and I stop making reservations from May to September as we can usually walk in to any of our favorite places most times.

I live in far (far) North Scottsdale. I read a stat a couple years back that cited Scottsdale's population increases by 1 million people during snowbird season. That is just SD, and a small part of metro PHX. I imagine it is more than that now. And, the permanent retirement population grows every year. That's been exacerbated lately with the population flight from the West coast...mostly CA, but lots of OR and WA too. I worry mostly about that as they are typically younger families needing work, so they commute and fuel the rush hour.

I theorize that until the baby boomer retirement ends, PHX's population will continue to increase, then will settle down. I am at the front of the BB gen and just kinda retired. My wife is 12 years away, the last year of the BB gen. So, my theory is - another 9 or 10 years......

Gearhead Jim

This is our third year snowbirding near Phoenix, after seven years doing it in SW Florida. Yes, the traffic is bad; though not as bad as Chicago or LA. But for truly awful traffic, try winter time in SW Florida; Bonita Springs or Ft Myers Beach. It was not unusual to spend over an hour to go two miles, in any direction.
Here, we can often walk into a decent restaurant and get seated after just a short wait and get a good meal. In FMB, we'd make the reservation the day before. Arrive on time and still wait 30-45 minutes. Eat seriously overpriced mediocre food served late by an obnoxious waiter.
Compared to FL, AZ is heaven.