Moving From Indianapolis, Please Help! 60s - 90s in AZ? (Phoenix: crime rate, affordable houses)

[TooColdinIndiana]

Hello, thanks for taking the time to read my message! I am currently living in Indianapolis, looking to move somewhere with more moderate and constant temperatures. The weather and barometric pressure changes constantly and drastically here, and that gives me sinus migraine headaches regularly. Also my brother likes to swing outside, and he can't do it half the year here because it's too cold.

Looking for two things:

1) Somewhere with temperature that doesn't go lower than 60 and higher than 90s. 30 - 50% humidity would be perfect. Also realize that might not exactly be possible, so the closest thing to that is what I'm looking for.

Am considering St. Johns, Show Low, Flagstaff, Clifton, Parker, Nogales, Yuma, Sierra Vista, Tucson, Phoenix, San Tan Valley, Payson, Safford, and Prescott. Do any of these places sound like they might be close to what I'm looking for? Or can you recommend anywhere else in Arizona with weather close to like I described above?

Also looking at Why, AZ. Is there a reason Why, AZ is so cheap? Seems there's a lot of affordable houses there, and the weather looks possibly close to what I'm looking for?

2) Am also interested in places with lower temperature and higher humidity. Like 60 degrees and 80% humidity, for an extreme example. So if there's anywhere like that please let me know because I really like that weather as well.

Thank you!

[Hschlick84]

Try Texas, you're not going to find anywhere in AZ with 80% humidity unless its during monsoon storms.

[Ex New Yorker]

Originally Posted by TooColdinIndiana

Hello, thanks for taking the time to read my message! I am currently living in Indianapolis, looking to move somewhere with more moderate and constant temperatures. The weather and barometric pressure changes constantly and drastically here, and that gives me sinus migraine headaches regularly. Also my brother likes to swing outside, and he can't do it half the year here because it's too cold.

Looking for two things:

1) Somewhere with temperature that doesn't go lower than 60 and higher than 90s. 30 - 50% humidity would be perfect. Also realize that might not exactly be possible, so the closest thing to that is what I'm looking for.

Am considering St. Johns, Show Low, Flagstaff, Clifton, Parker, Nogales, Yuma, Sierra Vista, Tucson, Phoenix, San Tan Valley, Payson, Safford, and Prescott. Do any of these places sound like they might be close to what I'm looking for? Or can you recommend anywhere else in Arizona with weather close to like I described above?

Also looking at Why, AZ. Is there a reason Why, AZ is so cheap? Seems there's a lot of affordable houses there, and the weather looks possibly close to what I'm looking for?

2) Am also interested in places with lower temperature and higher humidity. Like 60 degrees and 80% humidity, for an extreme example. So if there's anywhere like that please let me know because I really like that weather as well.

Thank you!

Indeed what you're looking for is "not exactly possible", at least not here.

Why is Why so cheap? I'll tell you why, it's in the middle of nowhere. Only a little over 100 people live there. The closest place is Ajo with a population of around 3,000 it's about 10 miles away. There's not much there in the way of amenities, i.e. groceries, shopping, healthcare etc. Ajo's crime rate is twice the national average. As for the weather it gets pretty hot there during the summer months.

As a rule of thumb, the best places for mild year round weather in Arizona is anywhere where the elevation is between 4,500 and 6,000 ft. Between 5,000 and 5,500 ft. Payson, Prescott and its surrounding area would be your best bet. Payson and Prescott gets some snow. Sierra Vista may be a good fit too. At around 4,600 ft. they may get a dusting of snow. Summer's there are about 5 degrees hotter than Prescott or Payson. St. Johns at an elevation of around 5,500 ft. has the weather but it too is in the middle of nowhere. Show Low and Flagstaff gets pretty cold during the winter and can get a lot of snow. Located in the Mojave Desert anything along the Colorado River corridor is going to be hotter than all hell during the summer. Same for Phoenix and the San Tan Valley. Tucson in the upper 90's low 100's is about 5-10 degrees cooler than Phoenix, but still relatively hot.

Generally speaking you're not going to find 60 degrees and high humidity in Arizona. It's pretty dry out here no matter where you go. Arizona outside of it's major population centers is a large wide open state, the sixth largest state in land mass. At least one quarter of it is on Indian reservations. You really don't want to be out in the middle of nowhere. Especially if you had any type of emergency or health problems. Not too mention going about your daily chores such as grocery shopping or quick errands into town. Meeting new people and making new friends and having somewhat of a social life is important too. Unless of course you don't mind living in complete isolation. Some people do, but not me.

For what it's worth and after living here for 12 years. There's no place else where we'd rather live. My wife and I absolutely love it here. Coming form New York it has been a liberating experience and it's not just about the weather. It's just about every aspect of living here. Every morning when I wake up and step outside I thank God that I live in Arizona and I mean that sincerely. We have such a sense of belonging here.

[Adamson865]

Have you actually looked at the climate statistics for some of the cities you listed? For example, Yuma zooms past the 90s probably nine months out of the year! There are days where the LOW temperature barely dips back into the 90s.

Arizona is definitely not what you're looking for. If moderate temperatures and moderate to high humidity is what you want, I'd suggest the Oregon coast. Seaside, Lincoln City, maybe even Astoria.

[locolobo13]

Knew a girl from Why once. Asked here where she was from. She answered, "Why." You can imagine where the conservation went from there.

[KurtAZ]

What you are looking for is NOT in AZ. If it did it would be so over populated and expensive, most people wouldn't be able to afford it. You mentioned 2 of the snowiest towns in the country...Flagstaff and Show Low. You also mentioned the major desert cities in AZ...you do realize that it is not uncommon for Phoenix and Tucson to get well into the 110s in the summer? And drop below freezing in the winter lows? Nowhere are you going to get 50% humidity in AZ unless it is raining. Anywhere that doesn't get below 60° is going to be well over 100° in the summer. Anywhere that doesn't get above 90° in the summer will get well below 60° in the winter.

A 30 degree spread is usually only possible on a coast...look to CA, OR or WA if that is what you want, although I think WA may get too cold for your stated preferences. It doesn't sound like you have researched or visited AZ at all.

[Ex New Yorker]

Originally Posted by locolobo13

Knew a girl from Why once. Asked here where she was from. She answered, "Why." You can imagine where the conservation went from there.

You should ask her if she's ever been to Nothing before? If she asks why you can tell her that there's Nothing there.

[Ex New Yorker]

Originally Posted by KurtAZ

What you are looking for is NOT in AZ. If it did it would be so over populated and expensive, most people wouldn't be able to afford it. You mentioned 2 of the snowiest towns in the country...Flagstaff and Show Low. You also mentioned the major desert cities in AZ...you do realize that it is not uncommon for Phoenix and Tucson to get well into the 110s in the summer? And drop below freezing in the winter lows? Nowhere are you going to get 50% humidity in AZ unless it is raining. Anywhere that doesn't get below 60° is going to be well over 100° in the summer. Anywhere that doesn't get above 90° in the summer will get well below 60° in the winter.

A 30 degree spread is usually only possible on a coast...look to CA, OR or WA if that is what you want, although I think WA may get too cold for your stated preferences. It doesn't sound like you have researched or visited AZ at all.

We did and couldn't be happier. But then again I've always been fascinated with the Great American Southwest. If it wasn't for the intense summer heat I'd love to live in our favorite place the Sonoran Desert. It's iconic and screams ARIZONA. There's just no place like it in the entire country, there's no mistaking where you are. Fortunately it's only an hours drive from us and my wife and I go out there often from late September thru May. We have a couple of places where I can park my truck off the road and just wander around taking it all in. One summer we drove out to Wikieup and the old electronic sign outside read 118 when we got there. It was like walking into an oven, you don't sweat, you bake. We just had to see what it was like.

Our favorite complete day trip was going on the Apache Trail from the Superstition Mountains to the Roosevelt Dam, up towards Payson and then home. Canyon Lake, Fish Creek Canyon, Apache Lake what an awesome ride.

[rranger]

Originally Posted by TooColdinIndiana

Somewhere with temperature that doesn't go lower than 60 and higher than 90s. 30 - 50% humidity would be perfect. Also realize that might not exactly be possible, so the closest thing to that is what I'm looking for.

Sounds like you're looking for San Diego, CA. Sorry, no can do at any price point even remotely close to what you're apparently looking for. Basically, you're looking for perfect weather and that doesn't exist in the continental US, except in that one, small corner. BTW: In addition to all of the Why, AZ comments already, you could regularly expect 100 degree F temperatures in the summer in that location.

[KurtAZ]

Originally Posted by Ex New Yorker

Our favorite complete day trip was going on the Apache Trail from the Superstition Mountains to the Roosevelt Dam, up towards Payson and then home. Canyon Lake, Fish Creek Canyon, Apache Lake what an awesome ride.

Unfortunately Apache Trail is closed indefinitely at this point. A couple of my favorites is 89 from Prescott to Sedona and Catalina Hwy to Mt. Lemon.