Arizona- my views- your views-questions (Phoenix, Tucson: real estate market, home, to buy) - (AZ) - City-Data Forum

ZonerDreamin · 10-17-2008, 04:09 PM

Hi everyone!

Let me start by saying I've been reading this threads for along time, this is my first post. I hope not to bore you so be kind

I lived in Tempe back in 1981 and absolutely FELL in love with AZ, coming from Pa. as a youngin' the contrast from the east to the desert was definitely my kind of landscape. Due do the recession at the time I left after 18 months and moved to Mi. where I am today, I visit Az many times since then and couldn't wait to retire to AZ.
I read alot of bad threads about my future beloved Arizona and I wonder if it has changed that much ( I know it is HUGE in sprawl) or are some of the posters made the mistake moving there or it's true of all the negativity? Please enlighten me, believe me living in Mi. is no treat, but I have a good job (now) and close to retirement.
Please correct me if I am wrong I can't wait to leave the depressing state of Mi. let me reinterate; no jobs, terrible roads, weather ( I would rather bake in 110+ heat for 3-4 months and then have close to perfect weather and beauty of the desert, lakes, mountains, etc.
Now for a few questions I know I hate to say it but I hate to say I like Apache Junction

I know everyone trashes it but I like it 'cause it's more rural close to the lakes amd awesome mtn. veiws. I am actually interested in the MH parks like Rancho Mirage or Sagauro Canyon off of Baseline and RT#60 Is this a good area???? Please tell me honest opinions of AJ. Would like to hear from Michiganders who moved to Phx and thier likes/dislikes.........Thanks and hope I didn't bore you, please let me know
J

omle · 10-17-2008, 04:39 PM

Well, you sound like you really have an affinity for this area, so I think it's a great idea to plan to move here (again).

I don't know much about Apache Junction...although it sure is different than in 1981! As you know it's been quite developed...not just the trailer home area of 20+years ago. The gold canyon area is really pretty and not cheap. The mtn ranges out that way are FANTASTIC. Plus, you are so close to the Tonto ntnl forrest...

Because you like mtn views, lakes and a rural feel there are other areas that might interest you. North Cave Creek is BEAUTIFUL, close to Bartlet Lake and the Verde River, parts are still quite rural. It has gone up tremendously in value in the last few years....but there are still some good deals on fixer uppers on 1-5 acres. A cheaper area farther north but still in Maricopa County in New River. Still very rural and close to the national forrest, plus you are quite close to pine country.

Also, have you checked out some of the smaller towns outside of the Phx area? Wickenburg is a very charming town but only 1 hour plus from metro Phx. It's pretty green and has a nice old fashioned feel. Prescott is great....farther north, snows some....lots of trees and some streams.

I'm a big fan of Az, too. I'm VERY happy after moving here 6 years ago from Los Angeles. No regrets. I live in a rural area north of Cave Creek and it is wonderful.

Re: the negativity here on the Phx forum....I can only say that I think some people didn't realize what they were going into when they moved here. Some people do not do well with the heat and the constant sunshine seems to fray some nerves. I really feel for these people....but, honestly....the desert is an extreme area and people must do their homework before making such HUGE decisions. I think a lot of people feel trapped now that the real estate market has tanked. It will eventually come back, but it will be a rough time for a few years. The people that complain about the strip malls, chain restaurants, lack of culture and mass cookie cutter suburbs...well, again...they really should not have moved to the metro PHX area if they were looking for a San Francisco experience. The suburbs aren't for me, so I moved very far NE in the valley. I have a rural home life and can get to downtown Scottsdale in 45 minutes. Perfect for me. Take the negative comments with a grain of salt. I think most of these people are really just mad at themselves for making bad decisions.

Let me know if you have any questions about a particular area and I will give you my honest opinion. I think in the next year or two would be a great opportunity to buy something here.

Have you been to Tucson? It is quite nice....lots of great areas down there.

I feel for you re: Michigan. That state and particularly Detroit has been run into the ditch. Very sad as it is a beautiful place.

ZonerDreamin · 10-17-2008, 04:56 PM

Thank you omle

YAZ · 10-17-2008, 10:13 PM

I like Cottonwood. Prob'ly be considered a suburb of Phoenix before too long. The high desert appeals to me, even though the Sonoran Desert is spectacular.

rickca · 10-17-2008, 10:18 PM

I spent some time in Phoenix recently, drove around a lot.. I won't comment on the climate as thats all about personal preference.. however I noticed something about the area in general in that they seem almost too obsessed with re-paving the roads (if there is such a thing) and this contributes to a lot of extra traffic problems. I don't know if this was just going on while I was there or what but it seemed literally everywhere I went there were lanes closed and re-directions which caused all sorts of backups. Also they even closed large stretches of one of the major freeways for days at a time (during the daytime and at night).. I was in sort of disbelief about this, anyways enough ranting about that from me.

zenkonami · 10-19-2008, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rickca

I spent some time in Phoenix recently, drove around a lot.. I won't comment on the climate as thats all about personal preference.. however I noticed something about the area in general in that they seem almost too obsessed with re-paving the roads (if there is such a thing) and this contributes to a lot of extra traffic problems. I don't know if this was just going on while I was there or what but it seemed literally everywhere I went there were lanes closed and re-directions which caused all sorts of backups. Also they even closed large stretches of one of the major freeways for days at a time (during the daytime and at night).. I was in sort of disbelief about this, anyways enough ranting about that from me.

Phoenix is a city of roads, so your experience was probably fairly typical. It is an "asphalt" city in that way, and there are always a lot of orange cones out somewhere. I think the roads suffer a lot of wear and tear from both heavy use and heat.

There are a few things I miss about Phoenix, and definitely things I miss about Arizona, but constant road reconstruction is not one of them!

Howard Roark · 10-19-2008, 01:55 PM

I moved to Arizona 12 years ago. Some of the best years in my life were in Tucson and Phoenix, so I have an affinity for the state as a whole. The same for some parts of my native state, California.

Original poster mentioned Apache Junction. If you like the outdoors, it's fine for you. But be careful about another spike in gas prices. Might as well buy up oil stocks while they are low to hedge against the high cost of energy out in the far reaches of Maricopa County!