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Abhd
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| re: quality of life in Prescott - 8/1/2007 - 3/23/2008
I am sure you have received many replies to your inquiry over the last seven months. Let me add mine to the list. I grew up in Westchester County, New York. I have lived in Boston, Boise, San Diego, Hendersonville, North Carolina and Catskill, New York and traveled extensively in the US and to several European countries. I moved to Prescott about five years ago to be closer to my widowed mother. I currently work at the local community college so I have a lot of contact with people in the town.
1- Cost of living is outrageous and getting worse. It's not just housing, but professional services, food, gasoline. While the numbers may look good, compared to New York, keep in mind that if you have to work your wages will be very, very low regardless of your experience or training unless of course you are a doctor, lawyer etc.
2- If you do have to work, remembe this is a "right to work state" which basically means it is a right to fire you state without reason. tHere are few if any protections for the working person. Even if that does not affect you directly, it has a serious impact on the quality of employees Prescott can attract. 3- The town has become a haven for individuals recovering from drug and alcohol abuse. The West Yavapai Guidance Clinic got a grant in the millions of dollars several years ago to increase their services. In addition there are numerous private clinics and the VA Medical Center. It is impossible to invite so many people with addictions into a "small" town and not have an impact. Combine this with the fact that most actually do not recover and never leave because the weather is tolerable even for a homeless person in the winter and there are so many social services available and you have a recipe for disaster. Remember I said I work for the local community college. I see people in desperate situations on a daily basis. It is not pretty.
4- All those addicts and the great disparity betweent he have and have nots leaves a lot of room for crimes of all sorts.
5- The population of the tri-cities (Prescott, Prescott VAlley and Chino Valley) is projected to reach 150,000 in the next five years. The town is literally tearing down the mountains to build new overpasses and wider highways and every other blight on nature that you can imagine.
6- Speaking of nature, no one has figured out where all the water is going to come from for all these people. The town of Prescott has systematically given away water to developers with no reimbursement to the city citizens for same. Farms have closed down and gone to other states because the cost of water for them was so high. The town would rather have big box stores and mega housing developments instead of locally grown produce. Prescott Valley is bound and determined to accept any viable business that wants to come here no matter how negative their impact on the economy, the ecology or the social fabric of the community.
7- One New Yorker to another, the overall intelligence quotient here is pretty low especially among the locals. Even if they are intelligent, getting them to talk and actually articulate their ideas is a struggle.
8- Speaking of community there is no sense of that here. If you are retired and want to pay $400,000 + for simple shelter, come on down. If you have a drug problem and want to suck off the system, come on down. If you are a regular working class person who wants a quiet place to call home - look elsewhere and let me know what you find.
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jon
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| re: quality of life in Prescott - 8/1/2007 - 2/6/2011
the guy named "S" has wrapped his tinfoil too tight. I will try not to be biased either way here and keep[ it short. Housing is cheaper than most of USA, wages are average but good paying jobs are few-no big industry here. There is tons of competition in market so good prices on services and merchandise. 2 walmarts and 3rd on way which always drives down groceries and etc. Costco w/gas which also helps drive down gas prices which are lower than average-maybe Missouri would have cheaper gas. Crime is very low, notably violent crime. I could easily see people here as being racists against black people but there are plenty of native American and Hispanic that you do not see racism toward them to a large degree - people fear what they are ignorant of and there are very few African Americans. It does appear that there is a above average amount of HOA's here. I have traveled the world, lived in Iowa, Missouri, illinois, colorado, california, and Arizona and can say Prescott has very easy going, polite, non agressive people. The 'right to work state" issue is nothing more than politics for or against and will affect you in no way. Anyone who says different and is for or against it is just trying to stuff their politics down your throat. As far as politics Prescott is mostly conservative but enough liberals to keep some balance I think. You really should spend a good week here to know if it is for you. It is a place that someone used to big city like New York or LA could get bored fast I think.
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Mark
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| re: quality of life in Prescott - 8/1/2007 - 10/9/2010
Bouncing off from what "S" said: That sums it up quite accurately! I lived there for about 18 months back in 2004/2005 and couldn't get out of Prescott fast enough!! I'm sorry to say that because I thought that I found the perfect place to “eventually” retire and live for the rest of my life. My grandmother lived there for decades, before passing away, and as a kid (in the 70's & 80's) I thought that I'd like to live there when I got older. I moved from the Hawaiian Islands to Prescott to live and buy a home and wanted to enjoy life in the town, but found myself being called the "N" word more than once on separate occasions! By the way, I'm a Scotch, Irish, Italian and Choctaw Native American male with a medium tan! I'm back on Kauai now and living well. Aloha.
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Tom
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| re: quality of life in Prescott - 8/1/2007 - 12/14/2009
After reading the previous response I had to reply. This person has a very inflated view of themselves. For someone that seems to put themselves on a superior intelligence level to the rest of us, I expected more accurate information. It doesn't take a PhD to know that being a "Right to work" state refers to the right to work for a company and you don't have to join the union to do so. I am sure the respondent meant to say we are an "at will" state which means either the employer or the employee can terminate that relationship at any time for any or no reason.
I live here in Prescott and don't believe it is costly at all. Of course, Prescott is ranked at a cost of living of over 20% higher than the National average. I love it here and think that the people putting Prescott down would have to be people that are failures and have to place blame on anything available and I guess their town is last on the list. Pretty sad. It's beautiful here. The climate is awesome. The crime rate is very low. The price for housing is high and as more people visit and consequently move to Prescott the prices will continue to go up. Prescott Valley and Chino Valley are much more affordable, but remember, you get want you pay for.
Prescott is land locked and that of course promotes higher property values. Prescott also has more mountain views and an historical feel to it. My two cents and I am just one of the lower intelligent people.
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| Phoenix to Prescott? - 7/22/2012
My fiance and I moved from California to Phoenix, AZ last year. WE can not stand it and surprise, surprise we are now expecting to have our first child at the end of the summer and our lease goes up shortly after that. We have learned we are not desert people at all, we miss the deep greens we saw in Cali and the nice weather and high elevation. We can not afford to move back with the crazy cost of living and found out that there is mountain like town here in AZ!!! We took a drive up there just yesterday and thought it was really cute and loved the weather and the look of everything. I am now skeptical reading the angry NY's post, As far as intelligence I don't think it could currently get any worse. But the drugs worry me, I just want to be able to move somewhere that is cheap because we do not have a huge budget at the morning but is also a great place to raise a child. When we took a look I saw kids playing everywhere outside, which I do not see here in the metro areas of Phoenix so I assumed it was a safe family oriented town. Is this place an upgrade from Phoenix? I just don't want to spend another year in a place I hate.[read more...]
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| Prescott Is a great Place to live - 6/27/2011
My Hometown Prescott is a great place to live and play. With great weather and schools. I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. [read more...]
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| prescott's climate - 4/13/2011
lots of spring winds and some of the higher pollen counts come with it...summer is great, with some monsoons - tho' w/ the global warming, we're having less rain and more drought. fall is great and winter will bring wonderful storms that leave snow behind in the higher elevations of town...which melts away in a matter of days. LOTS of sun! bring your sunglasses![read more...]
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| Why I Love Living in Prescott Arizona - 2/15/2010
There are so many reasons why I love living in Prescott Arizona. One of the main reasons is the climate. Prescott Arizona offers four mild seasons. Winters bring some snow...just enough to get excited when it does snow. Springtime blooms with flowers and apple blossoms. Summer temps are perfect, about 20 degrees cooler than the Phoenix area on average and you might even need to grab a sweater after the sun goes down. Fall is probably my favorate season of all. Growing up in the Phoenix area, I never really experienced the "changing of the leaves". Prescott bursts with color between October and November. The colors blended with the backdrop of Thumb Butte or Granite Mountain is enough to take your breath away![read more...]
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| Prescott climate is great. - 1/27/2010
Great place to live for my asthma. Not crazy about the snow, but it is infrequent generally. Love the air and the location.[read more...]
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| Prescott,AZ - 1/25/2010
Not a bad place to live, but getting too large.[read more...]
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| We have found the Jewel of the Southwest - 10/30/2009
After a three year exploration of where we wanted to live across seven states from Colorado to California, we found a place that we just keep loving more and more. Although far from overlooked with a solid population of about 70K, it is not as widely known as I am sure it will be in the coming years. We found several homes for under 600K with acres, views and access to all the amenities we could have ever asked for. I may sound a bit exuberant, but let me tell you, we have lived in Sonoma to SF, Golden Springs to Sante Fe-- from NY to CA in and around 12 cities, and this is head and shoulders above any of the others. Between the weather, with 70 degree year round average with cool nights for sleeping and beautiful sunny days over 320 days a year and the second best air quality in the US, and 4 very mild seasons, low cost of living, almost no taxes and diversity in both housing and people, my wife and I who are Jewish have found none of the racial intolerance too prevalent in the South from AK to CA.
Great local fishing and hiking and almost 100 miles of waterways within about 1 hour with even more boating and fishing opportunities. Also, we like to travel, and this is probably the most centrally located place in the southwest with several states, national treasures and top destinations within 3-4 hours. Like most places, the housing prices were a bit higher last year in 2007-2008, but even at double the current price we are getting more here in terms of home and lifestyle than any place we have lived at from CA to NY. We feel so fortunate that we found Prescott, and the fact that we got what would have been a multimillion dollar home of over 5000 Sq feet on 3 acres for 595K, just 10 minutes from down town in one of the finest cities in the nation makes us feel truly blessed.[read more...]
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| Would you move to Prescott if you've lived in Phx/ - 10/26/2009
We're considering this. Guy from NY scared me though.
Water - how bad is it? Intelligence - how bad is it?
In Scottsdale we own a small business, we have children, we love Prescott. Visiting for events, going fishing or just a day trip & having lunch. Prescott is my favorite place to be. But WOULD it if I lived there??
Scottsdale has great dining - it seems Prescott does too. Beautiful homes too. We eat & live naturally and organically - it seems Prescott could support this. I'm still researching schools & I'm not sure I've found the gym of my dreams but so far...everything is comparable. And the temps?? Ahhhhh....you got me. If I could leave 110 degree summers behind I'd be in heaven!!
This site doesn't seem like it's too busy lately but I'm truly hoping someone has some answers.[read more...]
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| The cowboy, recovery, hippie, entertainment town. - 5/9/2009
Here are my pro, cons about Prescott.
Pros: Very diverse, good balance between libral and conservative, very beautiful, Decent entertainment and culture, prently of outdoor activities, very friendly.
Cons: Meth, Rundown neiborhoods and trailor parks, not many young singles(if thats what your looking for), no jobs, homeless.[read more...]
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| Prescott - Middletown - 5/9/2009
Prescott is a nice town. For any type of person looking to settle down, Learn horticulture at Prescott College, get a nursing degree at Yavapai College, or start your artistic, or musical career. Prescott is a diverse town, a good balance of conservative and librals. Prescott has alot of culture, recreation, entertainment,festivles, music, open mic's, and art. However lately the entertainment buisness hasn't been at its best since the recession has got worse.
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| Prescott, AZ - 8/19/2008
I great all around place to raise your family. The climate is wonderful, opportunities for employment is growing.[read more...]
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| Bring Your Own Date... - 4/26/2008
... and your own job, house, books, non-conformist viewpoints, public radio stations, and community of intelligent creatives. If you can't bring the right balance of these, better bring a good shrink.
Seriously, Prescott is truly beautiful and a great place to be with nature. Some local events are excellent: The Hassayampa Institute for Creative Writing, Tsunami on the Square, Bluegrass events and Cowboy Poets Gathering. You can drive from any part to another in 20 minutes or less. The Prescott Brewing Company microbrewery remains cool, though increasing cost is jeopardizing its coolness. Same goes for The Raven Cafe. In general, dining here is consistently unadventurous, and service would offend even the most laid-back diner. There are some good mexican joints. Also, all the national forests are wonderful, in spite of serious decimation by bark beetles and drought. There are genuine gems of people here, you just need a pick-axe, solid local directions, and a strong inner compass to find them.
I agree with several of the comments here about how the cost of living increase in the past five years or so has eroded quality of life here. The prices of everything now are plain disgusting. It seems the local merchants have found they can do just fine by serving only the top .05% of the local population, mostly exurbanites building 6,000-square-foot, fifth vacation homes.
If you have your own date, a goose that lays golden eggs, and you're into the Old West and/or rodeo, you'll find Prescott a virtual paradise. It's a great place to retire if you have the means, and is a great place to raise a squeaky-clean WASP family. Singles under 50 be warned: this is no place for you if you don't want to be single. I was warned and didn't listen. Big mistake. I'm dating online and looking for a real job in Tempe.[read more...]
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| Bring Your Own Date... - 4/26/2008
... and your own job, house, books, non-conformist viewpoints, public radio stations, and community of intelligent creatives. If you can't bring the right balance of these, better bring a good shrink.
Seriously, Prescott is truly beautiful and a great place to be with nature. Some local events are excellent: The Hassayampa Institute for Creative Writing, Tsunami on the Square, Bluegrass events and Cowboy Poets Gathering. You can drive from any part to another in 20 minutes or less. The Prescott Brewing Company microbrewery remains cool, though increasing cost is jeopardizing its coolness. Same goes for The Raven Cafe. In general, dining here is consistently unadventurous, and service would offend even the most laid-back diner. There are some good mexican joints. Also, all the national forests are wonderful, in spite of serious decimation by bark beetles and drought. There are genuine gems of people here, you just need a pick-axe, solid local directions, and a strong inner compass to find them.
I agree with several of the comments here about how the cost of living increase in the past five years or so has eroded quality of life here. The prices of everything now are plain disgusting. It seems the local merchants have found they can do just fine by serving only the top .05% of the local population, mostly exurbanites building 6,000-square-foot, fifth vacation homes.
If you have your own date, a goose that lays golden eggs, and you're into the Old West and/or rodeo, you'll find Prescott a virtual paradise. It's a great place to retire if you have the means, and is a great place to raise a squeaky-clean WASP family. Singles under 50 be warned: this is no place for you if you don't want to be single. I was warned and didn't listen. Big mistake. I'm dating online and looking for a real job in Tempe.[read more...]
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| Calizona - 4/24/2008
Prescott might have been a nice, quiet town decades ago, but right now it's a different story. I am trying to be objective here.
House prices are outrageous, more expensive than in Phoenix. To find one with a lot, you'd have to go North-West, drive a bunch and you'll need a water well. Which may easily run dry in 10 yrs. Then what? Most of the houses are on the hill-side with steep driveways and minimal/no backyard.
At least 50% of people and maybe 90% or retirees are from California - and it shows. I haven't seen so many rude drivers, it's unbelievable. They think they own everything here.
The tattoo/teeth ratio here is very high. I don't know why, but I haven't seen so many trashy people in a small, nice town. The number of smokers seem to be way higher than other places, too.
There are very few roads due to the mountains and the Indian Reservation, I guess. But for a town of 40,000 the traffic is very bad. There are just not enough roads to get to places.
Not for people with cedar=juniper allergies.
No Harley dealership despite having so many bikers.(this may not interest too many of you...)
The positives: nice downtown, temperatures are OK, although it's still in the 30's at night (end of April). Very dry climate. Clean air. Services are OK. Lakes are nice.
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| Estimated household bills - especially water - 2/18/2008
Can anyone currently living in this area give me a good idea of what estimated household bills would be. I am especially interested in what the water bill will be. I would like to make sure that it won't be too expensive to keep a back yard well watered.
Thank you in advance![read more...]
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| Crime in Prescott - 2/17/2008
I live in the historic district in Prescott. In the past five years, to my knowledge, there have been no major crimes in our immediate area. We have a great downtown square where people congregate safely.[read more...]
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| The most dog friendly town in the west. - 8/10/2007
One of the most dog-friendly cities in the West. Prescott boasts a large community dog park (really fun to watch the show in the morings!). The most recoginzed pasttime of Prescottonians is walking friendly, well-socialized dogs around the courthouse sqaure. Nostalgic, social, friendly, and approachable--in Prescott "the fastest way to make a friend is to talk dog!"--s. gilliam
For the best and friendliest in boarding, doggie daycare, and grooming services check out the C BAR C Doggie Dude Ranch--a Prescott original! (since 1983)[read more...]
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| quality of life in Prescott - 8/1/2007
I am interested in feedback of a general nature and some specific opinions about Prescott, Flagstaff, Tucson, and Sierra Vista, Arizona. I live on Long Island, NY, and am a lifelong New Yorker considering relocating. I don't want to buy a house, as I would prefer to rent an apartment or condo and see how my wife and I like it. I am almost 63 years old, not rich, just a working stiff with a modest pension from a NYS civil service job held for 35 years. If anyone would like to share their opinions about these areas, I would like to hear what you have to say. Thanks.[read more...]
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| Drought - 7/4/2007
Prescott has been in a drought for nearly 10 years. We are running out of water (I'm moving out) and now must fund a $200,000 million pipeline to bring in water (and then it must be treated for the high arsenic level; i.e. another ? million of dollars cost). If you want to move here, be a camel.[read more...]
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| Insurance plans - 6/24/2007
does eather hospital take hmos.[read more...]
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