possibly moving to AZ...questions for you locals

[sixpack340]

Gents, the lady and I have been discussing picking up and heading to AZ. We both want to get away from the state of PA and move where the weathers hot and theres more open-ness. I've never been to Arizona, but have spent some time in the desert. I loath cold weather and want to be able to enjoy my favorite outdoor activities year round, instead of just part of the year. We haven't decided on a place to move to yet. We both have great jobs here and I'm sure could find good jobs out there as well. What areas should we be looking at, to cater to our shooting, dirtbiking, hiking, etc lifestyle? Areas to avoid? I'd love to be able to shoot right off my back porch into the open desert! FWIW, I'm a utility lineman and she's an RN. Educate me fellas!

 

[Tengu]

I would stay out of Yuma if you want long open ranges to shoot. Sure, there is plenty of open space, but much of the land is taken by the ranchers/farmers, and huge swathes are used for YPG. You'd have to drive for a good hour and half or more to the east past Dateland to get good long rang shooting.
Not to mention high unemployment rate which hovers around %30 or so, and few job opportunities to the uneducated.
Hunting is so-so if you like fowl. Tuscan seemed ok to me. As long as you stay out of the southeast area then your chances of running into drug smugglers shouldn't be to high. I haven't paid much attention to the news coming out that area so maybe somebody else can chime in who is better informed.
Phoenix is further up north, and there is plenty of job opportunities from what I'm told (my brother lives there). However, there are parts you REALLY want avoid. It's notorious for cartel kidnappings in some areas. So maybe somewhere on the northern outskirts will suite you just fine. Mountain lion hunting has a multiple bag limit per calender year in the areas north of Phoenix so you might like that. Which is something I've been dieing to do for years now. I still have to get a longbow though.
If you don't like the cold then stay out of northern AZ because they do get snow. I wish I could elaborate some more, but my experience in exploring AZ has been limited. I should also mention that there usually is a monthly match set up by some members in Phoenix. I've been wanting to go, but have been stuck working 6-7 days a week for several months now.
Hope this helps.

 

[sixpack340]

is the cartel/drug/kidnapping a really common thing to worry about for day to day life? i didnt think it was too bad like it would be in texas. damn....that sucks

 

[steve123]

The Cottonwood and Prescott areas are nice, they get up to 100 degrees or so in the middle of summer. I'm the opposite I hate hot weather so Phoenix is only worth me visiting during early spring, late fall and winter. It's blast furnace in the middle of the day in summer. I wouldn't like extended winters either.

 

[Tengu]

sixpack360: don't let any of this scare you. I just want you to make an informed decision to get the BEST outcome for your move. Depending where in AZ you move could make all the difference in lifestyle.
Will cartels and smugglers be a day to day issue? It depends. All southern hunting units have warnings about this problem. If you move there then yes there could be a possibility of day to day issues.
To put into context I talked to a girl here at the local collage (AWC), and she had to fight off men on three seperate occasions. At the time she was 17yrs going onto 18yrs. However she does live in San Luis, AZ which right on the border. These incidences happened in the counties aka farm land.
From the knowledge I've gleened it seems the more up north you get the safer. So don't get discouraged so easily. There are plenty of good places, but you have to know where to look. I'm just telling you where you may not want to look.
Wait for other members to provide more info so you can make a more informed decision.

On a side note. I'm not one to let fear ruin my day. If I did then I would never get out of bed, or leave my house. You shouldn't either. Stay sharp, be aware of your surroundings, be informed, and stay safe.

 

[sixpack340]

I dont live in fear of others, per'say. I just worry for my lady and our future kids' safety if i'm not around. Plus I just dont want the aggravation of ass hole illegals doing dumb shit to my property. I dont want to go too far north as that means i'll have to deal with snow. I want to stick to the high desert. Just minus the illegals haha, high hopes, I know!

 

[Maggot]

The Cottonwood and Prescott areas are nice, they get up to 100 degrees or so in the middle of summer. I'm the opposite I hate hot weather so Phoenix is only worth me visiting during early spring, late fall and winter. It's blast furnace in the middle of the day in summer. I wouldn't like extended winters either.

Cottowood/Prescott are beautiful, avoid Sedona except for a visit for the good food. Be aware that the entire SW is undergoing record drought and that cities like Phoenix may run into severe water shortages. Lake Powell and Lake Meade as well as Elephant Butte Reservoir are almost empty.It would be nice if you could find a little ranchette with its own well.

 

[Tengu]

Those are legitimate concerns lol. You'll have to forgive my interpretation then.
On the bright side! Phoenix and the surrounding areas do have manufacturers for ARs. Here are some that have caught my interest.

SunDevil Manufacturing - Custom AR-15 lower receivers, AR-15 parts and accessories

QD15 Billet Receivers

And I believe VLTOR is out of Tuscan. Don't quote me on that. Unfortunately I can't give a review on the manufactures above, but might be something of interest.

 

[ricklaut]

Look into Lake Havasu. It's often the hottest spot in the state, but it's on a beautiful lake so it balances out. It's a small town in many ways, with enough shopping and amenities to avoid monthly trips to the big cities of Phoenix or Vegas. The town is a tourist mecca - boaters in the summer; snow birds in the winter. Mild to wild atmosphere (google "spring break videos"). Lots of similar sized towns in AZ are relative crap holes - Havasu is an exception (IMHO). Relatively upscale in comparison; quite a bit of money in town (well-off Californians with second homes; retirees) but without the affluent prices. Safe; low crime rate.

Shooting, dirtbiking and hiking... all are VERY popular there and the possibilities are endless (and close). At least one SH member lives there. I grew up there (when it was much smaller) and still have family there.

As for the water... yeah, it's a desert. The great thing about Havasu is they have to keep that lake level high and consistent because they pump water from it to both Phoenix and So. Cal. Lake Mead and Lake Mohave may run low, but Havasu will stay up until it's literally all gone.

ETA: Very, very few houses in town back up to open land where you can shoot out of your backdoor. I was lucky enough to grow up in one of them . You'd be very lucky to find one for sale, though. But, like I said, lots of open desert very close - between 10 minutes and 30 minutes out of town.

ETAA: Illegals? Sure. They're everyone in the southwest. Problems with cartels and the crap that goes on in southern AZ / Phoenix? Not at all.

 

[RanchhandTCR]

I live in mesa, and I lived there for 18 outta my 22 years of life and just moved back from colorado, mesa, Gilbert, Chandler and Tempe are nice places to live, its kinda busy but not to horrible. The tap water tastes horrid compared to good ole Colorado Well Water. There a lot of shooting opportunities to be found. And off road is vastly popular here, go to fourpeakes, rossevelt lake, gold canyon lake, got the sand dunes to the west which is a several hour drive. As far as the cartel crap, I have yet to see it or expereince it here or in central pheonix where I work. Does not mean it not happening, but I still keep my head on a swivel and judge books by their cover. Summers suck, it hot and when it rains, the I-10 turns into a lake since somebody decided the interstate pumps no longer needed maintenance. I lived in a small town in Southern Colorado for four years, I do miss the open land, and small town but the pay and cost of living sucks, and Denver and Colorado Springs where to crowded for my taste, and Pueblo well we wont talk about pueblo. Im still searching for a quality and quit shooting spot but im wont be far from it either way here in town. Best of luck!

 

[timelinex]

Kidnappings??! Cartels??!

I've lived here 8 years and I've definitely never seen anything even close to this. Don't scare the guy! I'm sure the statistics are real, but just stay out of the hood and you will never have to worry about it. I'm pretty sure the worst crime ive ever witnessed is Jay walking lol seriously though, many neighborhoods have low violent crime rates I'm pretty sure (haven't checked since I moved a long time ago).

Go somewhere in North Valley. Anything above the northern section of the 101 is golden. You will be close to the city, close to the empty desert for shooting/atv/hunting, very close to the biggest shooting range and it's mostly all new and good neighborhoods.

 

[KYbulldog]

While discussing the finer points of building and shooting gassers, I met a shooter on the Hide. Turns out he's from AZ. Got to meet him the other day while passing thru, and if he's representative of the locals you'll bump into out there, I'd say you're gonna be in good company.

 

[Tengu]

Timelinex: I wasn't trying to scare him. I was being realistic. Most people have the pleasure of not knowing cartel or gang interactions. I'm not one of them. People I know on a personal level had encounters with cartel.
Hell, I had encounters with cartel before I straightened out my life. An other horror story is a man I knew was killed by a hit man working for the Mexican Mafia, or La Eme. Mistook him for somebody else, and ended up with a few more breathing holes in his head. Can't say the guy didn't deserve it. Something in the order of 30+ yrs in the life of crime.
Anyway, that was here in bumfuck Yuma. All sorts of evil deeds happen in the shadows.

 

[SatCong]

I live on the west side around Goodyear. I love it out here. I moved from Illinois over 10 years ago. Bunch of us old boys go out in the sandbox and shoot long range. From 1,000 yards to a one mile. I don't miss the cold at all.

 

[Downzero]

Come to New Mexico. Not quite as hot as Arizona, but lower population, just as much open space, and great shooting.

I moved here from Iowa in 2013 and I love it here. My house is cheaper than a 2br rental apartment was in Iowa and while incomes are lower here, I am living comfortably and love it.

Arizona is awesome, but southern NM is hot and AZ is even hotter.

 

[cmica]

want some long range time sit at the border and plink away.

I'd go for Flagstaff, phoenix is too hot in the summer, spring and fall are ok.

 

[remiglockoholic]

I live on the west side around Goodyear. I love it out here. I moved from Illinois over 10 years ago. Bunch of us old boys go out in the sandbox and shoot long range. From 1,000 yards to a one mile. I don't miss the cold at all.

Where are you shooting? They've closed most of the good stuff from Goodyear down to right about Buckeye.

 

[bkw1911]

want some long range time sit at the border and plink away.

I'd go for Flagstaff, phoenix is too hot in the summer, spring and fall are ok.

Youve obviously never lived in Phoenix. There is no four seasons with a spring and fall in the valley. Theres 4 months of hot, then 8 months of perfect weather with no cancellation of anything due to snow. The rest of the country can keep their record low winters blizzards and ice storms while i shoot in 50-70 degree weather 8 months a year. Ill drive 2 hrs if i want to see that nasty white stuff.

 

[Donr13]

Youve obviously never lived in Phoenix. There is no four seasons with a spring and fall in the valley. Theres 4 months of hot, then 8 months of perfect weather with no cancellation of anything due to snow. The rest of the country can keep their record low winters blizzards and ice storms while i shoot in 50-70 degree weather 8 months a year. Ill drive 2 hrs if i want to see that nasty white stuff.

What is this 4 seasons thing you guys are talking about? I am an az native and I am only aware of 2. Freaking hot and perfect.

 

[Llatikcuf]

I attended NAU in Flagstaff back in the early '80s. Beautiful country but at 7000 ft probably has more cold weather than you want. It has also been discovered by Californians and other ne'er-do-wells.

If I were to go back to AZ I would look for something in the sweet spot of, say, 3000 to 6000 ft elevation. Summer's not too hot, winter's not too long.

As an aside: there is no winter anywhere south of the 49th parallel. What you folks have down there are cold snaps.

 

[Papa Zero Three]

Have to agree with the others who mentioned not seeing the crime,cartel, illegal action. Yeah, it happens, not denying that but it's not like it's Mad Max thunder dome rules. I honestly think being realistic about the massive climate change it would be for someone coming from PA to AZ would be a bigger eye opener. Locals don't even blink at temps in 100's, it's a everyday thing for a good portion of the time and the rest it's just cooler, meaning 70-80's and then around winter, you might get some frost on the ground (this is excluding northern Az where it's already been mentioned that they have snow and a few places around Tombstone/Bisbee) but no where near PA cold or wet. The other big change will be the amount of house you get in Az compared to what you get for the same money on the east coast, expect to get a whole lot more bang for your housing dollar in Az.

I'd honestly recommend the OP take a vacation to Az and drive around and see the different parts of the state and find one or two areas that they like the best environmentally and location wise.

 

[SatCong]

Where are you shooting? They've closed most of the good stuff from Goodyear down to right about Buckeye.

One place is west of you, Flat Iron Mountain.

 

[gme]

I moved to the Sedona area recently from CA my shop is in Cottonwood, this place is shooters paradise, lots of national forest land to shoot on, the climate is perfect and the scenery is fantastic, if you like the outdoors this is the place.

 

[Unknown]

Although I think Arizona is great, why not also consider other states that have similar weather? Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas all have areas with similar weather.

Anywhere you end up will have both positives and negatives. When considering moves, I look at things such as overall tax burden, gun laws, available health care, demographics, employment rates, transportation and infrastructure, property prices, and similar factors.

 

[sixpack340]

As for other states, what areas should I be looking at?

 

[sixpack340]

Texas seems cool. I'm open to suggestions.

 

[sixpack340]

What kind of work is there to make a decent living in arizona? Just incase I can't find a job as a lineman.

 

[Arrow 4]

I think it is going to depend on where in AZ you move to? AZ does have a lower unemployment rate than the national average, but jobs are going to be concentrated in the Phoenix and Tucson areas. Arizona Public Service and Salt River Project are the two main power companies but there is also Navapache in the White Mountain in North Eastern AZ as well. Good luck.