Thinking about relocating to Arizona. Seek advice.

H

Hal

New Member
Jan and I retired in 2007, wandered in motorhome a lot (still do some) Winter in the Corpius Christi area, Summer at our home in Minnesota. Want to change winter residence to Arizona because of weather and terrible medical care in south Texas. We'd probably buy a double wide in a retirement community. I've lived in the Phoenix area, would like to avoid a huge urban area. Thinking about Green Valley, but know very little about it. We'd like advice both on areas and on specific communities, available medical care, and any other suggestions and advice you have to offer. Thanks, in advance, for all you can tell us!

Hal
 

We lived in Sun City West for 14 years. Phoenix was there if you needed/wanted it. We very seldom went there. It is seriously dry there which was a radical change for us who had always lived on the coast. We knew people who were snowbirds without leaving the state. They wintered in the valley and went up to the high country in summer. Elevation makes a huge difference in climate. Flagstaff at 7000' gets 5' of snow per year. SCW had an excellent RV club.
 
I'm currently in the west valley, moved here last year from the Big Island. I like it, don't mind the heat, and find plenty of things to do. However, I'm feeling to need to move back to Ohio, and will probably do so next year after I've covered the 2 year primary residence thing for the sale of my house. Or I could change my mind.

YMMV
 
I was born and grew up in north Ohio. I left many years ago and moved west to California. My company allowed me to move to south Florida and then to Colorado. After I retired I stayed in Colorado till I was told to get below 5,000 foot altitude. Then I moved to Casa Grande Arizona. Phoenix was close by but I really preferred Casa Grande, but often we looked into Phoenix at different times. Parts of Phoenix seemed to be OK.

Now looking to move back to southern Arizona to get away from the terrible Ohio weather. The wife and I have both been having health problems since moving back her. I am ready to leave but the wife wants to stay near the kids. I say the kids could move to where we settle.

There are some nice health care ideas that happen in Phoenix. Ideas much better than Ohio has. Helpers, nurses, etc., can come to your final residence if you choose too. I hate to see our money taken away and no choices left to the older folks as happened to my mother and now my younger brother. I prefer to go buy a Condo for older folks and have the doctors, helpers, nurses, etc. come to me as can be done in Arizona. My sister has just set up a similar protected area in central New York state. My local Ohio doctor said he had heard of such places and said they are good places to investigate. So I am doing that.
 
I don't like anything about AZ but I am chiming in only because of a documentary I saw recently on the weather in Phoenix. In a nut shell it claimed the heat will climb to new highs and it is already too high for me. I live in Houston and I think it is a great place to retire because of the variety of things one can do.
 
BobF said:
I was born and grew up in north Ohio. I left many years ago and moved west to California. My company allowed me to move to south Florida and then to Colorado. After I retired I stayed in Colorado till I was told to get below 5,000 foot altitude. Then I moved to Casa Grande Arizona. Phoenix was close by but I really preferred Casa Grande, but often we looked into Phoenix at different times. Parts of Phoenix seemed to be OK.

Now looking to move back to southern Arizona to get away from the terrible Ohio weather. The wife and I have both been having health problems since moving back her. I am ready to leave but the wife wants to stay near the kids. I say the kids could move to where we settle.

There are some nice health care ideas that happen in Phoenix. Ideas much better than Ohio has. Helpers, nurses, etc., can come to your final residence if you choose too. I hate to see our money taken away and no choices left to the older folks as happened to my mother and now my younger brother. I prefer to go buy a Condo for older folks and have the doctors, helpers, nurses, etc. come to me as can be done in Arizona. My sister has just set up a similar protected area in central New York state. My local Ohio doctor said he had heard of such places and said they are good places to investigate. So I am doing that.
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Ohio here as well, S/W and yes the weather [can be] horrible. But it is home I guess? If I may ask?...why below 5000 ft ?
 
rgp said:
Ohio here as well, S/W and yes the weather [can be] horrible. But it is home I guess? If I may ask?...why below 5000 ft ?
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Mostly for oxygen content of the free air. I was told to expect the need for air tanks if my lungs continued to fail me. So I moved to Arizona and Phoenix and most of the desert land south of there were near or below 5,000 feet. Plenty of land in Arizona is well above 5,000 feet. Flagstaff is about 7,000 feet with mountain peaks around it that go much higher.
 
fmdog44 said:
I don't like anything about AZ but I am chiming in only because of a documentary I saw recently on the weather in Phoenix. In a nut shell it claimed the heat will climb to new highs and it is already too high for me. I live in Houston and I think it is a great place to retire because of the variety of things one can do.
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I lived through one such high heat. The temp reached 119 degrees but it only happened late in the afternoon close to sundown. It was pretty hot that day. But to me not much hotter than the daily100 at sunrise and 110 peak in the late afternoon.

The blessing is that the humidity is low compared to many places in the US. In norther Ohio with its relatively high daily, and over night, humidity it is quite difficult to work outside in the 80's. Much like working outside in the 100's is.

Arizona work styles are different for this reason. Highway build or repair may take place under lights at night. Start at 2 am and work till noon.

I personally hate high humidity, disliked my 6 years in south Florida for its high humidity. I would expect Houston to also have high humidity.

Folks that are tearing our climate apart seem to forget that the earth has warm spells and cold spells and we go up or down in alternating and opposing ways. We have to make the best of what we are given.
 
BobF said:
Mostly for oxygen content of the free air. I was told to expect the need for air tanks if my lungs continued to fail me. So I moved to Arizona and Phoenix and most of the desert land south of there were near or below 5,000 feet. Plenty of land in Arizona is well above 5,000 feet. Flagstaff is about 7,000 feet with mountain peaks around it that go much higher.
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Ah...I see, thanks.
 
This thread caught my attention because we moved 4 years ago (going on 5) from NW PA to NW AZ (Kingman). We're 100 miles south of Las Vegas. Our elevation is 3400 ft. so it gets cooler in winter but usually no snow unless you live close to the foothills, which we did when we first moved here.

We had lived in a lot of places over the years (MI, SC, PA, TX, CA and now AZ) and there were good things and bad things about all of them. TX was horribly humid and buggy. CA was overcrowded and smoggy. SC had hurricanes (was there to witness Hurricane Hugo). MI is my hometown where I grew up so I'm partial to living near lakes. My favorite place to live was PA. I lived and worked there for over 20 years so that's "home" for me and I miss it very much. I've asked hubby if we could go back, but he wants to stay here.

Kingman is a small town and I-40 and Route 66 runs through here so there's a lot of traffic. However, even though the mountains are amazing here, there's nothing of interest for me. We live 20 miles out of town and the road is VERY busy. It's a 2-lane road and traffic is traveling up to Flagstaff constantly. I go to town once a week to get groceries and that's the extent of my going anywhere. I am a quilter and I do cross stitch. In our town in PA there were shops that I could go to for my supplies. Not here.

We don't get the dust storms like Phoenix and the Monsoon season has not shown up yet in the almost 5 years we've been here. There's lots of wide-open spaces here so if you want to be secluded you can. It just depends on what you're looking for. Me, personally, I'd be back in PA in a heartbeat if I could.
 
Hal said:
Jan and I retired in 2007, wandered in motorhome a lot (still do some) Winter in the Corpius Christi area, Summer at our home in Minnesota. Want to change winter residence to Arizona because of weather and terrible medical care in south Texas. We'd probably buy a double wide in a retirement community. I've lived in the Phoenix area, would like to avoid a huge urban area. Thinking about Green Valley, but know very little about it. We'd like advice both on areas and on specific communities, available medical care, and any other suggestions and advice you have to offer. Thanks, in advance, for all you can tell us!

Hal
Click to expand...
Half must have his answer as he has not been back since posting this thread!!
 
Colleen said:
This thread caught my attention because we moved 4 years ago (going on 5) from NW PA to NW AZ (Kingman). We're 100 miles south of Las Vegas. Our elevation is 3400 ft. so it gets cooler in winter but usually no snow unless you live close to the foothills, which we did when we first moved here.

We had lived in a lot of places over the years (MI, SC, PA, TX, CA and now AZ) and there were good things and bad things about all of them. TX was horribly humid and buggy. CA was overcrowded and smoggy. SC had hurricanes (was there to witness Hurricane Hugo). MI is my hometown where I grew up so I'm partial to living near lakes. My favorite place to live was PA. I lived and worked there for over 20 years so that's "home" for me and I miss it very much. I've asked hubby if we could go back, but he wants to stay here.

Kingman is a small town and I-40 and Route 66 runs through here so there's a lot of traffic. However, even though the mountains are amazing here, there's nothing of interest for me. We live 20 miles out of town and the road is VERY busy. It's a 2-lane road and traffic is traveling up to Flagstaff constantly. I go to town once a week to get groceries and that's the extent of my going anywhere. I am a quilter and I do cross stitch. In our town in PA there were shops that I could go to for my supplies. Not here.

We don't get the dust storms like Phoenix and the Monsoon season has not shown up yet in the almost 5 years we've been here. There's lots of wide-open spaces here so if you want to be secluded you can. It just depends on what you're looking for. Me, personally, I'd be back in PA in a heartbeat if I could.
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Hi Colleen,
I'm in PA and love it here. I hope you get to move back someday!
 
As a Native Texan I am often amused when people comment on the "climate" in Texas. Considering it's geographical location and size the climate would more accurately be "climates". It can go from blistering heat, freezing cold, high humidity, very dry, etc. depending where you are in Texas. I am often amused by visitors to the Eastern half ( East of Austin ) complaining about the high humidity and thinking all of Texas is that way. For those non Texans, here is a handy guide.

https://www.texasmonthly.com/the-daily-post/how-big-is-texas-compared-to-other-land-masses/
 
You really appreciate the large size of Texas after you have driven across it a few times.
 

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