Anyone from Arizona?

Try the Bisbee, or McNeil areas.

Rancher

 

Bisbee is super nice, but a lot of folks are "Discovering" it and prices are going up! Still, a neat-0 place!

 

I considered Tuscon once and reading up on the place and thinking about the crime stopped me. City-Data had some interesting info. Like expecting your car to get stolen in the first six months was typical. The well-known drug smuggling route on the west side of Tuscon. If you go too far south you get the joy of driving through checkpoint Charlie. (Border patrol ) I'm trying to warn you off a bad decision. If work is an issue I would recommend Phoenix. Otherwise North or east is a better decision. But good luck wherever you end up.

 

Lots of places nearby, just to the West, Palominos is one, and then on to Hereford where I hang my hat. If I was going to go off-grid I would continue on West of the Huachcua Mountains, and near the border somewhere near Parker Canyon Lake, I see from Google Earth that several people have set up homes in that area... Opps not within 45 minutes of a hospital.

 

I am here in AZ. Been here since 1959. Know the state well. If you are looking at buying a place, I can help you anywhere in the state.

The White Mtns in Eastern AZ maybe more to you liking.

Fell free to DM me amd I will send you my phone# and we can chat.

Ghrit and many others can vouch from my credibility

 

Heard awhile back that while California is in trouble as far as water is concerned, AZ had done "some planning" and has enough for a five year drought, or something to that effect. Heard it third hand so you may want to check it out. Don't know how true that is.

Whatever the situation, it's got to be better than California when the politicians are more interested in protecting the snail darter than they are about sustaining humans.

Most likely if you go for a property in Catalina that is not part of the retirement developments, it will either have a well, a shared well, or be already supplied from a local water company. I texted my sister to ask where her water comes from.

I have a well at my BOL (Kingman area sort of) and even though it's low flow, supplies all my needs so far. Also have a second well drilled years ago that I've never brought on-line because it was too deep for solar pumps available at the time. Tech has advanced, and now solar powered pumps are available that will work. May bring it on-line in a year or two. A fellow I know less than two miles away drilled down to 230 feet and the drillers stopped counting at 60 gallons a minute.

AD1 has a good suggestion. White Mountains are beautiful, good elk hunting too.

 

I showed all of the comments to my wife last night and now she's discouraged about AZ......said it looks like it's going to turn liberal like Cali and she doesn't want to uproot our lives just to end up in another liberal state. Any truth to that, or is AZ safe?

Thank you, I may be in touch....

 

Just my 2 cents, but most any where you go will be an improvement.

 

I grew up in SoAZ (Tucson/Bisbee) and I now live in Alaska. I left for good in 1972. Have never looked back.

Will not/would not move back to Pima county. Crime is at levels that preclude that.

Politics in Tucson = California. Between the University and the loonatic transplants from Califlower/eaqst coast - it's a lost cause.

NoAz has many nice areas, but you should check on the tax burden before you move anywhere. I'm sure the taxes in Cali are silly high - but they are as high in many other areas as well.

Good luck.

 

I wouldn't flush the whole state of AZ. I'd just stay away from the Tucson area. Most other areas of the state more than likely won't turn leftist too soon. But they have to meet your other criteria as well.

Parts of New Mexico are nice too, but it's closer to California in ideology. BlueDuck has a good point.

 

Yes, anywhere would be an improvement.....except New York/New Jersey/Delaware.....even WA and OR are more sane (but I suspect not for long)

 

I was born and raised in Delaware. Left in 1976 a few years after HS graduation and with enough work experience under my belt to secure a job elsewhere. Never went back. Hated the place.

Here's one you may want to check out...

I spent about 15 years in Northern Nevada, Elko area. Mostly mining and some cattle. Railroad runs through there too and was the original reason it was founded in 1869. It's about 7-8 hours drive northwest of Vegas, so it's nowhere near that insanity.

Politically conservative, I don't think there's one Democrat in the county unless it's the dog catcher. Taxes were low. You can drive from one end of the town to the other in about 10 minutes and the speed limit is 25. They'd just built a new hospital about 2 years before I left in 2007.

The population density is pretty thin also, as Elko County is larger in land mass than many eastern states. Bad thing is, the winters are rough, and long. If you don't mind harsh winters, it's not bad at all. Couldn't handle them but I'm a warm weather guy.

If the climate were warmer, I'd probably still be living there. Good deer locally and elk hunting is excellent in the Ely area, a couple hours south.

 

that is changing... much like many other areas... the exodus from cali is the main cause...

I live in Nevada and it USED to be more conservative but many moved here from cali... mainly Las Vegas and Reno areas...

those 2 areas now pretty much control the state... much like some parts of cali do to cali...

have come to believe the states should adopt an electoral college system... giving each county a voice in elections...

thing is there are enough of them they have voted in politicians that are pretty much just like the ones they left behind...

and the laws n such are already changing... so... keep that in mind...

word is they are moving to many other such states and changing things as they come in... Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, etc...

 

Used to visit family friends in Hereford back in the day. They lived in a Quonset hut for years.

Back when the place was empty....

Looking at some real estate listings, still seems pretty empty

 

Well that view is of San Jose' peak in Mexico, you can barely make out "the wall".and that lot is probably off the grid.

Rancher