maybe look into contacting a realtor ?

possibly do some research on your own....as the internet can be useful for stuff like this.

 

Lake Havasu has off road riding and boating but can be very hot in the summer.

 

It really depends on what you do for a living. If you're still working you may need the broader job markets of the Phoenix metro area or Tucson. If you're retired then my personal recommendation would be North-central Arizona, Prescott, Dewey-Humboldt, Verde Valley...lots of trails, space, views and only short drives to Phoenix or Flagstaff.

 

X 2... There are jobs in the Prescott , Prescott Valley, Chino area but not as many in the Phoenix , Tucson area s offer...

We don't have the traffic or the crime rate the metro areas do either... I like Prescott and the surrounding areas, there are vast areas to ride from your door step... You can drive your S X S on the streets and roads here in Arizona, so you don't have to trailer everywhere...

The Arizona Right to Carry Law is also A +...

If you love HEAT (100+ to 120 max all summer long) you'll love Phoenix & Tucson areas... I for one don't like to fry eggs on my fore head...:rofl3: :rofl3: :rofl3:



I also sent you a PM...

 

I have searched the net before posting. Read this n that about dirty water,crime rates, gangs etc... I have some of that here in NC.

My wife is CM for a large medical firm that has openings all over AZ. Not worried about her finding a job. I however have run a atv/motorcycle repair business from home the last 8 years. Not sure if I want to continue that or work for someone else.

I can go ride, have a big party or shoot my guns right out my back door. Wherever I move to, I want the same liberties. No city living for me !

 

Really matters if you want city life or country and how big your wallet is. The Phoenix metro area (know as the Valley, as it sits between 2 mountain ranges) includes some smaller cities and towns. There are 2 separate areas know as the East Valley and the West Valley.

The east valley is newer, developed in the 70's - present, while the west valley was more late 40's - 70's. There are some newer developments on the west side but they are further out. Best to stay out of the central phoenix areas due to crime and congestion.

I have lived in Gilbert for 13 years and life is good. Really hot in the summer (April - Sept) but a drive 2 hours north the temp drops 20-30 degrees. Plenty of great desert riding 30-40 minutes in any direction from Phoenix.

If you decide to go more towards north and central AZ be prepared for winters. Snow included. Prescott is nice, although I have not been up there in years. Lots of pine trees, mountains, etc.

The pic I attached is 40 minutes from my house in Gilbert

 

Well said. Check out Gilbert. Great location. I am a short distance from many miles of awesome trails and runways to fly my powered paraglider. Life is good here.

But be prepared for the summers in central AZ south. 98 degrees at 5 AM is a reality here. Get a place with a pool. It gets HOT. So hot that the RZR will sit for a couple months. If you are willing to ride in the overnight hours, there is some relief from the heat in the local mountains tops during the summer months.

 

I've been in Az for life and agree with what's posted above. Besides the Prescott area you might want to look at the Verde Valley and Cottonwood Area. It's at a mild climate of 3500ft and next to plenty of outdoor stuff. Basically in the middle between flagstaff and Prescott about 15 miles from Sedona.

If your looking for a more metro area look at the Florence/San Tan area, far enough from the big cities but commutable to either phoenix or Tucson. Some of the best riding anywhere too that you can ride to without trailering. And 4 hours from Glamis

 

If I wasn't still working id be in lake Havasu... lol. I love Tucson tho, not planning on moving ever. 4 hours from the beach, 4 hours from the dunes, 2 hours from the lake, 1 hour to snow... I work all over AZ, and I don't like the cold so I am not one to recommend anything north of PHX.

 

Awesome stuff. Thanks. Going to check some maps.

 

Great thread and info!! Our 5 to 10yr plan is to move out of Ks (Maybe sooner). We're into riding our RZR and Harley. KS isn't the best (May be the Last) place for those things... I once heard someone (We met in Utah) who had just rode across Ks on their Harleys (It had been about 107 deg the whole time they went through Ks. One guy said, "Ks is the price you have to pay to get to Colorado"...lol. I'm from Ks, and have family here so it will always be "Home". We're pretty much right in the middle of the U.S. and IS a great place to start from ... when leaving....:rofl3: (Hey we do have beautiful Sun Sets ;-)
We've talked about every where from Panama, Guatemala, to TN, Ark, and AZ.
The Pic Dune Whisperer posted is very enticing!!!! WOW!!
I can barley imagine having somewhere like that so close..

Right now I'm just waiting on Tim (Swingarm1) to sign and finish my adoption papers... Hi Dad!!! :rofl3::rofl3:

Sorry to hijack.....

 

Most of my family is from KS, brother and I born in Newton, my dad Wichita, mother and aunts Kingman. None of us call KS home. Oh hell no, lol!:rofl3:

 

My wife and I are looking in the Prescott Area for when we retire.

Has some snow like she wants and I can do the things I want to also.

California has ran it's course with me.

 

if you go 10 miles further north of prescott you will be in chino az LOL.

 

Honestly it depends what you like to do. I love my area Graham county, housing is alot cheaper there is not alot of crime or major issues and I can hunt, fish, do whatever I want relatively close to where I am. Alot of the other people posting are talking prescott and all those places but the cost of living is much higher in those areas. They are nice though. I lived in Yuma for about three years and if you can handle the heat you are in the center of everything. You can go to cali, Phx, tucson pretty much have it all within 2-3 hours.

 

I'm near Raleigh NC, and retired and thinking of relocating to Arizona. I've been researching the area around Prescott and Dewey. Most of my riding is at Hatfield-McCoy in West Va. I'm looking for riding that is more easily available to where I live. If anyone has a suggestion, I can be reached by e-mail.
jbsharley2@yahoo.com. (JB)

 

Deleted

 

I have a friend who LOVED Chandler. South of Phoenix about an hour or so.

 

I moved to AZ from NYC 10 years ago, crime, traffic, cost of living, and congestion is nothing compared to NYC ... The sun, snow when i want to see it and outdoor living anytime of year works....I wouldn't live anywhere else.

Areas? Anywhere but Phoenix, there's some good areas in phoenix but since you're looking for general advice.... Avoid any address that says phoenix and you'll be OK lol

If you want to know good areas in phoenix, then we will use a color coded map lol

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The wife 'n I looked over some maps last night. We both hate the cold and would prefer to be in warmer zone. That kinda rules out the higher elevation areas like Cottonwood.

Gilbert looks appealing though. I'm going to call the realtor today that was PM'd to me. We have an Rv so we could always move out that way and stay in an Rv park for a bit until we are certain what area we want to buy a house in.

Might have to make a trip out that way for a looksee first.

Thanks for all the replies, We appreciate it.

The fellow from Raleigh, we are in Goldsboro do you ride anywhere local ?
I know you mentioned Hatfield McCoy. My best friend moved to VA and opened Wild Willy's Atv Rezort.

 

To the rider in Goldsboro. Once in a while I go to Busco. We mostly camp at Ashland Resort. Its about a mile from Wild Willies. We have actually been to his place to ride with some friends who stayed there.

 

I live in NC and have a second home in the Phoenix area. I love AZ but would never move there only because a NC boy (and his AZ wife) get homesick for a lot of the things we're used to. After a few weeks it's time to come home. That being said I would recommend a long visit before uprooting your family. Not trying to dis AZ, as I said I love it...just not full time. If I had grown up out there I would probably be different...but I didn't!

 

I live in Queen Creek Az. Qc is very big in area and actually spans 2 counties.Maricopa and Pinal.
I'm right on the Qc / Gilbert border. We love it here, it's about 45 min from downtown Phx depending on traffic, but it feels like hours away. I'm on an acre, and its nice to havea little extra "land". sxs are street legal. You can drive anywhere, and great desert riding is only 30 min away.
Get a good realtor who knows the areas and it will help greatly. Pm if I can send you a referral.
Let us know how it works out, and good luck.

 

Hey Dak,
I'm not originally from NC, (Canada is where I began this journey) so It was a bit of a culture shock moving to NC. We more or less threw a dart at a map and hit Goldsboro. Drove down for a week, got jobs, work visas and moved here one month later. 16+ years here now in NC and we're ready for a change.

Have a house to sell this time around but we are motivated. I like the idea of a street legal SxS too. How many people actually just cruise around in their SxS ?

 

I cruise on the sxs every chance I get.

I see at least one every other day when I'm out and about working.

 

As far as street legal here in AZ most people do that so they can ride on the forest roads that are restricted to street legal. Both our quads and the RZR have motorcycle plates just for that purpose. You must have brake lights, a mirror, horn and insurance. I have seen a neighbor of mine drive down to the gas station and get his cans filled for trips. I think the more rural communities see it more than we do here in the metro area. Good luck if you decide to make the move.

 

From Cottonwood AZ : (I can handle the average temps, nicer than Ks)
90 miles to Phoenix
47 miles to Prescott National Forest https://www.google.com/search?q=pre...&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=dy7PUp7FN-XMsQT_kYHoCw&ved=0CC4QsAQ&biw=1366&bih=589
17 miles from Red Rock State Park https://www.google.com/search?q=red...&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=_zTPUrfvK-vMsQSB1YKQDA&ved=0CC4QsAQ&biw=1366&bih=589
2.5 hrs to The Grand Canyon
4.5 hrs to Las Vegas
5.5 hrs to Glamis
6.5 hrs to Moab
10hrs to Pismo Beach...

Freida said, When do we leave...lol
Looks like the place to be to enjoy the outdoor life!!

 

I wish I could move there too. Just drove there from Texas for the fiesta bowl and loved it. Ide take a job there in a heart beat


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I deleted an earlier post because I mistook a fellow forum member's comment and I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions as well as Pming the forum menber first :wall: Peace everybody:beer3: ..