HikeArizona.COM

So, if you were like me, and were living in a place that was OK for the time being, but not a long term location, it had a few interesting things, but wasn't a place you would ever want to be living in long enough to buy a house, where would you want to go? I had wanted to go back to AZ, and part of me still wants to do that, probably the Tucson area, but I have my doubts about a few things. Part of me is thinking Colorado. Sure, Northern New Mexico might be better for it's climate, but there aren't places to work there, or very few and the towns are small, often tiny. I'm wondering, which would be a better place to think about living in: CO or AZ. My expectation is most lean to AZ, but I often notice so many seem to want to leave. Then again, those often live in the valley.

It's sort of a curious thing, that I'd like both, but each has it's drawbacks, usually when the other is at it's best, one is at it's worst. I'm not a skier, and am not terribly interested in snow, but I question my commitment to desert living and heat. I like big mountains, but realize it isn't all a measuring contest and really enjoy the lesser peaks that are fun. 65 in January can be nice, but so can it not being 100 in July. Alpine flowers are nice, but so are desert poppies in March. Hey, at least I don't have to deal with blowing dust and 70 mph winds on Memorial Day.

I

Cottonwood

Buckeye is fine, but I wouldn't mind moving 10-15 miles east so I could be closer to Downtown/Tempe/those other places I visit regularly. I like that Phoenix's metro area is essentially the middle of the state because nothing is really too far away (especially Flagstaff and Tucson). Not to mention it's nice to have Utah, (Southern) California, Colorado, and New Mexico just a state line away.

Tucson, Safford, Sierra Vista, Globe; maybe Benson, Tombstone, or Clifton. Definitely somewhere in southern Arizona, someplace warmer than Prescott, and somewhere near a Sky Island.

I've been asking myself that for a long time, and I don't really have an answer. I've commented on various towns here in the forums, and in more depth with those who I've hiked with. I'm spoiled by living in the woods on a lake, yet still being within commuting distance of NYC. I like being able to do any kind of cultural activity that pops into my head on short notice without much fuss, even if it doesn't happen very often. I like college towns, so Tucson has some attraction for me. If Flagstaff were dragged over to Payson or Prescott, I'd be happy. A lot of smaller towns would be OK, too, but I still haven't got it figured out.

I'm hoping to buy a motorhome or truck and trailer in the next year, and live in RV parks. That way I can easily move if I don't like a place.

... so can it not being 100 in July...

100 in July is no problem. 110+ is where it gets interesting. LOL

I like AZ because even when it is 100+ here, you can just drive for a couple hours to the high country for a break from the heat. And you are just a relatively short drive to the beaches of California or even Mexico, so you have that option as well. But then again, I also love the desert in the Summer as well, so I am biased.

SO most will still stay in Arizona, which makes sense. Not really wanting to live in the Valley, I am concerned over locations and therefore unsure.

I've lived in Tucson, Phoenix, Silver City NM and Boise Idaho over the course of my adult life. Would move back to Boise in a heartbeat if I could find a job that pays a decent wage. It's high desert, has 4 actual distinct seasons and close to tons of outdoor recreation. There is a reason that Boise always shows up on Outside Magazine's top places to live list every year. Depending on how you drive it's only a 13-16 hour drive from Phoenix. Plus if you like beer, Boise has some of the best micro-breweries in the country and a robust beer culture.

Sliver City is an attractive place for some reasons, unattractive for others. The wilderness areas are nice, but not really day hiking location. 2 or 3 day pack trips to best enjoy them. The town is very small, pretty isolated with nothing to the west or north, and the stuff to the east and south is smaller than it is until Las Cruces. Also, the hospital in Sliver has financial issues, as is the case with the one I work at. If I was in Silver, and I say this without ever doing more than visit for a night, I might stay for a while. There is a river there, and the water is probably far better than over here, as is the "soil". We have limestone derived caliche and lime rock.

Jim_H wrote:am not terribly interested in snow

Summit Kopelli? So your 50 ascents on just this single snow hike are some kind of fluke!?

http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=1925

chumley wrote:

Jim_H wrote:am not terribly interested in snow

Summit Kopelli? So your 50 ascents on just this single snow hike are some kind of fluke!?

http://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=1925

I don't know anything about those logs. Are you sure that was me? ;)


Read my mind, my mind! I should say, I am not terribly interested in living in deep snow with no potential to drive an hour and be in 60+ degrees (Sedona) and hike in shorts the day after a summit such as those.


I might actually enjoy snow, snow summits again, and so on. Mostly, in Flag, and elsewhere, I liked the snowy winter, but by late March and especially April and May, winter's continued presence was not my preference. Then again, if I was living in a place like Colorado, and wanted to do so, I could fly or drive to a Tucson or Valley location and spend a week in the sun and warm up.

Hmmm... I want to be able to walk out my door and over to a trailhead, ideally with a selection of over 50 day hikes without getting in my car.

Hop on my bike and enjoy hundreds of miles of old forest roads. Hop in the car and within an an hour or so be at another 100+ trail options, including peaks over 12,000'.

I want the variety of desert sand, rock canyon, shaded forest ... all without having to drive to reach them.

I want all of these hiking, running and biking options to have nearly a total lack of other folks...

I want mild winter weather, ideal for enjoying twenty or so canyoneering adventures a short stroll from my house.

I want summer temps in the 60's... to hike up into or drive over and enjoy an extended period of camping. (Camped up in the cool and hike back home for a day or so?)

I want hyper cheap living: homes to be purchased below $30,000!

I want little to no traffic issues... and easy round town biking.

I want cheap public transportation.

I want a library.

I want a steep training trail immediately at hand... 900'+ per mile gain.

I want community involvement opportunities ( Habitat for Humanity, Rails to Trails, Friends of the Library, RSVP, Love. INC,
Roadrunner Food bank, God's Storehouse Clothing Mission, ...?)

I want work opportunities that net over $50 per hour...

I want to live over 4,000' and have immediate access to cabin life over 9,000'... (less than an hour)

So, where would I move to for all of that...

I guess I could move to my back porch... the view from there is easier to note all the above.

I'd move across the street!
Then I'd have the same size house but instead of a single-car carport I'd have not one, not two, but three garages. The double attached garage for Tracey's Fit and my Pathfinder, the 1-1/2 car detached garage for the Cherokee with all my tools as a workshop, and finally the RV-height garage for... hmmm, an RV? Nope, there's no way I'd own one, but I could rent it out for some extra cash.

Ok, so I'm wishing for a little too much... but not matter, I love East Mesa and see no need to change. There's plenty of all kinds of hiking from flat trails to peaks and everything in between (as well as 4-wheeling opportunities) in very close proximity. And while I like hiking in triple-digits, if I want something cooler in the summer it's a short drive north to the rim or east to Pinal Peak. If I want to visit snow in the winter (not that I ever care to again, I had my share already in Alaska and Minnesota) it's another short drive. So I'm fine where I am.

Of course it helps to be retired...
Now if I still had a lifetime of work ahead of me, the ideal thing would be to have a job I loved AND live in a place that I really enjoyed. If I couldn't have both at the same time I'd put the priority on a job I loved and take vacations to the places I enjoyed. Unfortunately, out of my whole 'working-lifetime' barely 5 years were at a job I truly loved and it was a joy to go to work every day. The other 35 years? Well, let's just say I felt I was 'marking-time' and I'd never wish that on anyone else... So, my recommendation would be to find your dream job and live it. And if you're not also living where you'd really like, work hard, retire early and move...

But when all is said and done... life is what you make it.

Jim_H wrote:We have limestone derived caliche and lime rock.

Ideal for a cactus garden.

Interesting question - the original CO vs AZ one, that is.

I've lived in both areas, and you're right, there are some big differences. I guess it all depends on your job and the job market of each place in the end, but all that being equal (I should qualify that I'm only talking about the Front Range cities of CO here)...

AZ's got the variety and ability to choose between activities and environs almost year-round. Being a fellow summit-seeker myself, this place is incredible in that respect, something I wasn't sure about when I first moved down here. Desert peaks in the winter, sky islands/north in the summer - it's almost always comfortable! Also, Colorado-esque weather is within easy reach of PHX or Tucson in the summer. CO's a little more restricted by seasonality of activities, and many of its outdoor portals and trails feature larger crowds and traffic. Though - as it is here - if you know where to go, you can avoid that with some effort. The winters in the high country can drag on and on and on.

I know you're pretty interested in summits, and Colorado certainly can provide you with a lifetime of entertainment on that front and a plethora of partners to be found that are chasing 14ers/13ers/other peak lists. There are some amazingly beautiful areas there, too. I would personally miss the better year-round options and variety here in AZ if I went to live in CO, but it's not like you've got a bad choice one way or the other. My $.02

SpiderLegs wrote:Would move back to Boise in a heartbeat.

I enjoyed my stay in Boise very much. Mrs. big_load is skeptical, but I've been trying to get her to see it some time.

What could possibly make me want to move from where I am? Nothing I can currently imagine.
However, it would have to be someplace pretty spectacular - the only two candidates I would currently consider are Yosemite or Hawaii.

Cool discussion - I have to agree with Cannondalekid - tho my question is this - since I am a Philly guy who is stuck in upstate NY - what about Sedona? I have been there several times and really liked it. Close enough to get into all kinds of wonderful trouble - small enough to be away from the masses. Maybe a place close to Sedona w/o the perceived "nuttiness" of it???

Again - cool discussion - wish i was in a place in my life to be able to be considering it.

@Kwai Chang
That would be Cottonwood,but don't tell anybody . I don't want it to be too crowded by the time I get there ;)