People Moving to Prescott Arizona
Because of my website AboutPrescottArizona.com, I sometimes receive inquiries for more information. Yesterday when I heard from Richard and Zutie Carey was one of those days.
They are considering relocating to Prescott and are looking for people who already live here who are willing to correspond with them about life here.
So, what about it, Prescottonians? Would you be willing to jump in there and help answer the Carey’s questions? Here’s their original letter, followed by a little more detail on what they would like to find out:
My wife and I are considering relocating to the Prescott area, hopefully next Spring. We are the Careys – Wife name Zutie (a nickname requiring additional information) Son’s name is John (31 yrs old) and my name is Richard.
Zutie is a retired accountant/office manager – I (Richard) am retired from having my own computer consultancy and many years of sales/marketing.
John lives with us due to a near fatal automobile accident that virtually wiped out some of his dreams. He was in the process of getting his Doctorate in English Literature and had completed all his course work. He had actually written his dissertation when the accident erased about 18 months of his memory and left him with a traumatic brain injury. He doesn’t even remember writing his dissertation. He is fully functional except that his short-term memory is impaired and he is considered permanently handicapped. In essence, he would have a hard time working full time.Since he is unable to work through finishing his dissertation, he has decided to set it aside for now, given that he would not be able to make full use of his doctorate anyway. He could teach part time if he so desires but right now he is content traveling and enjoying life.
We semi-retired to Arkansas about 12 years ago from Sugar Land, Texas where we lived for 25 years, originating in New Jersey. We have been totally spoiled living where we do. We have 65 acres of forested land with about 3 acres cleared. We live very rural and enjoy the solitude very much. However, there is more to life than solitude.
We are 2,000 miles from our daughter (and grandson) who currently live in Bend, Oregon, and have been looking to move as close as possible given our circumstances and preferences. We have been researching various “affordable” areas that meet our criteria and Prescott seems to be a possibility. We have some family in Fountain Hills AZ and some more distant relatives in Goodyear AZ.
We are all vegetarians and have been for about 20+ years. John is also a vegetarian as are our daughter, her husband and our grandson. We are not Vegans (we enjoy dairy products, eggs & ice cream) One of our greatest frustrations where we live is that we are basically forced to shop at WalMart (Ugh) We are very familiar with shopping in Scottsdale which has all the good things we desire and crave so that shouldn’t be a problem for us living in Prescott. You probably don’t have a Whole Foods, Wild Oats or Trader Joe any closer do you?
We are not your typical retirees – We are NOT looking for a retirement community overlooking a golf course. We are not looking for bingo, basket weaving or senior day at the casino. In fact we don’t gamble, smoke or do non-prescription drugs. We enjoy peace & quiet and prefer small gatherings. We are not “party” people, but we do like social interaction. We have traveled across the country and only lack Alaska and Maine to finish coloring in our map (That includes Hawaii). We enjoy offbeat, non-mainstream tourism which means we prefer driving the back roads as much as possible. We love historical sites and have been to most of the National Parks and Monuments. John & I are serious photographers and we all enjoy cultural history. We enjoy camping and outdoor activities but are somewhat limited by John’s stamina and our age creeping up on us (early 60′s).
When we originally settled here in Arkansas we were mostly self-sufficient. We grew most of our own organic vegetables and fruit, but since we have been traveling so much we have cut way back. (No sense growing it if you aren’t there to harvest it.) We do continue to grind our own wheat and make most of our own bread. We have our own water system which is a combination of spring fed and water collected from the roof in a cistern. We are on the grid but have several backup systems (solar & generator) – We are very much concerned about environmental issues and consider ourselves earth friendly. We are not hippies but share a lot in common with readers of Mother Earth News & Countryside. We actually have a rural form of DSL which is faster than dial up but not as fast as cable or real DSL. What’s available in the Prescott area?
I wonder if you or possibly some folks you know might be interested in corresponding so we can “pick” some brains and gain further insight into your area. Our son would also enjoy corresponding with someone 20ish – 31ish so he can answer some of his own questions about the area. Bottom line at this point: We are looking for people to tell us about Prescott – The Good, the Bad and the Ugly!
We really enjoyed your Prescott website and have devoured most of the information therein, but there are so many things we would like to know that only someone who actually lives there could answer. We are planning a trip out to Bend in September and a family visit to Fountain Hills after that, and hope to spend some quality time in the Prescott area (most likely camping).
If you have comments to share with the Carey’s please post them here. Or if you would like to write more on any of these subjects, please consider submitting a lengthier response to www.AboutPrescottArizona.com.
Comment // June 21st, 2007 // 8:15 pm
With clean air, clean water, and a cultural scene much richer than many cities 10 times Prescott’s size, Prescott certainly is a great place. Three colleges give it a lively intellectual and liberal base, while the sizable retired community gives a more conservative feel to things. There is something for everyone. Prescott’s artist community is thriving as can be seen in the many galleries dedicated to local artists. Our Courthouse Plaza festivals, parades, and nightly entertainment downtown provide a true slice of Americana. Add weather that never gets too hot or too cold, and what more could you ask of a town?
Welcome to Prescott!
Will Hepburn, President
Hepburn Capital Management
http://www.HepburnCapital.com
Comment // June 21st, 2007 // 9:33 pm
Well put, Will.
Comment // June 26th, 2007 // 5:43 am
Here’s a response from Maggie that was forwarded by email:
We raised our kids here and have enjoyed a great assortment of friendships in Prescott. As outdoor enthusiasts, we find nearly unlimited places to hike, camp, and even dunk in a stream (well, the streams are a bit limited!). Will’s comments are all good, but I would also let you know how difficult it is to grow things here. As a life-long organic vegetable gardener, I have all but given up in the past 5 years. My husband is a landscape architect and works on sustainable landscapes and green buildings, and there are ways to work with the conditions. We now wait for the July rains to plant anything, for instance. With climate change, I fear that we may well be in for a more sever drought than we have already experienced the past 11 years. Just wanted to let you know that you will have to really change your gardening techniques and plant varieties and be very persistent!
Yes, there is a good natural food store called New Frontiers, but sadly no Trader Joes here. Many of us will stock up on non-perishables from one of the stores you mentioned when down in Phoenix. We have a local farmers market on Saturdays in the summer and a year round local growers food cooperative through Prescott College, as well as a order-style food coop (Magpie) which is very good. There are a number of good restaurants that serve healthy food, as well as a Thai, Indian, and Japanese that all serve lots of vegetarian dishes.ÂÂ
I would describe Prescott as a conservative town with a creative edge. I used to call it a creative sub-culture, but it has grown in the past decade. In contrast to our charming downtown with it’s galleries, the style of construction that the City of Prescott allows can be shocking in scale and style. Huge box stores are welcomed here.  Hill-top carving is definitely the accepted norm for new construction. Historic downtown Prescott is absolutely our pride and joy, but we have to disregard a lot of bad construction everywhere. Bike paths have only started creeping in. Road widening and big rigs make biking around town pretty dangerous. We only now has sidewalks being built between our neighborhood and our districted elementary school! It’s about time! I think of Prescott as being about 30 years behind the curve, but that gap is closing with more and more interesting people coming in.
The National Forest is an abundant resource, with great bike trails, hiking and fantastic sights. Last night (the summer solstice) we all went up to the Sierra Prieta and hiked 10 minutes to a rocky outcrop that gave us the view all the way to the California mountains, dark purple against the setting sun. The quiet and beauty of this sort of spot (so close to town) gives us a necessary balance to the busy world below.ÂÂ
I think it is entirely possible to live exactly the way you hope for in Prescott. There are enough choices that you can find the healthy and the beautiful, and there are truly lots of great people to meet. Good luck with your choice – you seem like wonderful people, and if you move to Prescott I would love to help welcome you!
Maggie Kane
Comment // June 27th, 2007 // 9:05 am
Dear Richard and Zuti,
We’ve lived all our lives in and around Prescott, and as Will and Maggie say, Prescott offers a lovely range of choices regarding lifestyle and activities.
I thought you would be interested to know that there is a Tramatic Brain Injury group that meets once a month and holds holiday parties, picnics etc. My husband and I benefited greatly from this group of wonderful people after he suffered brain injury in a car accident. He is actually much recovered, and becoming focused on other things, we have drifted away from the group. Yet they are faithful to us, keeping us informed of meetings etc.
You can contact me through Katie or my blog, Google One Acre Wood Prescott
Linda Green
Comment // July 2nd, 2007 // 11:29 am
Another friend, Susy, has written to say the following (ktcosmos is posting for Susy below):
Before 1991, my husband and I had spent our entire lives in the Philadelphia suburbs. Instead of having a mid-life crisis, we decided to move here for the second half of our life, for many reasons. We needed to live in a different region, have a different perspective, and fill our life with adventure! Our kids were just out of college, and the timing was perfect. 16 years later we are still thrilled with every day of our life here.
We agree with just about all the comments people have made in previous submissions, so I don’t feel it is necessary to repeat or rephrase what they have said. But I would be glad to correspond with you on an individual basis about any subject you would like to explore. Where and how to spend time outdoors is my personal specialty.
Comment // June 7th, 2008 // 3:58 pm
Dear Richard and Zuti,
Please feel free to contact me directly and I’m happy to begin helping you explore the Prescott real estate market and keep you informed of potential properties. I’m a Realtor and my specialy is “Green” Real Estate but I work with all residential properties. I’ve lived here for 16 years so I can answer most any question you have about Prescott and the surrounding areas.
Best,
Rob Israel
risrael@cableone.net
(928)273-2420
http://www.PrescottGreenRealEstate.com