Best,

Rob Israel
risrael@cableone.net
(928)273-2420
http://www.PrescottGreenRealEstate.com

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.

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. 

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. 

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

Welcome to Prescott!

Will Hepburn, President
Hepburn Capital Management
http://www.HepburnCapital.com