Where to move in AZ

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BLITZKRIEG

New member
Ive decided its time to get the hell out of CA so I am now starting to search for new places to live and thought some of you that live in AZ could help me out. Im looking for a place that does not get too hot and somewhere that is green, has trees etc. and is not just desert and dried brush so probably somwhere with higher elevation, maybe Im dreaming the only thing Ive ever seen in AZ is desert but theres got to be soom cooler places. Of course it would be best if it was not too far from somewhere to go out shooting without having to pay to use a range. Thanks for any info you have.

BTW- Does anyone know what states have the right to keep and bear arms in their state constitution?
 
I've been thinking about moving to Prescott. Why, I don't really know because I've never been there but hear that is green and mountainous.

I'd think that the northern part of AZ would be nice. Kind of like Colorado, just with better laws.
 
I lived in Yuma, AZ for 5 years, but per your description I'd say its out of the question.

smile.gif


Chuck
 
You may want to consider Prescott, Payson, Flagstaff (College town), Sedona, pretty much the northern part of the state... Stay out of the Phoenix valley if you can't stand the heat (102F today)!

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John/az

"Just because something is popular, does not make it right."

www.countdown9199.com
 
Dude - a place in AZ that doesnt get hot?!?

That like looking for a cool spot on the surface of the SUN.

If you find one - let me know - I will move there too!

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RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
 
Come on over. Get away from that socialist mess.

One third of this state is high country forests, pines, cedar, scrub oak, etc. Prescott sounds like an area you might be interested in, Showlow is also a nice city but gets pretty cold there in winter. Flagstaff is ok, but college city and growing way too fast. Payson, is not too bad, but again every one and his brother is moving there.

Shooting? Find a place and shoot. I travel about 45 min. out of Phoenix into the desert near a large lake, find a hill, set up , and shoot. As long as you are not on POSTED private land you are ok. Never had any problem finding a place. I haven't been to a range in years, but have done a lot of shooting. About the only thing you have to be carefull of is that you stay off the Indian reservations, and we have a lot of them. Get caught there, and "you up the creek without a paddle" as they say. Bad news!

Arizona is changing, like all states, but we are running about 20 years behind California in all the anti-gun BS. We have CCW here in Arizona, and it is really easy to get. (If you have a concealed carry permit you can purchase guns without the instant check here)
Arizona is one of the few states where you can walk down the street wearing a gun, oh you get some funny looks sometimes(mostly from out of state transplants) but no laws broken.

I am a native and usually don't encourage more people moving here, but you are a brother in arms and we can always use more of those here.

Hope this helps

White Rook 22348: Clear
 
Great minds think alike. I'll be heading west on Monday for a month. Objective: Investigate relocation potential. Primary Geographic area: Prescott Valley.
Rich
 
chucko is right on on yuma....I attended my senoir year of high school there....the day we arrived having left tampa fla it was an honest 100+ degrees in the shade, but dont get fooled that desert is beautiful, georgeous sunsets, and beautiful skys, get up on a mountain and see for miles.....not to mention some wonderful historic sights....all in all a wonderful state...fubsy.
 
I spent a year in Az and loved it! Wide open spaces, plenty of areas to hike and shoot, that state is just built for a motorcycle! I was suprised to see how much of the state is mountainous and not just sand. Prescott, Payson, Flagstaff all get my vote. Sedona, well I enjoyed going for the weekend but if you thought Bezerkly is odd then you have a treat coming. I coined a new phrase "i need that like sedona needs another crystal shop".
Page, way out by the Grand Canyon is also nice. Very small town with access to the North rim, which I hear is great for hunting. If you guys find yourself in Phoenix and are hungry for Mex food try out Los Dos Molinos on central Ave. way out just before south mountain(phoenix side). Be careful of the salsa, adovada ribs are my fav!

I will probably move back someday, if not then to alaska.

Good luck,

Olazul
 
I Lived in AZ from the late 50's to the lates 60's then was in and out of the state all through the 70's and 80's. I was planning on moving back there myself just to get out of the Republic of Kalifornia. I was looking up around Pumpkin Center and Lake Roosevelt. Aways from everyone but it is being built up and a beautiful place to live, plus you have an open outdoors to shoot in and fish. Back in the 60's I use to hunt Javalina in that area, plenty of Coyotes and and a few Mountain Lions. I would of been right at home, if I could sell this house for a reasonable price.

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Society is safer when the criminal does not know who is armed
 
Blitzkrieg: to answer your question about which states have a right to bear arms as part of their consititution.
Michigan; Article 1 sec. 8. in the Bill of Rights.
Although we have the wording, they are empty of meaning here. You cannot get a concealed weapons permit unless you are carrying large amounts of money, or are politically connected. I know, the county gun board composed of the Sheriff, Proscecuting Attorney and a representative from the Police State, oops! State Police comprise the board. I was turned down just this past Monday June 14, 1999. They did offer me a target and hunting permit, have yet to see a target try to rob or harm me nor have any of the rabbits or deer been so inclined=useless piece of paper because you still cannot carry loaded in the vehicle.
The reasoning put forth by the sheriff was that since my work with criminals was not local; The criminals from around the country couldn't find me. Excuse me the internet isn't only used by the law-abiding, It didn't matter that I was a former deputy sheriff, or had previously carried concealed in other states. Didn't matter that I had carried and used in defense of the state/country.
The state police representative didn't ask a single question, didn't utter a single word. The proscecuting attorney said that the concealed carry reform legislation wasn't the law-read here [I still have the authority to arbitrarily deny.]
I am convinced that the board had already made their decision before I ever appeared. The vote to deny was taken in secret and the County Clerk didn't know what to do with a FOI, all she could do is ask if I wanted to file an appeal. Yup! I'm filing an appeal but not the one they want to hear, may take a while and we may yet get the reform through the legislature. But the legal paper work has been initiated and won't go away.
To carry a long gun in a vehicle requires that it be cased or broken down and unloaded, either locked in the trunk or inaccesable to the occupants of the vehicle. The carrying of a pistol unconcealed by state law is okay, but the city,village,township and county laws will land you in jail if you do. Were you to discharge a firearm within many municipalities even in self defense outside the home will land you in jail.

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John L. McKenney
 
Thanks for all the responces. Im going to have 2 weeks vacation around the 4th of july so Ill probably go on a nice road trip through AZ and Ill check out all the places you guys have mentioned. A college town would probably be good for me seeing as how I still have 3 more years of college to go. Im also going to try to go up to Montana and see how it is.
 
Arizona is generally great. Some of our newer transplants are bringing lousy politics, but I would agree we're about 20 years behind CA on goofy anti-self defense laws.

Do some research on the Internet:
http://www.state.az.us/
http://www.azhomes.com/
http://www.rimcountry.com/

The last link is specifically regarding the central mountains - what we call the Mogollon Rim (pronounced 'muggy-own').

AZ has plenty of cool pines and high country. You can easily go from snow to swimming pool in only 2 hours or less during the winter. And, when you're in these rural areas, the folks are usually quite comfortable with firearms. As a fellow in Pine once told me, 'you're in the right to keep and bear arms country, man!'

Good luck.
 
Lived in Phoenix for 2 years and liked it a lot,if it wasn't for my ex-wife living there I'd move back!
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Tiro per divertimento, tiro per la sopravvivenza
 
Hey Blitz,

I'm a recent transplant from San Jose to AZ. Been here about 3 years now. About this heat thing. Look, today WAS around 105 BUT..... it isn't as bad as you might think.

From around 10 AM to 12:30 PM I was outside shooting at a local range (Ben Avery north end of town). Yeah, you stay in the shade, and yeah, you don't move real fast, but it isn't as bad as it sounds.

People have mentioned other areas not as hot, and I can't say anything against those areas. Nice places the ones I've seen. But you CAN get used to the heat here.

As to gun rights, no comparison. Getting a CCW is relatively easy. You take the course, prove you can hit the broad side of a barn (actually, a bit more accuracy is required, but if you can't pass the required skill level I sure as hell don't want you armed) and get your CCW. Then, if you want to buy a gun, you walk in the store, see something you like, and buy it. No NICS, no wait, you buy and go.

When you are at the range, no one looks at you funny if you have a "politically incorrect rifle" (like an SKS or AR15), and most people in AZ are pretty conservative in general (R-Gov, 2 GOP senators, 5 out of 6 GOP representatives).

Yeah, it is hot most places this time of year, but it isn't as bad as you think, and it is a great state to live in.

James
 
I was in Prescott last October for Mad Dog's Knifignugen party, came in by bike. On the weekend, ALL the hotels/motels were jammed with people coming up from Pheonix to escape the heat. Gunsite is around there, there's ammo available at corner grocery stores...the "gun culture" has NOT been systematically destroyed.

One hell of a cool place.

However.

Don't move to escape bad laws. Stay and fight. Running away doesn't help in the long run.

Jim March
http://www.ninehundred.com/~equalccw
 
I'm in Tucson which does get hot, but still spend a lot of time shooting. Just get going early and bring lots of water.

On the cooler side my dad has a cabin in the Payson area and a 1 mile drive down the road takes you to a safe place to shoot.
 
Gee Rich... You think by moving to Prescott Valley you are going to get better delivery times????? ROFL. (Please Kevin... let me help. I'll cut blanks whatever you need. Just build my knife first. :) )

Some very good suggestions here. I lived in Phoenix for about 7 years and would move back in a heartbeat; that is if I ever got crazy enough to leave Texas again. :)




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Bubba
IDPA# A04739
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It is long been a principal of ours that one is no more armed because he has possession of a firearm than he is a musician because he owns a piano. There is no point in having a gun if you are not capable of using it skillfully. - Jeff Cooper
 
Well shooooey! I am thinking of moving to Arizona this fall, after my lease is up. We'll have to set up a TFL shootin' club.
 
Blitz. If you get as far south as Tucson, look me up. Here there is the U of A, a top notch university, Tucson Rifle Club has a fine range about a half hour down the road. The first silhouette in the U.S. was held there. If you want Mountains, there are the Catalinas, where it even snows enough to have skiing. One other nice point. Tucson is a lot less expensive place to live in, than some of those other places. Not as hot as Phoenix either.
If you stop by, I'll give you the grand (?) tour. Another nice thing is you'd be about an hours drive from Mexico.
Paul B.
 
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