My List
I’ve tried to put together a list of pros and cons about living in Prescott, but it’s incomplete.
If you live here, please add your comments.
Things some people love, other people hate. Everyone is different.
Here’s some of what I’ve found.
Living in Prescott – Pros
Location
It’s in the middle of the state, so everything is within driving distance.
Or maybe it’s in the middle of nowhere and it’s too far to drive for anything.
Elevation
It’s not too high, and it’s not too low, so the Summers are mild compared to Phoenix, and the Winters are mild compared to Flagstaff.
Financial Benefits
Cost of living is low, or maybe it’s higher. I came from California, so it’s MUCH lower for me.
Taxes are lower here, state income tax, sales tax, property tax.
Is it better here for you? What are you comparing it to?
Prescott National Forest
The forest with all of it’s recreational possibilities is surrounding us. Hiking, bike riding, dirt bikes, 4X4 off road, it’s all right there.
If you love getting out into nature, we got the nature for you right here.
Downtown
The courthouse Square is a great place to hang out. Whiskey Row is fun. There are a ton of historic buildings downtown.
There’s no real night life. If you’re a hipster, it’s not a great place to be.
History
Prescott was founded in 1886 as a gold mining town. It’s soaked in the old west. Famous names walked our streets. Some of that nature that you’ll be out driving or hiking around in, also contains gold mines and historical artifacts.
Retirement
There are a bunch of golf courses and country clubs. It’s a great place to retire and a lot of people do.
Schools
There are colleges in Prescott that are great. Embry-Riddle is one of the best engineering schools specializing in aviation and aerospace. Yavapai Community College and Prescott College are also good places to learn.
Other People’s Comments
I did a search around the Interwebs and found these comments, among others. As always, there will be toxic people who are never happy with anything, as well as true believers, who see no flaws at all.
I copied and pasted, so the spelling errors are not mine, but original so you can get the true flavor of the comments.
What Do You Think?
Please leave your comments below.
Do you love it or want to leave it?
Most importantly, why?
Thanks for your feedback.
Some people say:
It’s growing at such a fast rate that the cost of housing is nearly pushing families to Phoniex. The realty companies are difficult to work with as some will not be in compliance with renter rights and dont care if they screw their renters over. Its growing so fast they treat you like you’re city trash if your a millenial parent. It’s tough to be a minority and a traditional family in this town but we do it to survive. There is alot of elderly people here in town and that makes this place a retirement community, and they will use their horns quite quickly if they think your slowing them down. There is other young people, but they live outside of this town. I love this town, but the Californication of this place is imminent.
Prescott is a historians dream town. Built as the center of the Southwest, there is history pouring out of every building. Although, old people are also pouring out of those buildings. If you are looking for a modern, high tech city, Prescott is not your place. But if you are looking for nice hiking trails, a beautiful downtown, and no diversity, you’ve found your next vacation getaway! Also, it only gets to be about 102 at the hottest point in the summer, which is wonderful weather compared to Phoenix!
Another one:
You can go 15 minutes in any direction and pretty much do something outdoors like hike, bike, or just explore and chill. Nightlife is kinda boring, people are nice but stay to themselves. Alot of taxes being collected here but not alot to show what they are actually spending it on.
Another one:
Prescott is a wonderful place to be. It’s seasonal here so you will get warm dry summers and light snowy winters. There is a bad alergy season in the spring but it’s not a deal breaker. It’s about 1.5hrs away from Phoenix so if you need to get things only available in a large city you have that as an option. The people here are mostly very friendly. There are three colleges and an excellent collection of communities such as art and mountain biking. It used to have poor internet but that is not a problem anymore. Prescott is not a strict Christian community, there are plenty of types of theists and atheists alike. There is no public transportation and very few bike lanes. There are a lot of motorcyclists and classic car owners here. It’s not uncommon to find people who have been all over the world and decided to make Prescott their home. That alone speaks volumes for the area.
Another one:
The weather is fabulous, the people wonderful, and both Flagstaff and Phoenix are about and hour and a half away. This is a paradise for outdoor activities and Sedona is just an hour away. The Grand Canyon is about 3 hours away.
This is known as the Christmas town with our courthouse going all out with amazing light displays. In the summer Jazz in the square captures my heart on Tuesday’s after Taco Night with friends. But the summers are magical with weekend activities and programs, the falls are divine, and the springs are amazing. It’s all happening on the courthouse square. And there are wonderful activities all around.
“Finding Prescott” is a Prescott Real Estate Podcast for people who are considering buying real estate here. Listen if you want to know what it’s like to live here.
Before you move to Prescott, hear what real people have to say about Prescott.
We interview people who moved here, real estate professionals, and local experts, to give you all of the information you need before you buy property in Prescott.
You can read the transcripts, if you prefer.
I’ve lived in Prescott most of my life, what would you like to know? Prescott is a great town with a lot of history and character.
One of the best things about it is its proximity to everything I enjoy. It’s just over an hour from Lake Pleasant/Phx, 2.5 hours from the river, 1.5 hours from Flagstaff/skiing. The greater Prescott/Tri-cities area has a lot of diversity as far as the type of living you want to do, i.e. country living, town living, etc.
The actual Prescott area is a beautiful with a small hometown feel to it.
Anything you want to know just ask!
I’m looking to move in this area within the next couple of years………I really want to talk with the locals as much as possible. Should I buy or rent? How much biking is there and is it all mountain type trails? What do YOU do for fun?
Thanks
Mark
I’m a real estate agent, so you should buy… Actually, the rental market is really tight, not a lot available. There is a huge amount of biking. It’s a thing in Prescott. I think all of the trails are dirt. Some smooth and easy, but some hard core, with everything in between. I like driving down dirt roads myself, but there is a lot of recreational opportunities in Prescott.
Prescott is a great place to live if you are a retired professional (i.e. doctor, lawyer, etc). If you have a family it is horrible. Houses are unaffordable (you can get a very small dump to live in for $200,00 +), the salaries do not match the cost of living, the school systems are sub-par (the school curriculum was 1-2 years behind from where we came from in the midwest), public education for 3 kids cost me over a $1,000 to enroll them this year (this is not the money they take out of my paycheck for taxes. That came out of my checking account.), sales tax is almost 10% and there is hardly anything to do for families. The police spend too much time policing the downtown area for parking tickets/minor traffic problems and take a long time to arrive at any real emergency. I guess if you are coming from CA you don’t see anything wrong with this, but coming from the midwest I literally hate living here.
I moved her from flat hot Texas. Everything is more expensive for us and we did not have state tax in Texas. However the beauty and opportunities to spend time in nature and with great people more than make up for that. My only con is the traffic because helps either aren’t paying attention there impaired or they should’ve had their drivers license taken away due to age as. 🤔
We could’ve moved anywhere and we chose here because of the climate.
We moved here six years ago and have loved every minute. My hubby is retired, and I work part-time at home as well as teaching at Yavapai College. The people are so nice. The weather is wonderful. I am in awe of our natural surroundings every day. If there is something we do not have, like a big chain store or restaurant, we do without. It is interesting how much I do not miss from the big cities. Plus Phoenix is just two hours south.
I’ve lived in Prescott for almost two years (as of 2021), and I’m married and in my mid 30’s with a pre-k child. The only reason we moved here was to be close to family and so far, we’ve yet to call this place home. The following are my as unbiased as possible pro’s and con’s for Prescott.
Pros:
Weather – You get every season and they’re typically mild that I’ve experienced.
Outdoor Activities – If you love fishing, camping, hiking, biking, etc. We’ve got you covered, you can drive 15 mins and be in the forest.
Natural Beauty – We’ve got tons!
Festivals and other activities – There are a lot of things always happening at the Courthouse square like impromptu live music for example.
Small Town Life – You’re not in Phoenix anymore kids! Which means things are slower like the internet but if you are looking for a more slowed pace in life this is a good place.
Cons:
Lack of affordable housing – We lived with family when we first came here and it took us six months to find something that was under $1000 a month and wasn’t in a bad area or wasn’t totally run down. Truly, it is a nightmare to find somewhere acceptable to live in this town, especially if you plan on renting. Now if you’re a buyer.. What’s up, money bags?! Kidding, but not really, you’ll be lucky to get a single wide for under 200+
Lack of job opportunities – If you’re not retired, or you’re not coming here with some kind of trade be prepared to struggle finding FULL time work at a decent wage. Most places only offer PART time work at what seems to be the agreed upon wage in Prescott $11.00. There is stiff competition for jobs, even the menial ones!
Homelessness – It’s not as bad as it used to be, but be prepared to watch homeless people bathing and doing their business while you’re pushing your kid on the swings. Also, they’re expanding these facilities to encourage the homeless to congregate in our parks. Not sure why homeless people are being encouraged to come to a city where we lack services to assist them out of that situation instead of Phoenix, but okay!
Recovery – This is a big one, at one point the town was OVER RUN by recovery (drug addiction typically) centers, now there are still about 30 centers within city limits. That means a lot of people struggling with their mental and physical health and well, just search property crime and things like that, there’s a correlation. Oh, and from my research, when these people fail out of these programs as they so often do, they end up as apart of the homelessness issue here.
Family Friendly – This is not a town for young families, it’s a town for older people who generally have a lot more than two nickels to rub together. I’m constantly on the hunt for things for my young son to do, but even before COVID there is just nothing but parks.
Diversity – You’re not going to find it here, again, old and white with money (For the people in the back, I’m white and I’m not hating on old white people, just listing facts as I see them).
Availability of Services – As stated above, get ready for the small town life, which means if you need to see a specialist you may have to wait a very long time if they’re even available here at all, so it’s great that Phoenix is close because you’ll be there – a lot if you’re in need of a specialist.
So that’s my experience… Prescott may have a lot of places beat when it comes to what it has going for it naturally, but if you’re not coming here with some serious cheddar or familial support like I was lucky to have, I might be seeing you in a park shower really soon.
I lived in Prescott for 15 months before I had to moved to California for a new job. I loved it.
I live in a very small “desert” town, Brawley, CA. I’ve been here 3yrs from SD,CA. I’m 69ish, retire for 3yrs but went back to work 3now ago. Couldn’t stand Not working. I’m female, single & plan to stay that way most likely,lol I’m very healthy, full of energy & very mobile. I’m looking for my ” permanent home”. Looking to “rent” a 1bdrm in Senior Cottage Style/ house/ trailer. Will have at least 1 pet.
Built a house and planned to retire there after becoming entranced by the area’s beauty, climate and history. Lived there for 6 years. Each year becoming less enchanted due to an inability to adjust to:
Open Carry: Why does one need to be strapped with guns to go to the grocery store?
Poor support for Public Schools: Levies failing
Indifference or disdain for others “not like me:”
• White ‘Cowboys’ on horseback roping and
pulling Latino ‘bad guy’ along the street as part of 4th of July parade ‘entertainment’
.• Prescott rodeo announcer encouraging arena clown (who’s wearing a mask of the President of the United States) to do stupid and disgusting things – the audience applauding
• Prescott’s Yavapai Tribe holding annual Meeting of the Pai Nation Celebration (native dancing, food, etc.) – public invited, free. Less than 20 non-native people attending
Lack of Fine Dining – Plenty of OK places, but when a new place with promise opened it didn’t last.
Lack of Diversity – Very few Blacks, nearly no Asians. Many (but unrepresented) hispanics and Native Americans
Extreme Conservatism – Prescott’s congressional district is the most conservative in Arizona. Paul Gosar represents the people of Prescott.
Looking back, when considering Prescott, some demographic research would have ruled it out. Leaving it was a mental health move.
Thank you!!!!!!! Conservatism, the Republicans that push it, we are the party of God, etc. are the opposite of what Christ taught. I would hate it in Prescott. Thank you thank you fir preventing me from the mistake you made.
Glad Julie left! Had NO business being in Arizona or any Red state. Hope she moved back to Kalifornia…..or some other godless Commie Liberal state where she would fit right in with all the other sheeple.
I live in California. Idiot. If you call my state kalifornia, come here and do it to our faces. You stinking bas….d. we are in the cusp of a NUCLEAR WAR creep. My husband fought in Vietnam, Korea, and Iraq. Bet you never fought for this Country, never wore the uniform. We either come together, RED states and BLUE states as the United States, or PUTIN will make toast of us all. You creep!!!!!! PUTIN knows we are divided, so did Trump, and it is people like you that destroy DEMOCRACY. You prefer Autocracy. You, and your ilk, need to move to Russia.
Thank you for the insight.
I work remotely for a large company and live in Prescott. For me, Prescott is about as perfect as it gets. The climate is dry and mild. There is just enough snow in the winter that you don’t forget what it is, but it is very courteous and melts in a day or so. The geography is hilly with pine (and other) trees at about 5000 feet elevation. Maybe think western Colorado with far less snow, cold, crowding, and cost.
The downtown courthouse square almost seems like it is from a movie from the 1950’s. There are free concerts there throughout the week in the evening during summer. Most of the National chain stores and restaurants are in the area as well as some “hidden gem” local places. There are lakes for boating, fishing, hiking and biking within 10 minutes of the downtown square in at least three different directions. There are gated neighborhoods and sprawling moderate priced new and older homes. There are affordable “few acre” horse properties within 30 minutes of down town. There are cabins in the pines within 15 minutes of down town. There is a community college and a top flite engineering school, plus other colleges in town. The traffic is light to moderate and parking is plentiful downtown and almost always free. Prescott does have a regional airport with a few scheduled airline flights.
The demographic is a bit older and more conservative. Crime is very low in most areas of town. Flagstaff with its winter sports is an hour away. The Grand Canyon, petrified forest, painted desert, meteor crater, small kitschy Route 66 towns, and many other points of interest are within a reasonable drive.
The Phoenix metro area is just over an hour to the nearest edge, much of that by freeway. The Mayo Clinic Hospital in Phoenix is 90 minutes away.
My favorite joke is: 1,000 people who live in the Phoenix area were asked. If you could keep your current job would you rather live in Prescott than the Phoenix metro area?
The most common answer was not Yes.
It was not No either.
It was Duh!
Thank you for your assessment and your honesty, Julie! We live in a West Texas desert town, it has great restaurants and quite a diversity, but over the years, we are badly lacking in things to do. We are no longer bar hoppers, so that’s not a big deal, but after living out here, I would feel strange in a predominantly white area..and I’m WHITE! I want diversity, culture, and places to explore with my hubby and my hounddogs.