We are looking to move to the phoenix area next year(thinking Cave Creek/Queen Creek type areas ,as I would like an acre or so for an outbuilding) but the only time we can get out there with the Kids (both will be in college next year) is during the summer months.
We Want to make sure they like it and are in on the move once they are finished with school.
looking at coming out in early/mid July.   I know it will be Hot as Hell but are we just destined to be in air conditioned only places?
thinking about renting a house in cave creek, hitting Sedona area to rent a 4x4 etc.   would like for them to experience outdoors while there (hiking, hit a lake for jet skiing etc. figure shooting is a no go because of fires)
Any Advice on things to do during the summer, or am I nuts?

I know your not full yet...you need me out there to offset the refugees fleeing Kommiefornia.

Thanks in Advance!

Summers are hot , but you get used to it after a couple years . Housing prices are on the rise so get in B4 they go nuts. If you can afford Cave Creek do it now it is without a doubt the very best place to live in the Valley .

Shooting might be gtg depending on monsoon.  If we get a good rain or two, they open it back up.

It will be warm, but there are lots of water based activities here and it is not that hard to get up above 6000ft on the Mogollon Rim, or up and around Flagstaff and Prescott.

That would be my top choice from what I have been told.   Those skyrocketing prices are what scares me.  seems I am getting priced out of most of cave creek area already

I think that would be a plan...do the higher elevation and water based activities during the day and hang out in the city/valley at night to make it bearable.   Just want to make sure we aren't miserable in the Heat.
Thanks

Personally, I’d opt for Queen Creek. Queen Creek hasn’t hit their price bubble yet - Cave Creek has. Queen Creek has absolutely been exploding, and that will not be stopping anytime soon.

Beyond that, there just really isn’t much to do in the north central and northwest Valley. You have access to all the necessities, of course, but almost quite literally all of the best places for eating and entertainment are in the eastern, central and southeastern parts of the Valley.

Those two areas alone would have me choosing Queen Creek right now. Guarantee Queen Creek will see much higher percentage gains on property values over the next few years, and you also have quicker access to the metro fun.

And, yes, the Mogollon Rim area will become your best friend during part of the year. The east valley, Queen Creek included, has quick access to the 87. Just two quick hours on the road, and you’ve went from 115 degree desert to 75 degree towering ponderosas.

If you're used to humid midwestern summers, the heat won't be as bad as you think. You really can't appreciate the difference of wet vs dry heat until you feel it.

I was just in Dallas for the NRA show. 97 and close to matching humidity. 102 when I got back was not uncomfortable. Midwest summers suck way harder than the heat here in AZ.

Customer of mine lived in Queen Creek for a few years before moving to Texas.  he really liked it and said it was best of both worlds, large lots and close to everything.  I like that idea a lot since we are trying to get the kids to want to come out here after they are done with college.

That's what I am hoping..   I hate humidity and although not as bad as our brothers in the south have it, I can not stand the mosquitos and gnats anymore.

Queen Creek is pretty cool. I’ve just fairly recently found that out. I’ve very closely followed the Valley real estate market for many years, so, it’s been on my radar for a while, but I had never really been out there. Some friends of ours bought a house out there in 2016, and since then, I’ve really come to like Queen Creek. It’s like Cave Creek, but with more citrus trees, better proximity to relevant stuff, and better housing prices. Frankly, while the market in general has regularly been going up since 2011/2012 now, in the Valley, when you look at the annual percentages, the entire north Valley has actually been real stagnant in comparison to the central and southeastern areas. This isn’t even an east vs west, or north vs south thing, either. Even those really nice parts of the northeast valley have been pretty stagnant. A lot of the nicest parts of Scottsdale and whatnot are over there, and still, stagnant annual percentages. That entire northern area has kinda been capped out for a long while now. And, the trend is clear that that surely won’t be letting up anytime soon. The areas that continue to garner the highest annual increases in property values continue to be in south Scottsdale, north Tempe, and central Phoenix - and the areas close to them. If you want land, you need really big pockets, in those areas. Queen Creek is a good compromise to get it all.

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I think we will rent VRBO in queen creek area just to see how it fits etc since this is more a recon type vacation.  Thank you for the information.  It looks like you can get a whole lot more for your $ in queen creek.  I would imagine there must be some areas close to queen creek to go shooting on such as federal land etc.

I am not showing that to the wife...but it is funny as hell

It actually makes sense to go at the hottest time of the year to see if it is tolerable to you.

That’s what the wife was thinking also.  I figure if we can deal with january’s In northern Illinois we can deal with the heat

Funny because it's true

I'll gladly take an Illinois driver over the shit CA drivers.

That's the upside: winters here are nothing, while you can easily go to other parts of the state or the greater Southwest to beat the heat. And no snow in the Valley.

When thinking Queen Creek area keep in mind that there are only two roads into/out of that area between the city.  An accident on either (which happens just about everyday) will turn both routes into parking lots.

Since you don't mind being out of the city, and want some land, look into New River.  It's on the north side of the city, so if you want to escape to the mountains for the weekend you get to dodge all the traffic.  If I could work from home, or worked in the north valley, I'd be shopping there.

The dust related to the wind on I-10 East today near Queen Creek has been slowing the traffic.

The key there is to stay out of Queen Creek Proper, and live in the county island between QC, Mesa, and Gilbert.  (like say Chandler Heights)

My wife and I just went on a scouting trip there last month. Went all over the Phoenix area, through Prescott, Sedona, and checked out down to Tuscon. We loved Queen Creek and would like to live there but prices are a bit high for us. Planning on moving to San Tan Valley for a bit, paying off our debts then moving to Queen Creek. Very nice area for sure. We'll be going back in August to get our move lined up.

I will look into that.  thank you.   I can work from home but my wife will most likely have to commute.   She is in Healthcare (management at Rehab/alzheimers facility) so I would not want her to have to deal with a ton of traffic.  
good to know about only 2 roads leading in and out.  Hard to get a read on it from Zillow etc so I really appreciate everyones input as it allows us to get a nice list to look for when we come out this summer.

There are quite a few hospitals on/near the north I-17 (highway that runs north/south from metro. through New River. toward Flagstaff).  John C. Lincoln, Phoenix Children's Hospital, and a Mayo Clinic in North Scottsdale.

How far north?  Wisconsin line area?  South Beloit?  (Burning curiosity.)

As for healthcare facilities and Alzheimer's facilities, absolutely do not rule out the west side.  Lower prices and more selection.  Glendale and Peoria are building elder care facilities.  Glencroft in Glendale has been established since 1973 and they have a really good 4 stage facility that my mother used.  A new memory care facility is being built across the street.  Sun City and Sun City West also are centers for rehab and Alzheimer's care.

My wife is a retired RN who specialized in geriatric care for her last ten years.  PM or email me if you'd like to connect with her for the medical lowdown in the area.  There's a lot of backstory.

HEAT and plenty of it...

I prefer not driving 45-50 mikes to work each day so I’ll stay in ahwatukee foothills

Thanks Epidote.  We are west suburbs Close to ELGIN area.

I appreciate the offer and will definitely get in touch.  It looked like there was some nice areas in north Peoria I want to check into when we come out.   Lots of thinking and looking to do but it does look like her work will determine where we settle.

June is our hottest and driest month of the year.  Expect 115 degree highs for a 2-3 week period.  When it gets that hot, it doesn't really matter that it is a dry heat.  It's very important to stay hydrated at this point.  Sweat dries so fast that you don't even realize how much water your losing.  Every year there are stories of people going out for a hike and dying because they underestimated our heat.

In July, the daily highs tend to settle down to around 100-105 because of the monsoons but then the humidity sky rockets.  Yup, that's right.  It's not always a dry heat.

In general, May through mid October is the rough period in AZ.  May isn't too bad but that's usually when we hit 100 and coming out of nice 70 degree days it takes a bit to get acclimated.  June is brutal.  July is typically the wettest and most humid month, but at least the rain cools things down a bit.  Depending on the year, it dries out a bit after July, which causes the temps to creep back up in August and September but those are still monsoon months most years.  Daily highs can still stretch into 100 or close to it until about mid October, but unlike May, you will be used to the higher heat from the previous months, so it doesn't seem that bad.  We have about 6-7 months where it is really nice, 1-2 months where it is kind of hot, and 4 months where we're basically living on the surface of the sun.

FYI, the monsoons might screw up your water activities in July, so pay attention to the forcast.

Oh, and New River is a nice, rural area if you don't have a bad commute.

I happened to be in town during the hottest time of the year and that's what sparked the thought to move here. I was immediately underwhelmed after stepping off the plane, after a week of dread and anticipating to want to jump in front of the first airport transit bus I saw.

"Is this it? This is what people complain about? Fuck, I could live here.

....

You know, I could live here.."

Moving down here was the best decision I ever made. With the good comes the bad in the form of increased risks of skin cancer from sun exposure. Just like shooting with double layered hearing protection, make an effort to use sun screen any time you'll be out in the sun. Consumer Reports has good break downs of the most effective brands that are accurate to their advertised SPF. Equate from Walmart is dirt cheap and regularly tops their charts, second only to something that's 10x the cost.

Something I forgot, Cave Creek is at an elevation ~1100ft higher than Phoenix making it relatively cooler up there.

OP, it sounds like your kids are grown, so schools and whatnot shouldn’t matter. That said, I wouldn’t consider New River the Valley, and it’s an entirely different kind of area. Queen Creek is more a nice rural/urban combo of an area with modern amenities, great schools, low crime and shenanigans, and much future upward growth potential. New River has been dubbed the most redneck city (or whatever you wanna call it) in Arizona multiple times by multiple publications. I don’t know how else to put it in perspective lol. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking rednecks, as I kinda am one, I’m just trying to point out how different those areas are. You’re gonna get more of the average person in Queen Creek being an educated, God fearing conservative that tends to carry themself in one particular way. In New River, sure, you’ll get some of those, too, but, you’ll also get some of those hill people that like to cook meth on the weekends, and collect rusty vintage vehicles in their yard. Quite different overall feel and environment. And, if you like the best of city amenities, New River would never be in the conversation.

Beyond that, where you end up taken out of the equation, I highly recommend you do some research on the 17. That highway is nationally considered one of the worst rural highways in the entire nation. All those cities off the 17, personally, I’d avoid them like the plague. The slightest thing happens on the 17, and it’s a fucking parking lot. I’m on the 87 multiple times a month heading towards the 260 - if I have to slow down below 80 for even a slight bit, that’s usually the worst I ever have to deal with lol. You’ve talked about escaping the heat. You can sit in bumper to bumper traffic heading to the northern cities off the 17 that have been overrun by California liberals - Flagstaff, Sedona, Prescott, etc. Or, you can fly up the 87 to the 260, and see the densest ponderosa pine forests in the entire nation around the Mogollon Rim, Heber, and Show Low area. Quicker ride, more beautiful forests and scenery, quicker access to higher elevation and cooler temps. Really a win win going with the one combo.

We're talking about two different parts of New River.  I'm talking about the parts you get to from what the 74 turns into east of the 17.  When you hit the "streets", head north.  Not the ghetto shit right off the 17 by the BBQ joint Caleen's (?).    I used to attend a holiday parties with my EX's co-workers that had property that way.  All most all had more than enough room for horses, and it was pretty typical to so see peeps pulling a "wagon" behind the horses with the kids in tow on the weekends...

Rural~ish, but close enough to the city to not be in BFE.

Not Black Canyon City.  Don't confuse the two.

There isn't much in the way of "land" to be had near the 87.  It's all REZ.  Unless you live in Fountain hills, or N. Scottsdale, taking the 87 is still a bitch on a Friday evening.

I'll take Phoenix at 110* over mid-Atlantic humidity at 90* any day.

Chileens is up in Black Canyon, and yes, that place is redneck-ville to the core. New River and Desert Hills (where I am) have shit loads of horse properties, some redneck shit as you go further north, but nothing too extreme. Plenty of space and great neighbors. Quiet, but not too far from shopping, dining, etc... Getting to the Bradshaw and New River Mountains, Seven Springs, and further up into Bloody Basin is easy, as is getting to points south or west. One caveat: I hope you like motorcycles- the Carefree Highway area and on into Cave Creek is a biker mecca, even taking into account how crazy it gets in the rest of the Valley. It's a mini-Sturgis during Bike Week.

Late July is Monsoon Season.

When the wall of dust rolls through - get off the damn road.   When the rain starts falling, get out of the washes and creeks.

Seriously, our storms can be dangerous for those who are not used to them.