I am a LEO in Illinois and retiring in 8 years. Want to start looking and maybe buy in AZ. Brother has lived outside Phoenix for 20 plus years.  Visited last year and loved the state. Any ideas of a good area?  Reasons for your choices?

well i dont know your financial status or age but this is a great time to buy a home in the Phoenix area. If you are an "active adult" then you would want to maybe look in to surprise/sun city. if you are "wealthy" then scottsdale or litchfield park. Phoenix itself its obviously more packed and full of mixed communities. But if you look in the suburb cities such as chandler, goodyear, avondale, tempe, you can find nice homes dirt cheap. I just bought my 2200 sq ft home for 130k. If you want something bigger its here, if you want smaller its here. My best recommendation is if you are retired you want a pool to enjoy with your time off. oh yeah, youre retired- you better golf. hope this helps, i could help better if i knew your personality better, but its a great place to live, and we welcome you.

My bro lives in Goodyear. It is a very nice area. I will be 51 at retirement so still young.  His area is similiar to the standard of living  I live in in Illinois.  I like the outdoors obvioulsy and would not be against living away from things a little.

I would recommend southern Arizona... too many people in PHX.... I have always preferred the suburb environment and I don't think that is available anymore in phoenix.  I'd also stay away from home owners associations unless you read in detail what the agreement is.  Planned communities are also a cancer out here... houses built on top of each other, 5 feet between houses.... it's awful....there are several nice areas with great city views west of tucson... close enough to have good services far enough for privacy!

Richard

if you don't have to go to work there are some smoking deals out of town, Globe,sun city Surprise,Whittman .

Not PHX.....

So many people, when I move back out to AZ, it will be northern. Im in mesa now, going home to MI and will be back
in a year. PHX/mesa/all over has just to many people.

I enjoyed Flagstaff while there for a couple days. What are the local opinions of that area?   I imagine anywhere near the Grand Canyon is expensive?

I would look just north of Phx into "Cavecreek". Nice homes just above Scottsdale,  Ben Avery range and the open desert are right there.

I lived in Flagstaff for a while.  It's a nice town.  Considerably more expensive than the phoenix area, though.  Its also a leftist stronghold.

Flagstaff is out then.  I'm leaving Illinois because of the leftist.

You're not the Illinois "cop" with 4 dead wives in his wake are you?

Yeah, Flagstaff is a hippy college kid/truckstop town. I live in a suburb of mesa called Gold Canyon. If you like golfing, it's perfect. The desert is a few miles away with plentiful rabbits and shooting spots. It is a huge retirement area. Plus, we're in the district of one of the last converative congressmen in the country.

No he is a few hours north of me, sitting in jail.

OK!

With Az, there are many different options..... city, rural, desert, pine, golf, fish, hunt, people types.....etc.

You'll need to give more what your into and wanting.  There are many routes to explore!

Wow Mark, I expected so much more from you. Where is the "AZ is full", "No Vacancies here" That we are so used to hearing from you?

You may like the Prescott area. We have 4 seasons, our winter is much milder than your home state of IL and summers are great with max temps under 100 unlike Phoenix that hits 110-115 regularly.

Wait a minute - you're only allowed in Prescott if you first pay homage to me.

I accept ammo and US currency.

Do you really think a cop from the corruptedest state in America would be swayed by my charm?

My boss's brother in law moved back to Southern illinois, so we have room for one FIB.

I don't play golf. Rural is fine, desert is fine but not against pine either. I love to hunt and fish....I can get along with any body but obviously prefer a more conservative thinker.

Williams or Parks would be great if you don't mind a litle snow .

you can't move to preskitt unless you are at least 51% redneck, preferably more but...

I've just arrived in the Prescott (Preskitt) area myself for retirement. I just came here from (like a lot of people who will not admit it) a state "elsewhere to the west"  Fortunately I realized that the state border was somewhere in the middle of a river and left the old one behind behind me. Got my new plates and drivers license the day I arrived!

The folks are real nice here and it's a great retirement area. Hospitals are good, elder care (not now, but later) is good and you can pick all kinds of areas to live in from upper MC to less wealthy. Neighborhoods can be anything from suburban to the "independent pioneer spirited rural" sort. It's not uncommon to see a herd of pronghorns in the grass valleys to the north and east right next to the highway.

Four seasons, snow usually melts in a day or two, the springtime has been fantastic this year with all kinds of wildflowers out right now. Everything is close by, from beautiful grasslands to pine forests to the desert.

The pace IS slower than the big city; my truck's mpg went from 16 to 20 just by living the life here. Lots to see here, but if you're a busy busy busy kind of person it might not be for you.Grand Canyon is maybe 100 miles out. LOTS of people carry and everyone is polite here.

Also, the place is full of old people and they sell really neat old guns from time to time like my vintage '61 blue Python with a six inch bbl for $600! (oops, probably get busted for letting that out...)

Gunsite is just north of Prescott in Paulden.

Oh, and if you're in open range area and hit a cow... you get to buy it. The cow has the right-of-way.

Beautiful country. Google it

How far downstate Il are you?

If you want some acreage, you won't be in the PHX metro area. Prescott/Prescott Valley/Chino Valley/Mayer are nice.
Show Low, Payson etc are nice.

If you want to do a lot of boating (and like heat), Lake Havasu is nice.

And if you want to be "off grid" lots of areas for that too.

I've been here since 1980 and admittedly the desert (heat) is a little old at this point.

If it is AZ for you, then welcome.

With that said (and sounding more like MarkM than MarkM);
There is not one single law or idea currently on the books or on anyone's mind in Illinois that we need brought here to Arizona.

So before you load the U-Haul, consider this:
If you do think there is a good idea from Illinois that you want to pack up for the trip west to Arizona, to make our lives better, please move just a little further west to the other side of the Colorado River, where you will fit in much better.

Jay

I live in Goodyear, also from IL. Left there 5 years ago and never look back. By the way what city do you live in?

Another +1 for Prescott/Chino Valley/Prescott Valley. It is truly beautiful country and now is a great time to buy especially with housing prices in Chino Valley.

overall prescott would be on a place to look. also if you don't mind a little more heat southern az is nice. my choice would be around alpine if i could afford it. also i live outside of flagstaff and we are having an awesome summer here. mid 60's every day! maybe look at parks or happy jack as well.

+1 for Prescott. I grew up going to my grandparents cabin there. I would move there but my jod keeps me in the Phx area.

I live in Springfield

If you can buy yourself a ranch !