Just curious if anyone on here is in the area. We are looking at leaving Montana and going someplace new I do not want to be too far south due to the heat. I know the wind blows there but would love more information if anyone is close. Thanks

I live in Iowa. I will retire in about 5 years and always thought about retiring out west.. What is it about Montana that you don't like about it.. I am just wondering. Just a general feeling of why.

I lived there for almost 3 years.  It IS windy, one of the reasons I wanted out.  I was a vet tech so outside in the wind all the time & hated it.  (but depending on where in MT you are now, might not bother you.  We don't get the wind where we are).  When I was there, there was a lot of area to ride, and any activities were not that big of a haul (especially compared to most things in MT!) It's grown up a lot since I lived there.  It's just not an area that I would like to live in again.  It still gets really hot there in the summer & humidity builds until you (hopefully) get the monsoon rain & it cools it off some.  Without the rains, the dust is bad.  Still have friends there & Prescott area.

We are in Flagstaff, but frequent Chino Valley, Corneille, Dewey, Paulden, etc. We’ve actually been “in talks” about moving there, as the snow just makes this place unbearable at times. I hate the cold. Keep In mind though, chino valley is hot too.

I'm going to take a wild guess (because I'm from MT too) that she isn't liking the snow and cold. We got dumped on with snow and below zero temps the past few weeks. 5th snowiest February on record so far, and the month isn't over.

OP: If you go, can I come with? I'm really hating this snow and cold. 

PS I've not been to Chino Valley, but when we were in AZ a couple weeks ago, it was the windiest I have ever seen it there...and the rainiest too. 

I love Montana born and raised here . We have the best summers especially where I am at in the western part of the state. I just can't afford much here and getting tired of snow and missing out on riding since I have no indoor. I have always got along and rode through the winter but it is getting harder for me with old injuries and things. Plus we kind of are just wanting a new start somewhere . I am looking all over even in places with lots of winter . You would probably love it here it is beautiful.

I had heard from a friend the wind was bad. We found a place with water rights and grass so just kind of looking at options. I do hate wind so it might be something we would dislike enough to avoid the area. Thanks

I checked temperature averages and they didn't look to bad. What kind of heat in the summer, since you live there. We actually do get pretty hot here just not as long as in Arizona. I am trying to avoid having so much winter but don't mind some.

I lived in Tucson for a few winters and we had snow too plus wind. Our winter here was not too bad in our valley but now that we are basically out of a place to call our own I need to find somewhere to call home. The fact that the winter is less would be a big bonus because I am struggling with working in the cold anymore. I will keep you some pens open so you can come run barrels.

My grandparents lived in Chino Valley for years. It's quite warm in the summer time but at night it cools off, something you don't get living further south. I would choose a better place than Chino. Williamson Valley, Prescott Valley, & Payson are better horse areas Closer to town as well. Are you looking for work as well? Not sure about the job market in Chino. 

Payson is an awesome little town! We have stayed there many times over the last few years. Median age is like 58...might not matter to you, but when you are young and single (like me), it makes the "prospects" few and far between, LOL. But it really is a nice little town. Its in the mountains, so it reminds you of Montana. They do get snow, but it melts off the same day. Good restaurants, good shopping. Its a nice place. 

Thanks for that information. I am not sure we we will ever get out of here but have to go somewhere.

I will look at those. We had found a pretty nice place with water and set up for horses but probalby out of our budget anyhow. I might just have to be homeless for a while.

A friend of mine used to live there, she also hated the wind. She and her family moved to Williams, and she loves it there. Her aunt still lives in Chino, and very much enjoys living there.

Anywhere in central and northern AZ can be windy; it just depends on the surrounding terrain. In good spots the hills and mountains will shelter you, and in bad spots it'll funnel the wind right to you. Not so different from MT, just usually less snow!

My boyfriend and I both grew up in southern AZ, and just returned south after a 6 year stint in Idaho (Mackay) and Montana (Harrison and Three Forks). I really loved the towns we lived in up there, but we were just so done with those northwest winters!

By the way, both of the women I mentioned at the beginning of my post are realtors, I can give you their contact info if you'd like to chat with either of them. I don't think Jamie (the one in Williams) has horses right now, but she grew up rodeoing and team roping. Chris (the one in Chino) still has horses, and ran barrels with my mom's crowd back in the day.

Chino usually does cool off at night other than during the monsoon season - then it didn't always.  My house had the swamp cooler so I would turn it on late afternoon & it cooled things off nicely, then shut off & open windows at night - except again, during monsoon time if it didn't rain/cool off.  If the humidity is up, the evaporators don't work well either.  Temps in the summer were over 100* during the hot periods during the day.  

OH - I thought of one of the WORST things about the area (& others around there) are the Centipedes!  OMG they are HUGE!  One night I had just crawled into bed & thought the tag on my nightshirt was scratching my sun burned neck, so I moved a little to shift it.  IT MOVED!!  I dove out of bed, flipped on the light in time to see one of those &%$#@ things crawl over the side of the bed!  I searched for it & couldn't find it - went to one of the other bedrooms at the other side of the house but still didn't sleep well.  My dog found it the next day & I killed it.  Then, when we were moving up here to MT & I packed extra tack etc in boxes in the tack room.  When the SO started picking up the boxes, those stinking things started spewing out of them!! Needless to say, I had to repack everything.  YUCK!  Scorpions are down there too but didn't have a problem with them.  And there is another little bug thing ... looks like a small alien creature - I can't remember the name of it but is something like schrooms.  I don't have bug phobias but those Centipedes were awful!

I like the Williamson Valley area - Prescott Valley & Dewey are now too populated for me.  I loved the ranchy area of Skull Valley but out in the middle of nowhere.  Cottonwood isn't bad - milder temps & it has grown a lot too.  

I always consider bugs when I think about going south at all. I hate bug, snakes ect. If I can find a place in Montana I will probably stay. I am born and raised here and it is home but need a place to go and want to get a fresh start

You can send me names. I have no idea what we are doing yet, things just keep getting more messed up here . I am done with winter and not having an indoor arena. I am too old for this.

That was us too. We're still pretty young, but unless you have an indoor arena you just lose too much riding time to snow and ice. I would be wore out just feeding and watering in the winter, let alone trying to ride. And plus the daylight hours are so darn short on top of the cold.

Oh my god I had to laugh at you and that centipede being in bed with you, that would have had me jumping out of bed too, I hate those things, we have scorpions bad out here during the warmer months they love coming into the house and have had a few get into bed and boy they hurt when you get hit by one..

Glad I could give you a laugh Roxie!  And if anyone doubts the size of them, they should look them up!  LOL  We had them in MI but they were little things.  These are huge & they DO bite too!  It seemed like the scorpions were more common around the Phoenix area vs up near Chino.

And there are plenty of rattle snakes in the Chino area too.  Many times I'd be long trotting and hear one rattle as we went by - both in the more desert areas as well in the mountains/forests.  Used to ride Granite Mtn often & hated running into those suckers too!

Yep I have the same things out here, just got to watch out for them, I think I have more copperheads then rattle snakes thou, my chickens are pretty good about keeping the scropions and centipeds and copperheads/rattlesnakes out of the yard.. Since spring is just about here got to watch for the baby snakes..

I was wondering how bad snakes were there. I am lucky here we have no snakes in our area and of course Montana only has so many bugs that survive winter.

same with us in our area of MT!  we see some garter snakes & another weird one that Greg saw that is native to her (non poisonous) but sure don't miss the rattlesnakes!  (or the creepy crawly bugs, LOL!)

Wow I dont remember the centipedes, that must a something new. LOL! 

That was back in 2002 when I moved.  Not sure if they are still bad - & it could depend on areas too.  I was surrounded by BLM, so maybe that had something to do with it?  They sure were disgusting though!  LOL

Hubby and I are looking southern Az. We like the Sierra Vista area and Benton/St. David area. Anyone got input on those areas? We are retired so no job needed or wanted. LOL

After reading some of the comments on here about the creepy crawl that live down there, I might be out. Then the roof rats I didn't sleep for days!

We live in the NW and are simply sick of winters, love all other seasons here but tired of the winter blues! 

Here too.  I have friends in Whittmann and Surprise and like that area, family in Tuscun as well.  Love it there and want to get out of the rainy NW Oregon rain, but thinking about July and August in Arizona - ug.

I live nearby to Sierra Vista.  It's a very nice small town that's growing rapidly.  Lots of military retirees moving there.  It's got most of what you need and lots of horse properties.  Tucson is a good hour plus drive for specialty doctors and big stores.

Lots of creepy crawlies and snakes.  We definitely see 100 degrees in the summer and freeze in the winter.  Just had a foot of snow.