Any info on Yavapai vs. Hualapai vs. Kingman vs. Sierra Vista ?

kyzur · May 18, 2011

Well no need to reply about Sierra Vista as we just found out it is a "cancer cluster" site according to the CDC for childhood leukemia and we have a 1 year old and another on the way. Actually the numbers are quite scary considering the CDC negated some of the victims for questionable reasons such as a young girl who was not diagnosed until 2 weeks after moving away from Sierra Vista so they said she doesn't count as not living there when diagnosed.

It always breaks my heart when children suffer and I wish people would be more open on risk there instead of hiding it for profit such as realtors and city officials there who would rather suck someone in and put innocent children at risk for a few dollars in their pocket and so better able to live in denial and sleep at night telling themselves "other people move here so it must be ok". Much gov't and university info is easily available online though for anyone who is interested, just search for "leukemia sierra vista". :crying2:

silentRN · May 24, 2011

Well, I can tell you I have lived in both Northern and currently live in Southern Arizona. I worked at YRMC as a PCT and did student nursing there, but not a RN. As I remember, they were lower in pay and a some people would commute to cottonwood and work at Verde Valley Medical Center. I also worked there as a PCT and did some student nursing there when I was in school. If I had to return, I would work at VVMC over YRMC. VVMC is also the same company as Flagstaff Medical Center, and I think Northern Arizona Health Care is better business wise than the hospital system in Prescott.

I currently live in Tucson and we have some people who travel from Sierra Vista for work. I've been a RN here in Tucson for 3 years now. I do miss Northern ARizona a lot. I'm thinking of compromising and moving to Phoenix next summer, if there are jobs that will be available.

If I were you, I would stay away from kingman, and if you move to southern arizona just prepare yourself for a different culture. We're so close to the border down here and the way of life is different. If you can, move to phoenix. Better pay and opportunity. If you can't move there, then move to Prescott.

kyzur · May 24, 2011

Thanks for the info. I did check up on Cottonwood and Flagstaff and did discover the benifits and pay looked very good but seemed like Cottonwood was secluded, Flagstaff had bad winters, and Sedona road was CRAZY to have to ever drive regularly. As it is I also have to admit it scares me a bit to be somewhere that has only one company as hospital employer. I just like to know I have options even if I never use them.

If I could tolerate Pheonix heat I would go to Nevada and make more money + no state tax so even more money.

Can you expand on why you say to stay away from Kingman?

klone, MSN, RN · May 24, 2011

I worked at YRMC as an RN for four years before moving out of state (also went to nursing school in Prescott). I had no complaints about it, and if circumstances brought us back to AZ, I would not hesitate to move to the Prescott area again and work at YRMC.

cindyloowho · May 26, 2011

If I could tolerate Pheonix heat I would go to Nevada and make more money + no state tax so even more money.

No state income tax states almost always offset that lost revenue by having much larger property taxes, so it is not really a benefit if you want to own a home. Oftentimes, the property taxes in states with no income tax are 3 to 5 times higher, so you could pay $2000 a year for a $250,000 home in Phoenix but that'll cost you $6000 to $8000 in a place like Texas, New York, Nevada, etc. Just FYI Good luck with your job search!

kyzur · May 27, 2011

VERY good point, but not always the case and I have seen even in AZ the property taxes vary from one place to another for no obvious reason. Even though they are supposed to be based on simple formulas it often comes down to the attitude of the assessor and whether they value homes high or low.

I am not from Texas but I have researched the area and will say the property taxes in areas of low crime that I researched for homes in the 175k - 300k were all comparable to most of Arizona property taxes so again not always the case. Also I was floored by property tax rates in Oregon despite Oregon having the HIGHEST state income tax rate in the nation.

Seems, we never know anything for sure except that the tax man will always raise taxes and tax just about everything they can.

kyzur · May 31, 2011

Sorry, I had my sheets mixed up. When I said Texas was comparable to AZ I was mistaken. TX is twice what AZ property taxes are (generally speaking). I meant to say Nevada which also has no income tax is comparable to AZ for property tax. Some states with no income tax DO have high property taxes, but alas so do some states that have income tax. AZ has both but both are low. I just can't find anywhere in NV that is ok weather, crime, COL, etc, so looking at AZ, specifically Kingman, Prescott/Cottonwood areas. Yes I know Kingman is hot but not as hot as Vegas. ANY info on hospitals and living in Kingman, Prescott, Cottonwood, Camp Verde would be appreciated.

Any info on any other place in AZ with low crime, cheap houses, and less than Phoenix hot wise, would also be appreciated.

klone, MSN, RN · May 31, 2011

Prescott is a beautiful area, and I am convinced that the weather there is pretty much close to the most perfect on earth. It has four seasons, but very mild. Summers are hot and dry, but not nearly as hot as Phoenix. Winters get freezing weather and occasional snow, but much milder than Flagstaff, and the snow melts in a day or two. The scenery is beautiful, if you love to hike there are SO many options for gorgeous hiking trails. It's an hour and a half from both Flag and Phoenix, so it's centrally located.

Housing in Prescott proper is spendy, but the neighboring towns of Prescott Valley and Chino Valley offer much cheaper housing options. Of course, like in Phoenix and Vegas, the housing market took a dump a couple years ago, so housing prices are pretty cheap (we bought our house in 2007 for $303K and last summer it sold for $189K).

We lived in Prescott (Prescott Valley, more specifically) for 7 years, and left just over a year ago. Our reasons for leaving was - I am a city girl and missed living in a large metropolitan area (and I had NO desire to live in Phoenix) with more cultural diversity, and geopolitically, we didn't fit in very well. AZ is a very red state and most people are extremely conservative politically, and we've very dyed-in-the-wool liberals. I had a very hard time continuing to live there in light of all the immigration reform, and I really disagreed with the way Governor Brewer was taking the state (LOVED Napolitano!).

But anyway, it's a beautiful area, COL is inexpensive (especially outside Prescott proper) and YRMC is a great facility to work for. So that's my spiel.

RainDreamer, BSN, RN · Jun 1, 2011

Prescott is a beautiful area, and I am convinced that the weather there is pretty much close to the most perfect on earth. It has four seasons, but very mild. Summers are hot and dry, but not nearly as hot as Phoenix. Winters get freezing weather and occasional snow, but much milder than Flagstaff, and the snow melts in a day or two. The scenery is beautiful, if you love to hike there are SO many options for gorgeous hiking trails. It's an hour and a half from both Flag and Phoenix, so it's centrally located.
Housing in Prescott proper is spendy, but the neighboring towns of Prescott Valley and Chino Valley offer much cheaper housing options. Of course, like in Phoenix and Vegas, the housing market took a dump a couple years ago, so housing prices are pretty cheap (we bought our house in 2007 for $303K and last summer it sold for $189K).
We lived in Prescott (Prescott Valley, more specifically) for 7 years, and left just over a year ago. Our reasons for leaving was - I am a city girl and missed living in a large metropolitan area (and I had NO desire to live in Phoenix) with more cultural diversity, and geopolitically, we didn't fit in very well. AZ is a very red state and most people are extremely conservative politically, and we've very dyed-in-the-wool liberals. I had a very hard time continuing to live there in light of all the immigration reform, and I really disagreed with the way Governor Brewer was taking the state (LOVED Napolitano!).
But anyway, it's a beautiful area, COL is inexpensive (especially outside Prescott proper) and YRMC is a great facility to work for. So that's my spiel.

I'd kill to move up to Prescott! We go up there any chance we get, multiple times a year. Good to hear you recommend YRMC. If you don't mind me asking, what type of floor/unit did you work on there?

klone, MSN, RN · Jun 1, 2011

I worked in OB. The unit was on west campus (in Prescott) until spring of 2010, where the entire unit moved to east campus (PV). I moved out of state literally weeks before the whole unit relocated, so I never got to work in PV, which made me sad, because I lived literally a mile from the new unit, the commute would have been sweet.

I see you work in NICU - YRMC does have a level two. They got their official certification after relocating to the new campus, no vents though, and nothing under 32 (?) weeks. But prior to that, we did a lot of unofficial level 2 stuff - feeder/growers, IV abx, hoods and nasal cannulas, lights.