It’s well known that Arizona is a great place to retire, in general the cost of living is reasonable and you can pick the climate you would like, whether you want to live in the same place all year round or leave in the summer. It gets extremely hot in most places in Arizona in the summer, however, it’s not that much different than living in the northeast in the winter, you just don’t go outside if you can help it!
We’ll start this tour in the Phoenix area, there are several suburbs/small cities in the general area:
Apache Junction: The area is relatively new having experienced a huge growth spurt in the last 20 years or so. The population is around 42,500 people with 33% being over 65. The cost of living is around 18% less than the national average and being close to Phoenix there are endless things to do, although there are plenty of things to do and restaurants here.
Sun City: Sun City was built specifically for the 55+ population and golf carts on the streets is a very common sight. The population is 34,500 with over 75% of the population being over 65. The cost of living is 11% below national average. As is was built for the older population there are numerous things to do
Peoria: This suburb of Phoenix has grown quite a bit over the last few years and has all the amenities found in small cities. The population is around 176,000 with 17% being over 65. The cost of living is right at national average.
Litchfield Park: This small town is on the western outskirts of Phoenix and is growing fast. The population is only 6,500 with 26% being over 65. The cost of living is 17% above national average due to the desirability of the area.
Now we’ll move down to the Tucson area. It gets hot in the summer here but not as hot as Phoenix and there are nearby mountains to go to that are much cooler and even ski in the winter.
Catalina Foothills: This suburb on the outskirts of Tucson is a fast growing area but still has a population of 51,000 with 32% being over 65. The cost of living 8% higher than national average. This area has many amenities and activities to keep you busy
Tucson: The largest city on our list has a population of 550,000 and only 15% over 65. The cost is 6% below national average and being a large city offers all the activities, places to go, places to eat, entertainment, sports.. It has a nice climate and doesn’t get too brutally hot in the summer
Now that we covered the larger metropolitan areas lets move on to the smaller cities
Lake Havasu City: This is a great place to spend the winter, because believe it or not, it’s usually hotter here than Phoenix! The population is around 56,000 with 33% being over 65. The cost of living is 2% over national average. It offers lake front living and is only a short drive to Laughlin NV or Las Vegas
Sedona: Sedona is just one of the prettiest places on the planet! The population is just over 10,400 and 43% over 65, however, for most people being 29% higher than national average is out of range, maybe just a day trip or weekend, as rents can be thousands of dollars and home prices push 7 figures.. The climate is just delightful and enjoys a 4 season year.
Prescott: This little town has really grown in the past few decades and even though the population is only 45,000 the surrounding areas easily triple that. That being said it does bring all the shopping and dining opportunities that you could wish for. 37% of the population is over 65 and the cost of living is right at the national average. The climate is ideal, giving you all 4 seasons and a good chance of a white Christmas. Summers are rather warm but the cool evenings keep it from being overbearing.
Flagstaff: Flagstaff is a college town of 75,000 and a 7000’ elevation. It gets really cold in the winter and snows a lot. Only 8% of the population is over 65 and the cost of living is 16% over national average. This is a great place for a summer getaway! If you have breathing issues this might not be the best fit.
There are so many cool little towns in Arizona that we’ll focus on next time! If you have any questions or comments just let us know!
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