We are looking at areas to stay for a month next winter..and have been innundated with websites and emails from prospective apartments..having never visited AZ during the winter months..I'd like some information regarding weather, areas to avoid, first hand experiences with corporate apt complexes etc. Any help would be appreciated. Sifting thru all of the info is a daunting task and the Fodorite family has always been the greatest for cutting thru the hype! Also we travel with our yorkie pup!

It would be helpful if you could give us some more information, please.

Do you wish to use a large city such as Phoenix or Tucson as your base? The selections there would be larger than in say, a smaller town, such as Sedona or Prescott.

Do you wish scenery? Are you looking for winter sports such as skiing? Would you want to stay in late winter and take in baseball spring training?

Would you want to be near others from your home area? If you have some idea of your housing budget, that would be helpful.

We had friends come out from Iowa and others from Illinois. They found ideal places to stay in Scottsdale and Green Valley. Lovely two-bedroom apartments in complexes filled with midwesterners.

Competition for space increases because we see more and more Canadians coming south for a get-away month or so.

Right now, with spring break in many schools and baseball spring training going full blast, large numbers of families come to AZ. If you were to plan your stay in January or February, you would have large selections of places to stay because crowds would be almost non-existent.

Real-estate sales have been hard-hit in AZ (as in many other places), but we see signs of sales increases due to attractive mortgage rates. Have you advertised in your own hometown paper? Somebody in your area may have property in AZ to rent or can recommend places to stay.

No winter sports..just sun sun and more sun...looking for early winter..mid January as we are going to be in SoCal mid Feb..looking for 60-70$ daily...just want to drive out with our little Yorkie, spend a month in AZ..we don't want huge city..love scenery..could be close to a big city but don't want to deal with large crowds and traffic...like to hike, bike ride, walk the pup and sun by the pool, soak in a hot tub..any helpful info would be greatly appreciated...

Green Valley is your place, then. Near Tucson, the mission of San Xavier del Bac, peace and quiet, starry skies at night, just the temperatures you want, lots of places to stay. All the amenities you have named.

Wow! Thanks..hope there are some pet friendly units..just a little yorkie..

What part of AZ has the warmest temps in January?

I would say, based on living in AZ for more than 25 years, that the area around Yuma would have the warmest temperatures in January. Also, the Phoenix/Tucson areas would be almost the same, perhaps a degree or two cooler. Nothing material. Tucson is slightly higher.

Altitude plays the most important part in determining temperatures in AZ. We have seven climate zones, also known as ecotones -- temperatures, plants, wildlife vary according to the econtone. These ecotones range from the Alpine (the San Francisco peaks near Flagstaff) down to the lower Sonoran desert (Yuma).

Thanks for all of your help..we are close to putting a deposit on an complex in Tucson called Canyon Oaks..any comments, info etc would be welcome...