My family is thinking about moving to the Phoenix area. We're going to be visiting in the next few months. We're interested in rural areas and farms (with animals), but I'm not having any luck finding info about these. Are there any areas like this within commuting distance to Phoenix or even the Prescott area?

In Phx, check out the area west of town; smaller cities like Goodyear and Litchfield Park may work for you. In the Prescott area, take a look at Chino Valley to the north of town. Prescott is a great place if you can manage to make a living there. Phx is growing like crazy so those kinds of places are getting scarce. Don't know much about south and east of Phx but the city is spreading out fast. Good luck

Thanks for the info!

There are various areas in the Phoenix area where there are small 'mini-farms' of 2 1/2 acres or so. While most were started when the area was rural, most are surrounded by standard suburban housing. in the southeast valley, the Queen Creek area still has a rural flavor.

For true 'small town' rural area that is likely to remain so for several years, you need to go to Coolidge