Anyone familiar with this little town and been there lately? Whats your opinion of it? If possible, can you compare it to any other little community .... for example, is it anything like a Durango, Moab or Cody, WY type place with things to do, shoppes etc. or is it mostly residential? Is it worth exploring for a day, half-day? Any info appreciated.

This town was under immense consideration by myself and a friend for possible 4 months or 5 months a year after retirement living, coupled with the rest of the year in the Midwest.

Since then it has grown and the $$ numbers for this have changed and I no longer consider it for that aspect. But I love Prescott, Az. I like its people, its look, and its location re being able to travel to differing terrains.

I'm not the person to detail exploring on a 1/2 day kind of side trip, but one who looked into its composition for a "comfortable" living basis.

It looks like you plunked a bunch of MI into a spot in the desert. It's elevation makes it, IMHO, just right for me, visual-wise. I like the lay out and "mix" of buildings, nature, parks (Goldwater has an immense Lake) and peoples' origins right in that part of AZ. I could compare it to a larger rural town in trendy MI wine country rather than WY. This town, for some reason, does not have the "west" feel to me at all.

This is just my opinion, and not really the answers you asked for in detail, but I could shop there (not the tourists shops of Sedona at all) and live there easily. It looks like it has an active family, senior, young people populations- all- not just one or the other.

I did not mention that it has an immense pine/fur tree forest aspect that is GREEN.

Yourreply was interesting, JJ5. My sister-in-law and brother-in-law lived there for many years. (They are now deceased>)
They loved it-she very active in the community, and in real estate.
I only visited once, and was much impressed. It has New England feel for me- I can understand you thinking of parts of MI!.Hilly, very green and enviromentally conscious, with the four seasons, I understand it is a town where many in Southern Arizona come to escape the heat of summer.
To the original poster, I would say it would depend on if you are going to live there permanently, or have a vacation home, or are just touring.

Hi JJ! Thanks so much for the detailed description, it sounds like a cool little town. I've been to a few places in MI so i might know which town you're referring to if you'd care to say?

Thanks for your post too capedodshanty. Yes, this would be for just an afternoon or so of exploring. I've read about it and wondered if it was still regarded as a unique little gem; it sounds like it!

Any other thoughts anyone?

MI is a much poorer state and the people have less "stuff" overall, but it would remind me of a larger and more upwardly mobile Paw Paw or Lawton but with better housing- older stuff more rehabbed and much more of the newer at all levels.

Plus you would have to add the newer and circular up/down driving patterns and great roads. MI has SOME, but not all. And of course, the green in MI goes on endlessly- as do the lakes etc.- in Prescott it does not. Just a little higher or somewhat lower and you have mixed or entirely different terrain. But it is an easy drive to hot, hot and not so far to the Flagstaff skiing or Red Rocks land or Slide Water Canyon N. Park etc.