# AZ Ash Fork, Chino Valley, Prescott Valley



## Hugopf (Apr 4, 2018)

Hello everyone,

This is a long term project and we are not in a hurry.
We have 2 quarter horses and are 49 and 46 years young and living in Northern Germany.

The USA are our favorite country and we are only missing 6 states to visit. We try to come over every year.

Our dream is to get a green card and live permanently in the USA.

Of course it is important to know if we can afford a lot and a house together with 2 to 4 horses.

We are looking in the Ash Fork, Prescott/Chino Valley area.
One option is to buy a lot and build a hobby farm. Like something like this:
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/77-Rawhide-Rnch-OFC-OF-Ash-Fork-AZ-86320/2082253207_zpid/ 
Is the Ash Fork area not wanted (Lots there seem to be rather cheap) in comparison to (more developed areas) Chino/Prescott, because it is too high with more snow? Or other reasons? 
Some lots have water/electricity, what happens if that is not the case, how is that usually solved?

For all areas, are possibly deadly animals a "problem": Snakes, bears, mountain lions, spiders?

Thank you in advance and very best.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Hi

You might check out some older threads about Arizona and horses:

https://www.horseforum.com/horse-talk/moving-arizona-w-2-horses-s-733274/
https://www.horseforum.com/horse-talk/arizona-horse-people-587042/
https://www.horseforum.com/new-horses/feeding-my-horses-prescott-az-question-598386/
https://www.horseforum.com/horse-talk/moving-horse-ohio-arizona-144844/
https://www.horseforum.com/horse-talk/best-horse-set-up-1-acre-803257/

Have you guys spent some time in the summer in Arizona? It can get hot.

I haven't lived in Arizona, but anywhere in the desert SW you will have rattlesnakes.


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## Hugopf (Apr 4, 2018)

Thank you for your reply.

I read through the forum posts only missed "Moving Horse From Ohio to Arizona??" prior to writing, good info so far.

Yes, we had 119 degrees at Lake Havasu and didn't like that too much ;-)
That's why we are looking in a more northern part.

We don't have any "deadly" animals at all in our region and I'm just wondering if the quality of life is horrible because of it. Like you can't sleep in a "garden" outside. Snakes inside the house or barn etc. Jogging alone without someone else. These kind of things.


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

Hi.


All properties in Ash Fork South of I 40 are on solar power. No electric grid is available. There are no county maintained roads. When they become bad to worse, various community organizations in the area take up a collection and hire a local road grader to make the roads 'a little' better. The soil type on the roads is hard when dry and falls apart when wet.


The properties North of I 40 mostly have electricity from the grid although some farther out properties do not. Many of the roads are county maintained with very nice volcanic cinder roads.


All areas out of the city proper have hauled water. Some haul the water themselves, others have it delivered. Most have a 2,500 gallon storage tank, some above ground some buried below ground. The cost is very economical. There is a pressurized pump house on each property owned, operated, and maintained by the owner. As properties are miles from the city proper, all are on septic systems.


The city proper has only around 300 residents. The postmaster reports there are around 1,200 PO Boxes with multiple residents per many of the boxes. So the are is mostly rural.


There is a little more snow than Paulden and Prescott, but not that much. And it's a little cooler but not that much. At one time the area had a reputation for people that were doing drugs but that seems to have changed. Mostly retired folks now.


Ash Fork has two service stations, a Dollar Store, and one restaurant along with a few other businesses. Ash Fork is home to the only known supply of Flagstone which is mined in the Coconino National forest.


There are no deadly animals around. It is Arizona so there are rattlesnakes but I have yet to run across one. They actually prefer to avoid us as much as we like to avoid them. And if they can't get away fast enough they will kindly announce there presence with their rattlers. Nothing to worry about unless you enjoy climbing around in rock piles. 



There are many very nice houses and properties in the area and also some that are very dilapidated and run down. And everything in between.


Nearest shopping is 16 miles away with a Safeway and a good hardware. For the big box stores one must drive to Prescott which is around 50 to 60 miles depending on where one starts and ends up.


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## Hugopf (Apr 4, 2018)

Wow, thank you for your detailed info. It helps a lot. So basically, except that the area southwest of Ash Fork is somehow in the middle of nowhere nothing major against it, correct?


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Just from what I could see from the pictures there was no road and the price of the land would reflect that. I would be very wary of buying any property without seeing it first and property with no road frontage would instantly be off the list of possibilities.


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

Hugopf said:


> Wow, thank you for your detailed info. It helps a lot. So basically, except that the area southwest of Ash Fork is somehow in the middle of nowhere nothing major against it, correct?



Well yes, sort of. Middle of nowhere with difficult access at times. That said, I have talked to many who live there and prefer it as it is. If I were younger, I'd have been more prone to that area. I moved from an area where I had bee flooded in for over a week with many miles of dirt roads. At 78 YO I'm ready for a little easier access.


If you see some really nice reasonably priced places on Hearbreak Ridge, you would definitely want to travel the roads during incriminate weather. A friend just sold his place there which was at least 3 to 4 times better than mine for less than I paid.


In general, when it looks like similar places with drastically different prices, all weather access is the difference, usually.


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## Hugopf (Apr 4, 2018)

JCnGrace said:


> Just from what I could see from the pictures there was no road and the price of the land would reflect that. I would be very wary of buying any property without seeing it first and property with no road frontage would instantly be off the list of possibilities.


Thank you, yes, seeing the property before is key. By road frontage you mean "paved" road frontage?


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

A further comment on access. South of I-40, a four wheel drive vehicle is a must for year around access and there are many times when a person with two wheel drive will not be able to visit. So if you would wish to have visitors, that would be a consideration.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

Hugopf said:


> Thank you, yes, seeing the property before is key. By road frontage you mean "paved" road frontage?


Doesn't have to be paved just public road access instead of depending on easements through other people's property. 

Years ago you saw advertisements for very cheap land out west in 35 acre parcels. People were snatching them up right and left only to find out the only way they could access their property was by plane or helicopter. In other words big scam. So they owned property they couldn't get to, couldn't sell and either had to pay property taxes on it or forfeit it.


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## Hugopf (Apr 4, 2018)

Hondo said:


> A further comment on access. South of I-40, a four wheel drive vehicle is a must for year around access and there are many times when a person with two wheel drive will not be able to visit. So if you would wish to have visitors, that would be a consideration.


Thank you, yes, we are better with animals than with people  So a four wheel drive for us is ok  BTW Ash Fork south of I-40 is at around 7000ft so I expect way more snow and cooler temperatures than in Chino or Prescott Valley or in Paulden, is that correct?


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## Hugopf (Apr 4, 2018)

JCnGrace said:


> Doesn't have to be paved just public road access instead of depending on easements through other people's property.
> 
> Years ago you saw advertisements for very cheap land out west in 35 acre parcels. People were snatching them up right and left only to find out the only way they could access their property was by plane or helicopter. In other words big scam. So they owned property they couldn't get to, couldn't sell and either had to pay property taxes on it or forfeit it.


Ah, thank you, haven't thought of that...


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

Ash Fork is around 5,000 feet elevation. The elevation is a continual drop South all the way to Chino Valley. There may be a mountain somewhere at 7,000 elevation in the area but I haven't seen it.


Now Williams to the East is around 7,000 feet and it does get a lot of snow. Semi trucks are lined up in the slow lane climbing out of Ash Fork to Williams.


As mentioned, there is a lot of parcels both North and South of Ash Fork that have no designated road easements. Many people are living on lots that simply cross other property to get to it. 



North of Ash Fork is mostly Coconino County and South is Yavapai County. Ask any builder anywhere and they will all prefer to build in Coconino due to heavy restrictions and requirements in Yavapai.


Many of the dirt roads in the area are of a soil type where one grows taller with each step when walking during wet weather.


I would seriously recommend checking out any area of interest during wet weather.


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

And BTW, you should also check Paulden for properties. Paulden is between Ash Fork and Chino Valley. It's a little lower than Ash Fork and on the face of a Southern slope so it's warmer in the summer but cooler than Chino Valley. There are also many properties that have wells which is not possible in Ash Fork. I would have preferred the Paulden area except for the cost was over my limited resources. But Paulden is less expensive in general than Chino Valley or Prescott and Prescott Valley.


The soil types appear to be more stable in the areas I've visited than that found around Ash Fork. And it's closer to hardwares and grocery shopping. And there is an equine vet in nearby Chino Valley.


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