ArizonaShooting.com

Hi guys,

I'm a recently separated veteran. My wife and I are working on finishing our degrees here in the gun friendly state of Indiana. She is hell bent on moving to AZ when we're done and starting our family and so here I am.

I am looking to learn more about the area before I make the big move. I am a big gun rights advocate in my area and believe heavily in our Contitution, and so the more restrictive a place is on those rights, the less likely I am to ever move there. I know AZ is a very 2A friendly state, so I have no problem coming that way in the next year or two. I do however wish to learn more about the area in general.

Things like job markets: is there a city or region which has better employment opportunity generally speaking? Also, I'm a big shooter/hunter/outdoorsman and so I would love to learn of areas where I could find a happy medium between short commute to work/city amenities and places to shoot whatever I happen to want to drag out of my safe that day. Probably be interested in making a purchase of large parcel of land, either for recreation only or to live on as well if it's reasonable distance to work, etc. Any suggestions on areas to research or other items which may be of interest to me please share?? Thanks for the help ahead

Welcome, AZ is a decent place to live! Just hot in the Summers!!!!!

I don't mind the "dry heat," as we call it out here. I got too used to it on active duty, then came back to Indiana and realized how much I hate humidity. I like the woods and green scenery everywhere, but not the humidity that comes with it.

Rural Arizona is beautiful, but the jobs are in the big towns. So for best employment opportunities, Phoenix or Tucson are your main objectives. However, despite the state being conservative overall, Tucson seems to be a liberal haven. Same goes for Flagstaff. The Phoenix metro area has its liberal neighborhoods, but overall remains mostly conservative in its political leanings.

It used to be easy to find areas of open desert nearby the Phoenix area to go shoot informally, but our boom economy during the 80's and 90's produced sprawl which has eaten up most of that easily accessible area with new development. To live on the outer edges of the metro area allows you easier/closer access to these spots that remain, but they can still get congested on the weekends as ATV riders and shooters cram themselves into smaller and smaller regions for play. And then you have a heck of a commute into the central valley or across it if your employment is not nearby. The Phx. metro area is HUGE, so you will be driving a lot regardless.

Let me expand on what aftsux said.

Pima county, which is where Tucson is, is the most liberal county in the state. We have some laws etc that might rub a conservative the wrong way, but if overall it's not terrible.

I came out here from back east and the pay is about half or less than what I was used to and the costs are about the same; so expect to make less salary and pay the same or more for groceries. In general property taxes are lower, housing is a bit lower (when there is actually a housing market) but sales taxes are higher. There is more money to be made in Phoenix than in Tucson, but depending on your degree, you might mitigate that a bit.

Tucson is a mid size big city, where Phoenix is a big big city. Tucson has more of a small town feel and that is what I like about it. So if you want to avoid hustle and bustle, Tucson would be a better choice.

As for dry heat, it took me about 12 years before it started to bother me and now I am looking to move to a bit higher elevation. But I would rather heat than cold.

Good luck to you and welcome to the forum.

True,

I retire in 7 years and I want to go to Tennessee.

Learn to speak Spanish and like frijoles.

welcome to AZ....vince g. 11B Infantry....

It might help us a great deal in tailoring our information for you if we could know what sort of career fields you and your wife will be pursuing.

Come take a vacation and look around. AZ is very diverse in landscape, and you seem to have a pretty specific vision of what you "want" here. chances are you will find something close, but some compromise will be in order. Are you guys going to IU? My father and his wife both work at the University, and I grew up running around Elletsville/Bloomington and South Bend as a pup. I would take a okay job and longer commute in AZ before i would take a "dream" opportunity in Indiana. Nice place to be "from" in my opinion

Either way...WELCOME!

Show low !!!

Welcome! What kind of job are you looking to get into?

Thanks for all the assistance guys. My wife will have two bachelors in "supply chain management" with a six sigma certification as well as a bachelors in "business marketing/management"....she is up in the air right now but is planning on either going for a Masters or Law school AFTER the move. I will have a bachelors in "organizational leadership" focusing on ethics and training as well as "Computer information technology." Someone asked if we attend IU. We do, sort of, we attend at the Indianapolis campus (IUPUI). Her degrees will be from IU and mine from Purdue.

I'm not really sure exactly what I'll be looking for or if I even plan to "sit in an office" for the next 20 + years. I'm a Marine at heart and may seek similiar means of employment in the civilian sector out there, but I haven't really decided yet. I do some coaching in weapons and self-defense, but only because I enjoy it and not as a primary source of income. My wife has mentioned Tucson a bit, but seems to think that I would really like Flagstaff area. I honestly don't know because I have only driven through the state once and I think I slept through most of it. Her parents have property there and they spend a fair amount of time there and Colorado. I just want to get a feel for the area since she seems to have her heart set.

Between school, work, and military I haven't had much time to "enjoy" life and shooting hobbies for a number of years (aside from combat/training related) and so it is something which I'd like to be able to put more time into. Well, that and starting a good place for our family out there. I don't know how the land aspect out there is overall but from what little I can find online it seems large parcels of land are considerably cheaper than here and far enough away from residential areas that shooting isn't a concern or likely to land me "in hot water" and so I say I "would like" to own a good amount of land, but if shooting areas without owning are that readily available there I suppose purchasing land may not be a necessity. Where I am now, the only available shooting facilities are designated private ranges which charge excessive fees and have considerable restrictions in some cases unless you have access to private land. Hunting with rifle calibers is ILLEGAL because of relative close proximities to residences virtually EVERYWHERE. I have to drive OVER 2 hours to get a range that's 1,000 yards and everything else is 100 AT BEST. For hunting/camping/wilderness aspect there is only ONE really sizable forest in the state that I would consider anything close to "wilderness" and a lot of it has horse or vehicle trails running throughout it. I want to say it's like 20,000 acre forest if that tells you anything and that's the biggest such area in the state for public use. Of course my wife is more accustomed to the "city comforts and convenience" than I am, so I am simply looking for areas to explore which could provide a happy median for us. I appreciate all of your guys input and will hopefully continue to find more areas to explore in my first visit out there in a month or two.

Based on what you stated above the sky is literally the limit. There are a good number of jobs available in the sectors you listed, if they are a match in pay and whatnot....who knows. North Valley would be a good match as you would be close to several of the types of areas you wish to see, they are close enough to the "city" for work. However one thing you have to account on in AZ a a commute for everything. We are flat and spread out, unless you want to live in the middle of everything you will be a distance (20-45 minutes) from most things

I feel the need to defend the great State of Indiana. Nothing beats driving for hours, looking at corn fields. Actually, I grew up there, and practiced law a few years in Indianapolis, which is a very nice city these days, with a world class children's museum, the Colts, the Pacers, and the best steak house in the world....St Elmo's.

Just sayin.

Steve