How Do You Choose a Snowbird Home? New Questions!

Did we make a good choice by moving to Tucson, Arizona? Well that ship has sailed. We have lived there for 6 months in the winter for a very long time. Yes, I would recommend you move close to us but I wouldn't want to do that without telling you the truth. Like so many other places, being on vacation does not mean you can escape life. 

It has occurred to me that many people are confused about what their location will be if they choose to be a snowbird. Should they go to Florida, one of the Gulf of Mexico locations, southern California or Arizona?

Location is important. Most, of course, will choose based on where they live now. Those in western Canada will go to a west coast location, those in the central states can go either way and many for the East Coast of the United States will go to an east coast location.

Many will make that choice based on cost of living. A few will look at safety. Quality of life may also come into play. It can be very confusing at best and most people don't want to wait for 10 years so they can explore the possibilities.

Here is the deal...I am adding another twist! The question is, should you look into the political history and culture of the locations? Would that make a difference? We did not do that and I don't know that I would now. But you might.

Note: The citizens of Maricopa County, AZ reelected Arpaio for more than 20 years. See The Long Lawless Ride of Sheriff Joe Arpaio in Rolling Stone.


What I know about the state of Arizona:

Background on current news:

Last week Trump pardoned former Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County in Arizona and a lot of memories were revisited by locals AND snowbirds. We all knew that Arpaio was running his vendetta against illegal immigrants using racial profiling. It was common knowledge. In fact, at one time as I remember it, the state tried to enact a law that would have allowed the police throughout the state to stop anyone that looked hispanic without cause. The courts ruled it unconstitutional.

And yet Arpaio continued the practice. Arpaio was quoted as saying that he ran a concentration camp. When he was sentence to a jail sentence for over 20 counts of ignoring court ruling, I for one was relieved. Here is what the Phoenix New Times had to say:

Over the past 20 years, Phoenix New Times has reported on Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio's serious abuse of power. The self-described "Toughest Sheriff in America" has fostered horrendous jail conditions, reckless police operations, and carried out personal vendettas against political rivals and members of the press. In the past year or more, he has also appointed himself enforcer of the nation's immigration laws in Arizona, and a whole new series of problems has emerged. Foremost, he and his deputies have violated the Constitutional rights of brown-skinned U.S. citizens and have committed outright cruelty against the undocumented.

Think about it!

So, as a snowbird, do you choose to move to a place that boasts a history like this? In Arizona the U.S. Border Patrol is front and center. They have stops on the I-19 between Tucson and Nogales where we are asked to present drivers licenses, or in the case of foreigners like Canadian, a passport. We often carry a passport with us. I have seen illegals on a golf course in Tubac and have heard them in the Pantano Wash that runs close to our park model.

What do you think? If you knew this, would you just blow it off as the cost of living in the sunshine? That is what we do. For the most part, we do not feel endangered...well I don't like that people kill the javelinas in the wash at night but that is another issue.

This is the reality of where we live...in the United States. It is all there under the layer of civilized society, affordable living and big city with a small town feel.

View of Catalina Mountains from park model

But, if you were to ask yourself about almost any city in the US or even Europe, you are going to find that being safe depends on the many choices you have. In Tucson, for example, we have two cities. South Tucson is a separate entity and most of the people residing there are Hispanic. It is well know that we don't go into that section of town at night. It is said that it is not safe. I don't know that for sure.

Then there is Oregon. In Portland there was a time when the east side of the city was not a good place.  Now the east side of the city is getting more gentrified. We still have a huge homeless problem. But the thing is, that is what makes Portland hip...the mixture of the gritty with the gentry sets the city apart.

Quality of Life:

View from Blanco Restaurant, La Encantata

On the other hand, Tucson is home to the University of Arizona and a strong student society that feeds the downtown businesses. The downtown has become very cool of late because the city fathers began a redevelopment project (Rio Nuevo) several years ago. Apartments, restaurants and a transit line make it very appealing. It is close to the government center too. The museum is nearby and the area around the Presidio gives you a glimpse of what Tucson was like in the early 20th century and before.

We live on the east side of Tucson. It has become a second home to us. We are just a short distance from Davis Montana Air Force Base and the Saguaro National Park. There are dude ranches at the foothills of the Catalina Mountains and million dollars homes overlook the beautiful valley that runs east to west from the Rincon Mountains to the Tucson Mountains and north to south from the Catalina Mountains to the Santa Rita Mountains. The observatories dot the mountain tops and there is even a ski slope in the Catalina's on Mt. Lemon.

A short drives takes us to La Encantata, a premier shopping center with beautiful restaurants. When we come to eat we sit outdoors so we can enjoy that beautiful view. Going south we can visit the St. Xavier Mission, Tubac and even Mexico.

Cost of Living:

All in all I suppose that the cost was a big factor in our choosing Tucson. We have lived in a RV Resort for many years. It is affordable, has so many actives and the social life is wonderful. We are moving to a older townhouse that we purchased for very little. We will restore it and in the years to come it will become more valuable. We will sell the park model. Our location in the city will remain essentially the same.

Groceries are about the same there but, because we are close to Mexico, we buy produce for less.

We have a system for shutting our life down in Oregon so that our household cost are comparable. It is very doable and our health is much better in Arizona in the winter.

Park Model after remodel 2017. (my husband is the photo bomb!)

Did we make a good choice by moving to Tucson, Arizona? Well that ship has sailed. We have lived there for 6 months in the winter for a very long time. Yes, I would recommend you move close to us but I wouldn't want to do that without telling you the truth. Like so many other places, being on vacation does not mean you can escape life.

Any thought? Where are you considering going when you retire?

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Arizona Snowbirds: What You Don't Know Can Cost You...buying and selling park models!

Mexico RV Resort Living

Tucson AZ Park

It is hard to know what is the law and what is the whim of the RV resort owner! Here in Arizona, for example, our owner has made it the "law" that the owner of a park model cannot put a sign in the front window of their park model advertising the model for sale. The residence have even watched each other to make sure that the law was followed to the letter. They would report transgressions to the office. 

Then one of the employees of the park put a for sale sign in the window of a relative's park model. That was when the information was "leaked" to the rest of the residents. Much to our park owner's chagrin, it has been revealed that the state has a "law" of it's own and it says that the owners of the park models do have that right after all. The revelation has caused the owners here in the park to re-examine every rule they have previously followed.  For example:

• The park owner has always said that the owners could NOT remove a park model unless he gave his approval. He buys park model for $10,000 or less and resells or rents the units.
• The park owner charges the residence for letting someone come into the park and visit. A family member or a friends is charged $10 per day for visiting. I am not clear if that is $10 per person or just a one time fee. No one can tell me. That is a charge above and beyond what the residents already pays each year to rent the land upon which the park model sits.
• If we allow someone to stay in our park model while we are gone, the owner can even force an owner to leave the park. In the past he has taken control of who and how long a guest can stay even though it is the same or less people that would ordinarily occupy the park model even if it is a relative.

The owner is in the business of selling to the public here. He would like for all the residents to be forced to work through him.  He makes a percentage of sales and sells the newer or remodeled units at a profit. That is his motivation. I suppose that because older people are more vulnerable, he has gotten away with a lot in past years. 

This is just a sample of what can happen when you live in a 55+ community/RV resort. In most cases, the rules don't bother us at all. We are just living our lives. I am always a little reminded of living in a communist country. It does not really matter 99% of the time.

But when it comes to state law, I begin to wonder where the line is in the sand. Should an owner be held to account for not being more transparent with their clients?  Somehow I think so. But then that is just me! What do you think?

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