Colorado, Utah, or Arizona

[Abbhudson]

Looking at moving the family out west sometime in the next few years.

My fiance is from the AZ desert and doesn't like the cold a lot, otherwise I'd be looking at WY.

Due to job opportunity and my affinity for mountains over desert we have it narrowed down to Northern AZ, think anywhere within like 1.5 hours of Flagstaff, pretty much anywhere in Colorado, and around the Salt Lake City region of Utah.

I've been to CO and AZ a good bit so I know a little about what is there, never been to Utah so I don't really know anything about it. I was really thinking CO was the place but with the growth and the "Californication" I've heard about I am starting to look more closely at the other 2.

If you wanted to be able to get the family outside as much as possible, have decent hunting/fishing, and not be in too large of crowds all the time but not be too far from "civilization" (fiance demands that for some reason) which would you pick?

 

[Hatchet Jack]

Northen AZ would be sweet. I lived in southeastern az for 5 years and loved it, if i could find a job in northern AZ I would go there and never look back. Ended up moving back to North/Central utah to be closer to family. It's not bad, but i'm an hour south of SLC, no way in hell i'd move to the SL valley.

 

[Scoutman]

Utah

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[Dcrafton]

In Utah where I live, everybody and there brother, sister, cousin aunt hunt and fish.
It has really gotten crowded in the hills and the water in the past 10–15 years.


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[jray5740]

Perspective....I’m a 6th gen CO native, with tons of family and community ties....I’m WY bound at retirement and never looking back.

 

[HuntHarder]

Depending on how big of a city you want to live next to, I like Prescott, Arizona. Still hot in the summers but gets occasional snow. Desert hunting, forest hunting within 1/2 hour. Big enough city to have major stores: Walmart, Sportsmans warehouse, Costco about every major fast food joint.

 

[DenverCountryBoy]

Move to Arizona for at least a year and get lifetime licenses. Road trip from there to other places and see if you like one enough to move again.

 

[JRMiller]

Been to and have many friends that live in all three.
I'm not sure i would pick any of those three, but if i had to, Utah. Beautiful place that is not heavily populated.
The hunting is good as a resident (kinda falling off as a non-resident)
Politically, Colorado is essentially California #2, just with good hunting
And AZ may soon be California #3
For the most part the people leaving CA in the mass exodus of summer 2018 went one of two directions
All the liberals went to either AZ or CO, some to Nevada, as those states were already well on their way to liberalism/socialism.
The conservatives (and hunter types) all chose, in order, Texas, Idaho, Montana, and Utah

 

[txhunter581]

I know that CO has a state income tax. Not sure about the other 2. Something to consider

The income tax issue is one reason I will always keep my residency in Texas, even though I now have a cabin in Colorado and will spend much of retirement there.

 

[PassCreek]

Definitely not Colorado. As others have said, it's been pretty much Californicated and it's just going to get worse. I saw where they're estimating 8.5 million people in Colorado by 2050. That's going to be horrible.

 

[ODB]

Can any one name a place that has gotten better in the last 10 years?

That’s the problem, it’s as good as it will ever be in our lifetimes. As the large cities breed, they will shed to the smaller places, forever changing them for the worse. That’s not pessimism, it’s just the way it is. Everywhere.

 

[Northpark]

If your wife doesn’t like cold and snow be careful of some places in CO. Where I live in CO we regularly see snow October thru May and temps tend to be in the negatives a good part of the winter. I’m moving to AZ for work in a few weeks. Bye bye winter!

 

[blueyceman]

Yep, agreed. Colorado's a terrible place. Look elsewhere

 

[bojangles808]

if i was to move back to the mainland i think northern arizona would definitely be in my top 3

 

[nowen22]

Utah seems to be attracting a lot of the Californian libs as well. At least where I’m at. I’d pick northern Arizona our southern Utah personally.

 

[Gobbler36]

Why does no one mention New Mexico?

Or hell I’d be looking at SD, and ND

Live in a nice quiet town not near as much hunting pressure and be a short drive to hunt WY, CO or what have you and not have to be bothered by all the subuarus moving into town.

 

[JRMiller]

Utah seems to be attracting a lot of the Californian libs as well. At least where I’m at. I’d pick northern Arizona our southern Utah personally.

I would agree primarily in the St George area. Being the closet city in Utah to CA was its downfall. Too bad

 

[Abbhudson]

Thanks for the replies everyone

 

[Vandy321]

How's the fishing in N. AZ...is oak creek as good as it gets?

 

[HuntHarder]

For streams, oak creek is one of the better ones. West clear creek is awesome with lots of isolation. Lee's ferry on the Utah border is a 2 hour drive from flagstaff, but it is some if the best fishing a guy can find. Literally catch so many trout you get sick of catching them. Nothing too big most of the time. But 12-17" is really common. There are some decent lakes as well, lake mary, ashurst, Powell isn't too far, mead isn't too far. I wouldn't compare Az to Colorado but there is some decent fishing here.