LIVING IN SEDONA - PLUSES & MINUSES

First, these are our own opinions, but we hope they're helpful.

Liking or not liking a place has much to do with the COMBINATION of factors. Let's list out some good points, and not so good points.

GOOD (or PRETTY GOOD) POINTS FOR SEDONA!

ART & CULTURE If you like 'money'd' ART in galleries, Sedona is for you (not quite Santa Fe though)! Otherwise, you're looking at 'this and that' for visitors. Sedona is mainly a visual community, and so at city hall, you'll find building codes with a heavy emphasis on 'prettiness' ... how things 'look'. We DO love the annual artist tour, where you can visit artists at their homes, and discuss/buy their art. Plus the great Sedona Art Center, with classes. Plus the almost weekly art events.

If you enjoy MUSIC, it's even more interesting ... around town, there's a number of free or low-cost concerts each evening. Quite unique, primarily due to the tourist population. Then there's the Sedona Jazz on the Rocks. Pull up your lawn chair. Interestingly, both Flagstaff (classical / strings) and Prescott (eclectic) have a strong music emphasis. Love it!

FILMS have always had a place here, mainly due to the red rocks background. These days, there's an annual film festival, which is great to sample. And a growing film educational program, that hopefully progresses to international status.

NATIVE-AMERICAN values are strong in Arizona, and especially northern Arizona. Sincerity is especially valued. But you do need to 'step on the brakes' regarding your peddle-to-the-metal american culture. There's another world for you to learn from here and further north.

SEDONA CULTURE? Hmmm, that's an interesting issue. Whenever money shows up, 'gritty' culture is impacted. You're not likely to find much 'gritty' here. Maybe 'mercedes'? Luckily for us, Cottonwood, Jerome, and Flagstaff (NAU) are not far away, and each has its unique sense of place and values for you to explore. So, culture? Within driving distance!

CRIME IS LOW Not really sure about the 'crime rate' here. Our police department reports the various arrests in the twice-a-week paper (Red Rock News). Most arrests involve drugs/alchohol, periodic thefts in the stores, and unfortunately, domestic violence. Sedona is not crime-free or problem free. But residential crime does tend to be quite limited, and that is good. You learn about your neighbors here.

LIBRARY NICE Absolutely great. It's a private library, and gets most of its labor from volunteers. If you're visiting, they have computers for internet access (West Sedona, just a bit north on Dry Creek Road). I especially like the ability to reserve books at home, from any of the libraries in Yavapai County, and then pick them up at the Sedona library. Our library also has the bulk of community events ... quilt shows, holiday decorating, miniature train displays, and on and on. Recommended.

NATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT This is pretty much why MOST people visit and live in Sedona. Oak Creek is one of the most beautiful little creeks in the world. Cool and refreshing. And the Red Rocks of Sedona provide almost a mystical experience, as you try to figure out 'why'. Hiking, swimming (sort of), biking and even strolling are great, just about everywhere you turn. Plus not far away are wildernesses, the Grand Canyon and the unbelievable geology of southern Utah. Yes, Sedona is just the essense of loving nature and experiencing it. And loving it to death.

Yes, there's a constant struggle between the money-makers and the nature people. You have your 'jeep tours', helicopters, time-shares, developers and yes ... real estate agents. You have your 'dark skies' becoming not so dark, 'scenic areas' becoming not so scenic, and a 'western' reluctance to do much about it. So, you need to be prepared for a LOT of heated opinion in our itty-bitty town. People do care.

NEWSPAPERS We have our 'RED ROCK NEWS'. It's twice a week, on Wednesdays and Fridays. For such a small town, it's pretty good and oh so odd. The readers get REALLY wound up, ESPECIALLY if any non-Sedona news is included. Figure that! The editor sometimes seems to just 'loose it', thereby requiring a subsequent apology. The city leaders can do no right. And the letters to the editor typically come from the Village of Oak Creek. All the police arrests are included (in detail), which sometimes also requires the county sheriff, if Sedona's been too quiet.

'KUDOS' is mailed free to your house, weekly on Wednesdays, and is a pretty thick tabloid of up and coming arts events. Now how many little communities have something like that? Love it!

'GOOD' NEWSPAPERS. We also have our other 'free' newspapers, and they seem to be even better! Both are monthly and you pick them up near stores in Sedona usually mid-month. One gets really emotional about just about everything that might go wrong in Sedona. That's always a good read. And then there's just the opposite 'eccentric' newspaper that has trouble staying serious. That's also a good read. Now, if you're looking for discussions on social causes in Sedona, or a chance to save the world ... nah. That's Flagstaff.

SCHOOLS The SCHOOL DISTRICT here extends from the canyon, through Sedona proper, and over to the Village of Oak Creek. Pretty spread out. And since most everything 'follows the highway', access is going to be either by school bus, or your car, especially to the one high school in West Sedona. Quality is good, as you'd expect, and being in Sedona has benefits regarding art-related programs. Being a small town, kids seem to have a bigger place here (community pool, teen-center, highlights in the twice-a-week paper, etc), and even making special requests on city council nights.

COLLEGE-wise, Yavapai County Community College has a campus here in West Sedona, with a special emphasis on senior learning (wow, just in time). There's a really good opportunity for learning what you REALLY wanted when you were younger. Flagstaff, about an hour north, has Northern Arizona University, which has some great programs, especially in music, education and outdoors (geology, etc). Otherwise Phoenix (ASU) and Tucson (UA) are it.

LEARNING. In addition to 'formal' education, there's 'learning'! For whatever reason, Sedona has a LOT of experts. Retired? But virtually every week there's some kind of presentation, usually free, going on somewhere. This is one of the most enjoyable parts of living here. Personally I like geology; I get a hefty dose of learning each year. Just great.

SPIRITUALITY OK, we'll admit it. Sedona is 'new age'. But more accurately, Sedona is a major 'spirituality' place. Most visitors come here for some form of spiritual experience. True. We'd LIKE to think it's a CHRISTIAN experience. Frankly, there's two issues. One is commercialism ... much of what people see as 'new age' here is mainly a business, though interesting. If you're looking to solve a personal problem, though, be careful. Religion-wise, Sedona has quite a range of Christian offerings, and frankly is very rewarding, we think. Good for your soul. Buddhism is also strong here, and though we don't share the same beliefs, the people are both sincere and really nice!

VOLUNTEERISM That's almost as good as 'spirituality'. Sedona REALLY has a LOT of volunteers, everywhere you turn. Everything from our famous 'litter-lifters', to Chamber of Commerce helpers, librarians, animal shelter, senior center and on and on and on. Plus volunteering is pretty convenient too, since it's a small community ... just hop in your car and roll up your sleeves.!

TAXES Surprisingly, Sedona taxes aren't as high as you'd think. That's because Sedona runs on 'tourist' taxes ... no property tax. Of course you still have your state, county, education and fire district taxes. Don't worry. There's two issues here. One, the city government tends to have a 'commercial' perspective, since that's where their money comes from. As a resident, you pretty much have to 'turn up the volume', when dealing with the council. Second, all the government entities view it as their responsibility to accept as much money from you as possible. So our lovely fire department never steps back from the brink of spending every dime possible each year.

WEATHER Sedona is SUNNY most of the year, just as most communities here in Arizona. More sunny than Florida. Summertime highs reach the 100s, with evenings in the 60s. Basically from 1-4pm, it's hot. Love the mornings and evenings though. Cool and crisp. Wintertime does get down to freezing periodically, with a few light snows. These typically stick around till noon. Most of the time, though, winter is in the 50-60s. Wear a jacket.

Our hills are covered in high-desert juniper and pinon pine, and they do need their WATER. So, we love to see the rains come. In the summer, just after the 4th of July, afternoons can burst forth with heavy showers and thunder, with storms coming in from the gulf of Mexico. Again in winter beginning in December, storms show up, these from the Pacific. These periodically cause flooding along Oak Creek. So, if you buy down near the creek, ask about accessibility in the winter. True.

Most unique about Sedona is 'IN-BETWEEN'. We're between the really serious desert (Phoenix) and alpine meadows (Flagstaff and the White Mountains east of here). So, depending on the time of year, you can easily move in the direction you like. We feel like we're cattle ... up to Flagstaff in the summertime ... down to Phoenix in the winter. It's great!

FIRES. We have them. Everywhere you go, there's some sort of 'threat'. Fire is ours. So, when you buy a house, consider the possibility for fire, both for your house, and your 'view'. This is especially true, as you move 'out' away from Sedona. Oak Creek canyon is especially vulnerable, due to the winds in the canyon and steep slopes. If you like the canyon, consider 'what if'. It's beautiful, but rugged.

NOT (QUITE) SO GOOD POINTS FOR SEDONA!

AIRPORT It sits right in the MIDDLE of town. If buzzing airplanes bother you, it'd be best not to park yourself nearby. Currently most of the traffic is smaller 'buzzy' planes, one being a cute red bi-plane. But the future holds the potential for growth in noisy small jets, and the airport manager is from Chicago's Midway. Go figure.

ENVIRONMENTALISM Politically Sedona is pretty 'liberal', though nights at the Republican Men's meeting are not exactly sleepy. But 'environmentalists', we are not. The land development code encourages high energy use and high water use. Make things 'pritty'. And when we have to choose between 'development' and nature, guess our preference! So, if you're one of those 'carbon-footprint' people, Sedona's going to be a bit of a challenge for you (ok ... we DO have 'Keep Sedona Beautiful' and 'Sustainable Sedona').

FRIENDLINESS If you're from 'the south', plan on feeling 'lonely'. Sedona is the west, and the west is just a bit un-friendly. Definitely not Texas. But after you settle in, and find your place in Sedona-life, people will open up. They like friendliness, just like you. But be prepared for the businesses here ... when they are flooded with visitors, service folk sometimes get a little testy. So, have some fun ... smile and make their day!

JOBS Quite frankly, Sedona is a tourist-economy. That means a lot of low-end jobs that are difficult to fill, and few higher-end jobs. So, if you're planning a second-career here, you should think either in terms of government, real estate, commuting (a lot), or internet. Realistically, plan on 'settling down' in Sedona.

MEDICAL Getting old? Us, too! In west Sedona, we have a pretty nice medical facility (and nice people), but it's not for the truly serious stuff. For a true hospital, you either go to Cottonwood or Flagstaff, each about 30-45 minutes away. There's a continuing discussion of which hospital being the better one, but realistically, both support populations of about 50-80K in population, so that gives you a general idea of the services. For really serious support, Phoenix is it, about two hours away. Cost-wise, medical here is not cheap, but it's not sky-high either ... maybe a bit on the high-side. Ambulance service is provided by the fire-department, and is quite good, hear tell (see 'Taxes' above).

RESTAURANTS For whatever reason, Sedona is NOT known for gourmet restaurants. Our well-off residents relax at home(?), and our visitors over-whelm the restaurants down by the creek. But we do have our favorites. If you like pizza, we have several that are really good. Our Pizza Hut died here. Creek-side restaurants near Uptown are also nice during spring through fall. Well, OK ... you're pretty much just going to have to explore a little for a good meal. Try Nik's in Old-town Cottonwood ... wins the popularity contests each year in the newspaper.

SHOPPING If you're a MALL-addict, Sedona is going to be a struggle for you. Think 'Fashion Square Mall'! We have people here (mainly us women) that just HAVE to make a run to Scottsdale and recover. The Flagstaff mall is just 'ok'. Attire-wise, Sedona is certainly unique. For dress-up, you'll probably need to be at a 'high-society' event (maybe), a wedding, or a funeral (maybe). Otherwise, casual-down is it. I'm always surprised at church, one of the ushers wears shorts. And I thought our church was conservative. Oh well.

GROCERIES ETC. If you're reasonably well-off, Basha's is likely going to be your choice, along with Safeway. Sedona doesn't tax the edibles, thank goodness. Walgreens is for prescriptions etc. Most all shopping is along the strip in West Sedona. Convenient. Plan your trip to shop the right-side of SH89A first, and then the left ... it's difficult to safely cross! Now, if you're struggling (like most of us), you'll find the Walmart Supercenter in Cottonwood, along with the Home Depot, OfficeMax and so forth. Basically we use Sedona for the casual purchases, and then make the bi-weekly run down to Cottonwood or up to Flagstaff for serious purchasing. Flagstaff also has the good used bookstore near the Target.

TRAFFIC Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek sit on state highways (SH89A and SH179). This is how we get around, but also how all the visitors get around. When something 'happens', traffic comes to a GRINDING HALT. And there are FEW alternative routes. But the view is nice and your new 'fellow neighbors' are just as frustrated as you. Luckily for the residents here, ADOT is ever slowly moving back to its days of 'being nice'. It's a struggle for them.

VISITORS Locals LOVE to complain about the tourists and their latest antics. We're so amazed by people standing in the middle of a busy state highway and carefully taking a picture. Now THAT takes concentration! And trust. We kind of smile ... if Sedona weren't so beautiful, there wouldn't be visitors. So, it's kind of 'fifty-fifty'.

WATER In theory, at least, Sedona is in the desert. Yes, there's a cute creek right down the middle of Sedona, but a century ago, Phoenix grabbed the available water rights for it. So almost all our water comes from pumping out of the aquifer. And each year, the water company is constantly finding another location for a well, or expanding a current one. Growth! The community deals with this, by largely ignoring it. Santa Fe, we are not! Instead we have 'eco-tourism'.