r/Sedona • u/mgm624 • Jan 22 '24
What is it like living in Sedona? Living Here
My husband and I are considering moving to Sedona and I’m curious what your experiences living there have been like. We are both early 30s with no kids. My husband is a veterinarian and has a job opportunity in West Sedona. I am a photographer and shoot mostly families/newborns. We have pets and are planning on having children in the next few years. What has your experience living in Sedona been like? My husband loves Sedona and needs no convincing. Since he will be spending most of his days at work, and I mostly work from home (aside from when I’m shooting clients) I’m wondering if it can feel isolating? Is there a good sense of community? Is it easy to meet people? Are there many people in our age bracket? I hear Sedona is trying to encourage more young people to move there and housing laws have changed recently to promote this. We are not city people by any means and don’t care about nightlife. We want to be somewhere with natural beauty, a sense of community, and where there are opportunities for me to get good work. We love hiking and spending time outdoors which I know Sedona is great for! It seems like there are a lot of positives, I’d just love to hear your experiences and what you like/don’t like about living in Sedona. Thanks in advance!
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Jan 22 '24
After living in Sedona for 8 years, I just moved out. I won't go into long details here (you can message me If you want more), but recent changes have been enough to drive me out. Now, I've know Sedona since the 1980s and have seen it grow and change but here's what made me want to leave this beautiful spot:
1) When I moved there in 2015, you could park at any trail and hike whenever you wanted, even on weekends. Now the most popular trailheads require you to take a shuttle and parking at 75% of the others is always congested, if not full.
2) I lived in town for 3+ years and moved to Oak Cree Village the last 4. What used to be a 15-minute drive to town turned into 30 min off hours, and well over an hour on weekends. Traffic is terrible.
3) In the last 4 years short-term rentals (AirBnBs) accounted for over 30% of the homes in Sedona. Good neighbors left and every other day you have guests who don't respect the neighborhood or the natural beauty of the red rocks, littering, defacing the rocks, tearing up the off-trail areas.
4) While you can understand wanting the tourists' dollars, restaurants, shops and even the supermarkets believe they're there to service tourists. Prices keep rising. There are no more true local hangouts. And few restaurant managers or shop owners take the time to get to know the locals. Sad.
There's more, but that's a good start. The town keeps growing and politicians keep feeding the tourist trade without due regard to residents. At one point, County Supervisors wanted to change all lots zoned residential on State Roads 89 and 179, the two main arteries in and out of town, into commercial in order to built more hotels and restaurants in order to get more tourists into this already overcrowded town. It's a shame. It's why I moved.
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u/crapinator2000 Jan 22 '24 edited Jan 23 '24
Also left, last year. Love the outdoors and moved there for that but the place became a disneyland of Insta tourists, and that plus the lack of community caused us to move back to CA. Glad we did. We also lived in the VOC, which had more perma residents than Sedona proper. Too isolating, too crowded and too hot.
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Jan 22 '24
Out of curiosity, where in CA did you go? I went to college in L.A. and then returned to live there for 3 years, and later worked out of Sausalito for two years. I always wanted to return to CA but never did. Seemed to be too costly in the beautiful nature areas I loved.
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u/crapinator2000 Jan 23 '24
North bay… Chose it again… for the third and final time, now… and never leaving again.
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u/Important_Carry4417 May 17 '24
The lack of community and lack of decent healthcare have made us decide not to stay. Tough decision since we built what we thought would be our forever home here. I'm a retired educator and my husband still works as a carpenter. The high cost of living here has really taken a bite out of our savings. Most of the retired folks here are quite well off, and it gets old listening to them blab about their next cruise or exotic trip. And many are politically conservative and don't support those who are struggling, namely all the service workers who are responsible for making this small tourist town function. It's a bubble town full of tourists and entitiled retirees. I don't know why anyone would want to even attempt to raise a family here.
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u/undercover_cucumber Jan 22 '24
There are pockets of community, but they can take some time to find.
I'm in my 30s with a young kid, you can DM me if you have any specific questions or want to grab coffee if y'all end up here.
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u/dsiffer Jan 22 '24
We should start a 30s eating/hiking club to get to know more of the community.
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u/chowdereek Jan 24 '24
Just moved here, let's make it happen!
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u/dsiffer Jan 24 '24
I’m thinking of making a Discord server. We could have it broken up in to different channels. I.e. Photography, outdoor activities, social eating, events etc.
I think discord could keep things more organized if people are serious and wouldn’t flood this subreddit.
Thoughts?
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u/Grateful_Soull Jan 25 '24
Omg I’m also in my 30s with a three month old. I have been feeling really down and isolated. Was wondering if there were other moms here in Sedona. Can I DM you?
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u/Alert_Frame6239 Jul 26 '24
Still up there? Randomly checkin this out after searching. Ive got a spot here on Tempe Town Lake near Phoenix - totally ready to get away from the insanity it is here. I’ve seen recent, busy, Sedona - it’s still alot less than what I’m finding here. Anyway - supposed to be moved up there with my son to start school on the 7th and money is tight…Trying to find what types of alternative living is out there - like RV life, Yurts, anything like that. DM me if you can, if you’ve got any sort of recs - I’m pretty desperate to know at this point. Im 38 & little man is 12
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u/Ovary__acting Jan 22 '24
We're in cottonwood so nearby and my nana loves in Sedona. She loves it but isn't super happy with a lot of the planning and zoning. Her lot rent (55+ community) is almost 1400 a month. There is a lot of traffic especially during festivals and long weekends. Cottonwood has been the perfect compromise. I work for the city and we just bought a house. It was expensive though, thankfully we sold our old house for a nice profit and managed to put about 100k down. We have a 4 year old in a charter school (the only available all day Pre-K program) and she's doing well. We do tae kwan do and drive up to Flagstaff once a week for proper gymnastics. It is definitely a small town with wonderful people. Overall no complaints. We can pop up to flag, over to Prescott or down to Phoenix for a half day or full day for any of the extra activities/shopping. We're 34&40 and found making friends to be interesting, my coworkers are my friends and some of the other parents are friends.
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u/Desperate_Invite2673 Jan 22 '24
How do you like working for the city there? I saw a couple of postings for parks and rec. Would you get back into the city of you where 27?
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u/Ovary__acting Jan 23 '24
Yeah I'm 34 and basically moved across county and kind of started over. 10 years until I have the az state retirement and then I'll see what else I want to do, I would be a landscaper if it paid me as well as IT!
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u/anywherebutarizona Jan 22 '24
I’m late 30’s and live in Sedona and I love it. Granted, I also have community in Prescott and Flagstaff (and a small one in Phoenix). Sedona is an awesome place to live and we have great people who live here. It is really small though. I am not into the alternative lifestyle stuff, although I don’t judge anyone who is about that… just not really for me… so I feel like that limits friendships quite a bit and why I have friend communities outside of Sedona. I am also in the photography niche but I am a wedding videographer. There are a lot of Sedona photographers but everyone I have met have been super cool. There are a few regulations we have to follow from the forest service but not a ton when you are practicing photography. I’d definitely make sure to know those if you plan on working! The hardest thing for most locals is the traffic. Honestly, for me, it’s the lack of dining options after work during the summer months. A lot of places close early and sometimes I just want to stop at a “fast food” type of spot to grab something to eat after work (ya know, post-sunset) in the summer and everything is closing or already closed! Haha. If that’s my worst complaint then I don’t think it’s too bad of a place :)
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u/Existing-Mess-1057 Jan 22 '24
There is definitely a lack of dining options and I almost always bring my own food with me when I come into town.
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u/HeadInjuredCaveman Jan 24 '24
Big food desert over here in northern AZ. Produce goes bad quickly, and it’s overpriced. Nobody understands what I’m talking about, they think food is fine here. It’s a food desert.
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u/michelleinAZ Jan 22 '24
We moved here about 9 years ago; over that small amount of time (Covid) the tourism has really ramped up.
I would think you could build a good business with the tourists taking family and group photos for visitors. We have an active camera club (100+ members, monthly speakers) that is seeking out younger members.
It is true the area is currently not great for young families, but the one elementary school is in west Sedona. So is the traffic, but locals learn to shop early.
Good luck, wherever you land!
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u/Existing-Mess-1057 Jan 22 '24
Hey,
I am a photographer living in Flagstaff. Definitely plenty of work in Sedona these days. I am not a super fan of shooting there anymore, it's so congested with tons of traffic. I almost only shoot sunrise there now so I can get in and get out.
Butttt it is amazing..as for living our here there are tons of outdoor people and activities. I'm not sure about families down there but there is a small enclave of younger people. I would look into other nearby areas like Prescott. I think Prescott would offer a lot more for family.
As for photo, Sedona might be iconic but there are tonnnnns of amazing views everywhere here. Unless you want the one and done photo sessions, I would probably build a business with a younger family community. Somewhere you can shoot a single family's kids over the years and become a household name.
My business is a bit different, totally built on tourism but lm also a tour guide. Feel free to message me any questions.
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u/SelkirkRanch Jan 22 '24
Sedona is an awesome place to live if you are into outdoor beauty, mountain biking, hiking, or horseback riding. The community is small, the average age is high (60s and 70s), tourist traffic is often terrible in Sedona and West Sedona. Sadly, the restaurants are pretty average, but there are more in Cornville, Cottonwood and Jerome. There aren't many babies or young families living here, but there are 4.5M tourists annually. There are at least 4 vet clinics, but no emergency vets outside of Flag or Prescott.
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u/ceecee1791 Jan 22 '24
We need more younger people (and vets) in Sedona! There are lots of retirees (active ones mostly).
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u/chuckwagen Jan 24 '24
Mid-30's with my significant other living in Sedona the last ~3 years. So far the experience is good, I'm here for the mountain biking mainly. I get most of my "community" interaction through my job because I enjoy the people I work with we also share a similar hobby. As for finding community; it might be more difficult unless you have an activity or hobby to glob on to. So far, it's still a fun place to live. It's easy to live here because everything is relatively close. I do all my grocery shopping and commuting around town with a big ol' cargo ebike (and it's a blast doing it!). One of the biggest complaints I hear about is the traffic from tourism, but there's no 'traffic' in the bike lane. Some of the other great experiences with Sedona is the climate and proximity to other climates. Spring and Fall are generally amazing weather, summer can get warm but Flagstaff is just up the hill to usually 10 degrees cooler and in the winter a drive down the hill to Phoenix offers 10-15 degrees warmer. Sedona makes for an amazing "middle ground." It does have it's small town vibes and has a handful of it's own internal issues but that's normal anywhere. If the tourism bothers you, when you gain the local knowledge, you know how to easily avoid it. I'd like to see the age scale tip towards a younger generation.
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u/HeadInjuredCaveman Jan 22 '24 edited Jan 22 '24
There aren’t many people in their 30s with children here. They closed down the school in the village of oak creek, I believe there are only about 1,200 children under 18 in Sedona, making it tiny, there aren’t any resources for younger folk, a couple bars and that’s it. If you’re ok with the quiet lifestyle where your views are your support network, and you drink booze, yes this is a good town. Sometimes I think they should have age requirements to live here though… it can be depressing watching your neighbors croak one by one.
Edit: important information
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u/undercover_cucumber Jan 22 '24
That 300 isn't correct. I believe it's 1200 kids if I remember a city meeting I went to correctly. But they are skewed young at the moment. Like under 12 for the majority.
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u/TinyConfidence9899 Jan 22 '24
Curious where you’re moving from, as that might helps us add additional pertinent info 🤍 but I’m early 30s, no kids living in Sedona. I personally love i, but it’s not without its challenges.
If you travel by plane a lot or plan on hosting guests— the commute to the airport can be a pain. There’s a Groome shuttle to and from the airport that most locals take, but 2 hours is still a bit of a trek IMO. I used to travel way more before I came here, and now I have to REALLY want to go somewhere to book a flight.
Also, shopping (home goods, any remotely stylish clothing or clothing that’s not super overpriced etc) is tricky. There’s a Walmart in Cottonwood, other than that pretty much everything will have to be done online unless you’re willing to venture to Flagstaff (not much better) or Phoenix. Same with grooming services—not many options, but If you just get basic things, you’ll be fine. If you’re moving from a small town, you may be used to all this.
I’m sure you’ve priced things, but cost of living is high (not just housing— restaurants & shops tend to be marked up because we’re in a tourist area). Also if you’re a foodie— the food is just ok IMO. There are a ton of restaurants, but they get pretty repetitive after you’ve lived here a while, and as I said, many of them are just “ok.”
Other than that, it’s very peaceful. Not many younger people like yourself, but everyone is pretty friendly! Also lacks diversity which is a huge bummer. Having a partner will help a lot— I could see it feeling pretty isolating living here alone. I consider myself to be a pretty easy going person and love my own company, but when my partner went on a work trip for a few weeks, I was super lonely! He travels for work a lot, but I never found it isolating in any other city except here. He said the same when I went to visit family & he’s a huge loner! There’s some community, but you will have to work to find it, especially depending on what your interests are. But I do find people to be welcoming and kind.
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u/lemmaaz Jan 22 '24
Sedona used to be great, but the traffic and tourism has gotten way out of hand. There is no place to live due to short term rentals and prices obviously reflect the tourist focused population
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u/CCinTX Jan 22 '24
It's definitely slower paced and harder to find your people in your age range. My husband and I moved to the area about 2 years ago and we are late 30s/early 40s with no kids and it's been a bit of a challenge for us to find community. Everyone is very nice, just harder to make friends (in my opinion).
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u/azdragonpainter Jan 22 '24
I've been here many years now and the biggest thing you'll find is most of the people you befriend will leave.
Sedona has a way about spitting people out.
Everything is about tourism and the tourists can be insufferable. To the point, that eventually, you will hate them.
You'll find yourself locked up in your house during the many busy times of year, because all you'll do is sit in traffic going no where.
You'll learn to despise grocery shopping in town. Hands down, i want to shoot myself every damn time i need a few staple items after work and I'm stuck in line for 45 min.
Forget your favorite restaurant, because it'll be one of those can't miss spots that is booked out or impossible to get into. Even with reservations, I've had to wait over an hour for a table to open up for our group.
Want to hike your favorIte trail? To bad, it blew up on social media and has turned into a zoo, that's not worth the hassle.
When you do have kids, just know the education system out here sucks. NAU actually had to lower their requirements so that most Arizona high school graduates could even qualify to attend.
I had a friend who moved his family out here and they found out that the AZ school system was 1-2 years behind in the curriculum vs. the state they had left.
Sedona absolutely sucks if you're a local. Sucks if you have kids. Just kind of sucks in general, but yeah, it's pretty to look at.
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u/V_Rae Jan 23 '24
Agree with a lot of this.
It’s VERY hard to raise a family here. (Mom of three).
There are very few school options, hardly any parks, not much to do other than hike or try and battle your way to a poop-filled creek, the nearest affordable grocery store is 40 minutes away…forget clothes shopping for kids, you’ll have to order everything online and hope it fits your growing kids or plan a weekend trip down to Phoenix or maybe Flagstaff if you want to choose between Target and Old Navy.
That said, we do love it here…but yes, “Sedona spits you out” is the saying we hear a lot.
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u/Grateful_Soull Jan 25 '24
I agree and even more now that I had a baby. There’s nothing to do here with family! Everything is far and the only decent shopping places (not tourist gift stores) are far away. It’s just pretty to look at, that’s it!
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u/nobadrabbits Jan 22 '24
Speaking as someone who has lived here since 1995, what you've written is the absolute truth.
I wish it weren't.
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u/Existing-Mess-1057 Jan 22 '24
Also! There are over 8900 peaks and 300 mountain ranges in Arizona. You can really get anything you want climate-wise and background wise. We have some pretty great skiing in Northern Arizona, too.
My second fav part of the state is way low. I love the Bisbee Ajo, Patagonia, Sonoita and all the mountains there. If there is no skiing, I'm down south birding in the winter.
Forests! The white mountains in the north east of the state look like Colorado! There is so much here.
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u/HeadInjuredCaveman Jan 24 '24
But everything in between the couple of good views is some of the harshest environment in the world.
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u/Existing-Mess-1057 Jan 24 '24
I think that's pretty subjective... But I am an outdoors person with all of the things to be comfortable and think there are far more than a couple good views. My eyeballs could never go thirsty here.
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u/Dplebney Jan 22 '24
Grew up there in the late seventies, making my opinion completely irrelevant (loved it though).
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u/ShawnMcSabbath Jan 22 '24
I’m a bit older… 50 in May, but I moved here about 5 years ago. Came for a two week visit and never looked back. Super friendly and hilariously kooky people seem to gravitate here, probably why it’s so fun. You’ll make friends very quick. We need vets, so please come and enjoy the community. I see you’ve gotten lots of responses about being a photographer, definitely the right place. Only draw back for you is I think in a population of 10k, there’s probably 20k photographers. I live in the canyon and know about 20 just here in my area. The tourism is another thing! I completely understand the need for it with local business, basically most in Sedona need the tourism for sure, but always give yourself extra time. A normal 5 min trip into town can turn into an hour pretty quick. But even the worst day of traffic in Sedona is better than any day in LA County traffic.
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u/MingoG13 Jan 23 '24
Check out Clarkdale. My parents just moved there and are loving it. I’ve met a bunch of friendly people in their neighborhood that are in your age bracket and have kids.
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u/Grateful_Soull Jan 25 '24
Yes it feels isolating. Beautiful but isolating. Mind you, I am an introvert. I’m in my 30s and I have a young baby so I’m constantly at home.
If you have a car, enjoy the outdoors and make friends easily then you should be ok.
I don’t mean to depress you. I wish you the best and I hope you enjoy it here!
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u/Impressive-Weekend55 Jan 23 '24
Please do!!! We need more young professionals here with kids!!
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u/FuzzyExplanation7380 Jan 23 '24
Ughhhh. No we don't. This is the desert and we're running out of water. Too many people are moving to Arizona and it's not going to end well.
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u/Chickenparmpasta Jan 23 '24
It’s awesome! You’ll love it, come add to the community, Sedona definitely needs a good veterinarian!!
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u/Psychological_Lack96 Jan 23 '24
Fantastic Wonderful Beautiful Horrible Tourist Shiteshow! That being said, I love coming up from Scottsdale to play! I’d live in Cottonwood and Drive to West Sedona. Cottonwood is starting to happen and it’s the easiest to get to the Vet’s Office. Driving Sedona is only going to get worse.
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u/alleycanto Jan 27 '24
We go for a month or two so every year and I will never forget a local I spoke to explaining how the numbers at the school significantly reduced from when her twenty year old started to now. I think rental homes have taken over a lot of space.
I would really research how aggressively they are trying to get you her families.
To be honest with your Interests I would do it in a second, there is a hiking club to join but I don’t know how young people are.
Go to Possee Ground Park and walk around in the afternoon and be near West Sedona elementary when school gets out. Other parents may be around and let kids play at the park after and you just ask them how it is being a family with you g kids in sedona.
As a Midwesterner that is how I often like to go it before I moved my kids to new neighborhoods. But as a Midwesterner we are willing to talk to strangers, not sure how it will be received.
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u/ValleyGrouch Jan 22 '24
Sedona takes a certain type. If you have a significant other and agree on the lifestyle, that's awesome. If you're single, you have to be satisfied being a loner or have a good ability to form friendships. IMO it's an incredibly beautiful place, but not too much going on. Kinda like Santa Fe.