Escape to Sunny Scottsdale…A Californian’s Retirement Dream

With the housing crunch in full swing in California and many of my friends nearing retirement age, I am hearing lots of dreaming going on.  Arizona is a prime place for many former “techies” to relocate to, thanks to great weather, lower property values, beautiful mountains and an almost endless stream of golf courses to play.

As I write this post, I am sitting in the Scottsdale Resort and Athletic Club – looking out at Camelback Mountain and enough saguaro cactii to populate an entire spaghetti Western.   It is peaceful, all the buildings are new, and I had no trouble finding a healthy yet inexpensive place to eat dinner (China Lite – a no MSG, low oil and all natural ingredient Chinese restaurant).   The terrain is rugged, yet friendly to those who seem hardy enough to conquer its challenges. 

As this is a resort town, the property values for newer homes are dramatically higher than for older, resale homes.   The median price for resale homes right now in Scottsdale is $595K for a 2,295 square foot home ( in comparison, the median price in 2005 was $525K).    Nearby Paradise Valley, with lots of new upscale homes, in contrast has a median home price of $1.656M.

Although I dearly love California, I must say that living in a place that has no earthquakes, no tornados, no hurricanes, no grass to mow and is only one hour away from good skiing is mighty tempting.  I may consider coming here myself when the hustle and bustle of Silicon Valley doesn’t fit my lifestyle needs any more.   The only real downside is the heat, which could be a bit daunting for those of us who run for cover when the thermometer hits triple digits.