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Guide to Arizona

Introduction

Property in US has always been popular with British buyers, and despite the current economic turmoil that has signaled the end of the decade-long housing boom, Brits are looking to buy in America in ever greater numbers. In fact, given the current strength of Sterling against the US Dollar and the fact that property developers are offering some great deals just to be able to sell properties, there has rarely been a better time to buy in the US.

Arizona, one of the Four Corner states, has recently come to the attention of more UK property buyers since the introduction of direct flights from London. The state which is home to the Grand Canyon has also become something of a destination for those tourists and property buyers seeking to get out on the golf courses that are springing up across the state.

The region

Arizona lies in the south-western corner of the United States, bordering Mexico to the south and New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and California on the American side of the border. It is currently the fastest-growing state in the US in terms of population.

The attractions of Arizona as a destination for British buyers are the hot and dry summers and mild winters of the area, along with the spectacular scenery across the state, which ranges from the awesome Grand Canyon and pine-covered forests and hills of the north, to the forests, parks, monuments and Native American reservations that are spread across the rest of the state.

As a large part of Arizona consists of desert, the distribution of the population within the state and the main centres of commerce and government are clustered in one area. The state capital, Phoenix, sits in the middle of Arizona, and is closely surrounded by some of the other major towns in the state. Glendale, Tempe, Mesa and Scottsdale are all closely-packed around Phoenix making up one large concentration of population, as well as commerce and government functions. The other major towns in Arizona are Flagstaff to the north, the closest major town to the Grand Canyon, and Tucson to the south.

Some of the curiosities of Arizona are the Barringer Meteorite Crater, one of the best known and most well-preserved meteorite impact sites in the world, measuring nearly a mile wide and 570 feet (174 metres) deep. Also of interest is the Pinal Airpark just outside Marana – an airfield that is used primarily in recent years as a ‘boneyard’ for commercial and military aircraft that have been taken out of service, providing a spectacular backdrop for tourists and a set for filmmakers.

However, one of the main attractions of coming to Arizona to buy a property is the profusion of golf courses. There are now over 300 courses in the state, and over 170 of them are based around the town of Scottsdale in the desert of Arizona. Scottsdale is a young town in beautiful desert surroundings – if you manage to drag yourself away from the finest courses in the region, the mountains and parks which line the Salt River provide spectacular backdrop for hot air ballooning, kayaking, walking, climbing and horse riding.

Fountain Hills, to the east of Scottsdale along the Salt River is also surrounded by golf courses. Along with the towering hills and mountains, this is one of the top adventure sports destinations in this part of the US, and one of the best places for the active traveller in Arizona.

Perhaps the one thing that you would not expect to find in Arizona is ski resorts, but there are some dotted around. Flagstaff is situated in the forested mountains of Arizona, and is said to have some of the best beginners ski slopes to be found anywhere in the south west of the US.

Climate

Arizona has some the widest variations in elevation of any state in the US, and therefore has a wide variety of localized climate conditions. Summers are hot and dry, and can reach temperatures exceeding 52 degrees C (125 degrees F). Winter temperatures across the majority of the state are also consistently higher that in the UK, and can reach up to 24 degrees C (75 degrees F).

There are two significant rainy seasons a year – a winter period when cold fronts come in from the Pacific, and a summer monsoon season towards the end of July and August, which is characterized by heavy downpours and torrential rains.

The northern third of Arizona is significantly higher in altitude than the rest of the state, and frosts are not uncommon here. In fact, higher parts of the state can become bitterly cold with cold air systems from Canada pushing into the state. Bizarrely, Arizona has both the town in the US with the most days over 100 degrees F (Phoenix) and one of the coldest in the country (Flagstaff).

More pages

Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: Getting there

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