Is Yuma, AZ A Good Place To Live?
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Arizona is a state that is filled with bright sunshine, beautiful desert scenes, and elegant houses. Yuma is one of the fastest-growing cities in Arizona, much to the delight of local authorities. Of course, if you want to get the right home for your lifestyle, it’s crucial to know what to expect. Did you ever wonder what it’s like to live in Yuma?
Yuma is a great place to live because of the climate, low housing costs, and gorgeous views. The education system in Yuma, AZ is excellent and there are many fun attractions between the wildlife, golf courses, and nightclubs. The downsides of living in Yuma include the high crime rate and congested traffic.
Moving to Yuma is generally suggested to be a good move. It’s a city that’s expanding wildly because of the sheer demand people have. Let’s discuss what this city has to offer newbies.
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Benefits of Living In Yuma, AZ
Yuma is an incredible place to live if you love life in the Southwest. People come to this city to tour it, simply because it is so beautiful. Here’s what you need to know…
Climate
Most parts of Arizona don’t have much snow, and Yuma is no different. However, Yuma does have one perk that much of the Southwest does not have. Unlike many other parts of the state, Yuma’s climate rarely ever gets too hot. Most people say that the dryness of the air makes it easier for people and animals to enjoy the weather.
Though the temperatures regularly reach 100 to 110 in the summer, the dry air makes it easier to handle. Since the climate feels very mellow, most people don’t have to worry about weather-related stress. It’s just a super sunny part of the Southwest.
Views
If nothing else, Yuma is chock-full of desert beauty. Striking mountain views, beautiful rolling desert scenes, breathtaking nature trails, and some of the most beautiful sunsets you’ve ever seen make it worth a visit. Locals are blessed to be able to see the beauty of nature’s desert goodness every single day. This is why the local parks are a smash hit!
The great views don’t just involve great nature sightings, either. The architecture here is heavily influenced by traditional Southwestern decor. This makes it a great place to be if you just love all things desert.
Attractions
Yuma is a great place to be if you want to have a nice, mellow vacation. That’s why it’s considered to be one of the best places to retire. The area is filled to the brim with beautiful parks, trails, and elegant restaurants. Among the more popular venues include the Cocopah RV & Golf Resort, the Prison Hill Brewing Company, and Colorado River State Park.
Though there are some local bars and nightlife attractions in the area, Yuma is not primarily known for these kinds of things. You can still have a night out, but seeing major headliners or going to clubs like the ones you see in movies isn’t going to happen. It’s a much more quiet type of place.
Low Housing Costs
It’s 2021, and just in case you haven’t gotten the memo, real estate is expensive. Most national averages suggest that the typical average American home costs between $220,000 to $260,000 depending on the source that you read. In Yuma, that high price tag is not going to be an issue.
The median home in Yuma, AZ will cost $143,400. This puts it in the category of super-affordable for most families. With that said, the average family income isn’t that high. The median family income is $43,998. This makes it one of the less paycheck-friendly places for people since the median family income is $61,000 nationwide.
Good Schools
While Arizona is not known for having good schools on a statewide level, Yuma seems to be breaking that tradition. Niche.com reported that the city has excellent school ratings. The site pointed out that schools have smaller class sizes, highly skilled teachers, and comprehensive curriculums. This makes it a good selection for parents who want to prep their kids for a good college.
Downsides of Living In Yuma, AZ
Yuma is one of those places that you will either love or hate. The city does have tons of perks, but it’s not perfect. These issues below might make your family rethink living here…
High Crime
Yuma, AZ has an interesting crime situation from what we’ve seen. According to statistics provided by Niche, Yuma has property crime rates that are fairly average to slightly below average. That’s fine, really. However, they do have a violent crime rate that is slightly above average. More specifically, assault and murder rates are above the norm.
With that said, these types of issues tend to arise from personal anger vendettas. Using common sense and avoiding the rough side of town will help you avoid being a victim. While researching Yuma, we also noted that this area has a higher-than-average rate of drunk driving arrests. This is never a good sign.
Racism Issues
Another issue that we found in Yuma deals with racism. While Yuma itself is a city that is highly diverse, we did overhear several major complaints about groups in Yuma behaving aggressively with both non-whites and LGBTQ individuals.
People who live in Yuma tend to find racist behavior abhorrent for the most part. However, our research still showed that racial tensions do exist. This is something we feel you need to be aware of.
Spread Out
When people think of cities, they tend to assume that there will be very little space between everything. That’s great for people who don’t have a car or need to rely on public transit. Unfortunately, Yuma is not that kind of city. At all. It’s actually one of the most widely-set cities in the Southwest. It’s not unusual for everything to have a nice spacious front lawn.
So, what does this mean for people who want to move to Yuma? More often than not, it means that a car isn’t a want. It’s a need. And, if you don’t have a car, you won’t really be able to function well. Even getting a job can be a prohibitive issue here, since most employers will require you to have a functional car to get to work.
Traffic
Yuma is a bit odd with traffic. The city rarely ever has traffic jams, despite it not having much in terms of public transit. However, traffic remains a problem. You might be wondering how that’s even possible. It all has to do with that same visually appealing look that tends to work so well with the city’s layout.
This issue that you may have as a result of the city’s layout is the driving time, especially since the public transit here is lacking. You will need to drive everywhere, and that can eat up larger portions of your day. If you tend to have extremely busy timeframes for your day-to-day life, this isn’t a good deal.
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Related Questions
Is Yuma, AZ a good place to retire?
The low housing costs and affordable healthcare make Yuma, AZ a good place to retire. Problems such as the high crime rate can dissuade some seniors from retiring in Yuma. Retirees can get the most out of their money in Yuma due to the low cost of living.
What is it like living in Yuma, AZ?
Living in Yuma offers an even mixture of relaxed suburban living and exciting city life. There are amazing views in Yuma that offer a relaxing escape and the river can help cool the area down during the summer. Yuma residents often spend lots of time commuting due to the traffic and because the city is spread out.
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Ossiana Tepfenhart is an expert writer, focusing on interior design and general home tips. Writing is her life, and it's what she does best. Her interests include art and real estate investments.
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