What Are The Pros And Cons Of Living In Green Valley, AZ?

Green Valley is one of those cities whose name sounds totally idyllic, and to a point, has that ambiance too. As one of Arizona’s most rapidly expanding towns, it’s easy to get caught up in the rush towards moving here. However, this isn’t always a good idea. This is a city that definitely has its own niche lifestyle. If you want to move here, it’s a good idea to get a better grip on the town’s ups and downs.

Green Valley is a primarily white-collar town that has an excellent economy, low crime rate, low housing prices, and plenty of physicians. However, a very high median age, dwindling entertainment options, and lack of diversity often leaves people with a foul taste in their mouth.

Most people in Arizona recognize Green Valley as one of the best places to retire, but living there as a younger person might not be for you. This guide will give you the snapshot you need to make the best decision for you.

This is a very unusual town when it comes to the workforce. The vast majority of people who work (aka, not retired) find their jobs in math and tech. So, this is like a sleepy town version of Silicon Valley in that respect. The median household income is $49,147—around $10,000 less than the nation’s median. However, this shouldn’t dissuade you from coming here. The income matches the cost of living.

Moreover, many of the incomes around Green Valley are not based within the area. Around 15 percent of the locals work from home, making this one of the most home-based work areas we’ve seen. The current unemployment is around 6.7 percent, so chances are that you will be able to find a job soon enough.

Arizona is above average when it comes to criminal activity, but you would never guess it if you took a look at Green Valley. The crime rate here is not high at all. The violent crime rate, is 0.75 per 1000 residents. The property crime rate hovers around 14.17 per 1000 people, which is still below the national median.

With that said, around 41 percent of all American cities are less safe than this one. This means that Green Valley is fairly middle of the road. The most common issues include assault and theft.

If there is one thing that we can all agree on, it’s that having a low housing price is unique in the nation today. This is actually one of the best reasons to move to Green Valley. The median house price is placed between $175,400 and $243,000 depending on the source that you research. (Niche, which is more reliable, puts it at the lower end of the spectrum.)

With that said, it’s possible to find housing far below the norm. If you prefer to rent, you’ll be happy to know that the median rent is $700 per month. The only issue that people really seem to have with living in Green Valley are the HOAs. Homeowners Associations can get pretty draconian here.

Finding quality healthcare can be fairly difficult in many parts of the country, but not here. Green Valley is one of the best places for people who want to have a wide range of different physicians. Due to the high number of retirees, many doctors have chosen this area as a place for their practice. This makes it a great place to go if you want to make sure that your medical conditions get treated on the regular.

With that said, many people find that the specialists here also tend to be pretty well-versed in Medicaid and Medicare. So, don’t worry about having to deal with too much red tape. The practices here understand the hurdles better than most others.

When people move to an area, they tend to want to be around people of their own age. Unfortunately, this is not a good place for youthful people who want to get a slice of the liveliness that people adore. The median age here is 72.3 years old. No, that’s not a typo. There really are that many retirees living here, and it’s really that old a crowd.

While people who are in the golden years of their lives tend to love that little tidbit, the youth of this area do not. Many of the younger people who have moved here claim they tend to feel a little “outcasted” by the older crowd. Some even go so far as to mention that they are outright pressured to leave. It’s not a good look.

Green Valley is a quiet town, and that means that the entertainment options that they have are also quiet. This means that the majority of the entertainment options that you will have will be parks and small recreational centers. While there are some restaurants and a couple of meetup groups, the truth is that it’s mostly meant to be a quiet and simple way of enjoying yourself.

The number of places that are reserved for kids is minimal. If you were hoping for wild and boisterous venues, crazy concerts, and a wide range of different entertainment venues, this is not the place for you. You would, in fact, be forgiven for being bored. If you’re open to going out of town for fun, then you’re fine. Otherwise, it’ll be a bit bad here.

It’s no surprise that Surprise, Arizona is a good place to live.

Diversity is incredibly important, and not just because of the way that it impacts a city’s political scene. This is a trait that helps ensure that people will feel welcome and that you will be able to enjoy a wide range of different cultures. Unfortunately, Green Valley is not diverse. In fact, it is one of the least diverse cities we’ve seen as far as our studies on different cities go.

Around 92 percent of the Green Valley population is white, non-Hispanic. This means that it is incredibly non-diverse, especially when you take into consideration the fact that the ages skew so heavily into the elderly demographic. To make matters worse, most people who are young all work in the same field.

Needless to say, this is a place where many people would undoubtedly end up feeling somewhat excluded due to the issues that the demographics pose. This is one of those places where we strongly encourage meeting people before you move there. It’ll be a good way to gauge how well you will jive with the typical groups here.

Related Questions

How educated are the people in Green Valley, AZ?

Green Valley is one of the most educated towns of its size in all of Arizona. 33 percent of the city has at least some college, another 24 percent have a Bachelor’s degree, and another 18 percent have a Master’s degree. While there are occasionally people who have degrees in the humanities, the truth is that this is a remarkably STEM-heavy city.Despite many of the people that are educated in Green Valley, it’s worth noting that Niche rated the local school systems as a C+. This means that the school systems are fairly average when compared to the rest of the nation.

How tough are the HOAs in Green Valley, AZ?

It depends. While some homeowner’s associations are known for being really lax, the truth is that Green Valley still has a pretty bad reputation with HOAs. Due to the fact that many people are older, they tend to take a particularly strong level of pride in their homes. As a result, many younger groups tend to find HOAs draconian here.During our investigation, we noticed that there were several reviews of Green Valley that said issues with the HOA was reason enough to drive people out of a neighborhood. That’s a pretty bad sign.

Is Green Valley officially a retirement community?

While it is considered to be one of the best places to retire in Arizona, the truth is that Green Valley has yet to be an official retirement community. So if you are over the age of 55, you’ll be welcomed. However, if you are under 55, you won’t be asked to leave. There are no rules or laws that will change whether or not you can move into the city.