Category: Why Prescott?


Why Prescott? | What’s to Do? | Finding Your Home | Making the Move | Useful Numbers | Escape California | Search Site

Prescott is becoming more and more popular as America’s ultimate retirement destination. This section explains why.

Weather | Cost of Living

Awards & Recognition

Prescott is consistently listed as one of the the very best places in America to retire, best places to visit, best places to live, most charming cities, healthiest places to live, etc. etc.
Here are some notable examples…

  •  One of the Top 5 Places to Retire – Money Magazine
  •  2nd Best Place to Retire in U. S. – Smart Money / Wall St. Journal
  •  #1 in Top 25 for Clean Air – American Lung Association
  •  One of 50 Best Places to Live: The Next Great Adventure Towns – National Geographic Adventure Magazine
  •  #3 in “10 American Spots You Don’t Know About Yet, But Should” – Huffington Post
  •  #3 in Top 10 Destinations on the Rise – Trip Advisor
  •  Top 20 Medium County Hospitals – Solucient
  •  One of 7 Top Trail Towns – Trail Runner Magazine
  •  8 Cities for Golf (and much more)! – Where to Retire Magazine
  •  In Top 10 “Dream Cities” – Sunset Magazine
  •  1 of 7 Greatest Places to Live – Bottom Line
  •  One of Top 10 Most Popular Retirement Towns – TopRetirements.com
  •  One of a dozen “Distinctive Destinations” – National Trust for Historic Preservation
  •  An Emerging Art Town – American Southwest Magazine
  •  One of 100 Best Communities for Young People – American Promise
  •  Top “Green” Arizona City – Sperling’s Best Places
  •  Top 10 True Western Towns – True West Magazine
  •  #47 among Best Small Places for Business and Careers – Forbes.com
  •  Top Ten Public Spaces: #3 Courthouse Plaza – American Planning Association
  •  A Top Adventure Town – National Geographic Adventure Magazine
  •  76th of Best 100 Small Places for Business and Careers – Forbes
  •  3rd in the country (all metro areas) for job growth and economic vitality – INC. Magazine
  •  3rd Best Metro in the Country for Job Creation – Milken Institute

Vehicles

  • Motor Vehicle Registration – Registration $8.00; Air Quality $1.50; Title Fee $4.00; Total Registration: $13.50
  • Vehicle License Tax – In addition to title and registration fees, Arizona assesses a vehicle license tax in lieu of a personal property tax on all vehicles registered in the State. This is based on the manufacturer’s based retail price for the vehicle, when new, less depreciation. The value of the vehicle is decreased 40% the first year and 15% each year thereafter. You will be charged a rate of $4.00 per $100.00 of the vehicle’s taxable value in any year. This will decrease to a minimum annual charge of $10.00. Required to have an Arizona Standardized Insurance Card.

Taxes

  • State Income Taxes – Tax rate is 10% to 32% of your Federal Income Tax; For more info, click here.
  • Income Exemptions – Social Security benefits and up to $2,500 on federal, Arizona state and local government pensions are exempt.
  • Property Tax – Real property is accessed at the range of 1% – 1.5% of market value of owner occupied property. This includes State, County, Community Colleges, City and Schools. Property Tax Calculator – Here is a link to an online tax calculator you can use to estimate your property tax in Prescott…
  • Property Tax Calculator Click Here
  • Corporate Income Tax – Flat tax of 6.968%. The minimum amount collected by Arizona Corporate Income Tax is $50.00
  • Sales Tax – Arizona has a general sales tax of 5.6%. Yavapai County has a .75% sales tax, and the City of Prescott has a 2% sales tax, for a total sales tax of 8.35%
  • Homestead Exemption – Those who are disabled or whose spouse died while residing in Arizona can receive an exemption of $3,000 off assessed value. TO qualify, the full cash value of one’s home must be less that $203,860.
  • Estate Tax – None