You've already heard about the natural beauty of Sedona, the wonderful climate complete with four seasons, and that Sedona was chosen by popular media as the #1 most beautiful place in America to live. You may not know that Sedona is land-locked, surrounded on all sides by National Forest, with the price of real estate reflecting that there isn't much private, developable land left. This is a large part of the reason that the price of Sedona’s paradise keeps rising.
The quality of life in Sedona is excellent. Currently there are approximately 18,000 residents within the major Sedona area. This includes the actual land within the Sedona city limits in addition to the Village of Oak Creek, Oak Creek Canyon, and the lower Red Rock Loop Road area. When all the private land is developed there will be less than 20,000 residents within the city limits and probably only 30,000 within this total area of approximately 200 square miles. The surrounding Coconino National Forest and Arizona state lands create a natural buffer that will keep Sedona uniquely insulated. The present annual visitor population is estimated to be between 4 million and 7 million people. Traffic studies conducted five years ago by ADOT tracked over 30,000 vehicles in 24 hours passing through the “Y” Uptown at the junction of Hwy 179 and Hwy 89A. Though many were local vehicles the numbers are impressive.
Living in Sedona is stimulating and wonderful. I came to town when the first section of Tlaquepaque had just been open for about a year and there were no stoplights in the entire Verde Valley. The “Y” was a stop sign and 89A had two lanes with dirt shoulders. In my view the ensuing growth has not really been a problem because I still can walk a short distance from my home, enter National Forest, and within a few minutes be sitting alone in the Red Rocks. A 20-25 minute drive can place me even deeper into Dry Creek basin where quickly I can be hiking in the Red Rock Secret Canyon Wilderness, surrounded by towering cliffs and dense greenery. The area around Sedona is magical.
There is an exceptional array of homes and properties within Sedona’s environs. From single-wide trailers to gated communities, the choices are seemingly limitless. Your future dream home? Just drive around town and you’re bound to find more than one property that perfectly fits the bill. And if you have the means to build your own, there are many talented architects, builders, and interior designers available to help you materialize your concept on any number of locations. Whether your dream location includes creek frontage, narrow canyons and cliffs, high perches with spectacular panoramas, or a short walk from Uptown, there are many choices in every category and some locations that include more than one distinctive characteristic.
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