Yuma…the place I love to hate. Its’ where you go when you can’t afford to winter in Palm Springs ( or California as a whole for that matter).
The first time we visited Yuma was a quick trip to see older
family members who wintered there. Let’s just say that I didn’t fall in love
with the place. Sure the weather was great and for those who might have grown
up on the prairies there is a lot of big sky. But I mean that’s about it. It’s
a blue collar town located in a large
expanse of flat farming land created in the middle of open desert. Approximately
nine miles from the actual city of Yuma is a long stretch of desert just off
Interstate 8. It is along this flat parched wasteland that you will find more
RV parks than you’ve ever seen in one place in your life. The majority of them
are devoid of trees and nothing more than parking stalls on grey gravel. They
will usually have a clubhouse of some description and a community pool and a
requisite plethora of seniors living in park models. God’s waiting room. I was
horrified and although we were well into our fifties at the time all I could
think was there is NO WAY that we are old enough to be HERE!!!!!!
And beyond that, why? What’s the draw? What do they do all
day? Why are these hundreds of parks full? Is this really what my retirement
dream of going south for the winter is going to look like? Is this what it’s
really going to come down to?
Time to face facts
I’ll admit straight off that I was quick to judge Yuma and
to judge it very harshly without ever having spent more than a few days
there. I believe that having lived most
of my adult life on the coast in the Pacific Northwest the stark contrast
between the two regions was jarring. And I was also perhaps a wee bit afraid to
face the reality that although I didn’t believe we were old enough for Yuma yet
we weren’t exactly far from it. I was still thinking that retirement was going
to magically present itself as a vacation that never ends and not really yet
willing to consider it as a lifestyle change that would require some fiscal
restraint or worse yet, some hard choices. You know, the old “if we want to choose
that then we have to do this”.
And so it was time to start looking for the answers to some
of my questions….
Why Yuma?
It was pretty evident by the sheer number of snowbirds and
retirees in winter residence that many people thought Yuma a perfect choice.
Here are some reasons why
Climate
Although sweltering in the summer Yuma remains the sunniest,
driest and warmest place in the continental US through the winter months,
warmer than Las Vegas, warmer than Lake Havasu, warmer than Laughlin, warmer
than Blythe or Needles or Quartzite or Parker or Palm Springs or Phoenix and
sunnier than all of those places too.
Add to that low humidity and next to no bugs (thinking mosquitoes and
sandflies here) to disrupt your time outdoors – Yep, these are good things!
Affordability
Yuma truly has something for every budget in terms of
accommodation options and remains highly affordable. In places like Palm Springs you will
certainly pay two to three times and more for your monthly pad rentals. Now
this is no small thing for those living on fixed incomes as well as for those
whose country’s dollar is below the US greenback. And basic necessities like
groceries and gasoline are significantly cheaper than in neighbouring
California. Even activities such as golf are way below the cost of Phoenix or
Palm Springs. Yuma is certainly no rival in terms of golf course selection but
it is accessible and affordable.
In addition to the affordability of day to day and
recreational activities there is the added bonus of being able to access Los
Algodones on the Mexican border for extremely affordable dental, optical and
medical and prescription drug services. It is only a fifteen minute drive from
Yuma to where you can park your car and walk into Mexico and avail yourself of
these first class services. We’re talking $25 for a teeth cleaning and $150 for
two pairs of progressives with an eye exam people! How great is that on a tight
budget?
Central location
Yuma is pretty easy to get to and certainly within range of
several other destinations if you want to do some exploring. It is about three
hours to Phoenix, two hours to Palm Springs, two hours to Parker, two hours to
San Diego, three and a half to Laughlin and five to Las Vegas. And although
there is no doubt about the fact that you are in the desert there are several
lakes within a 30 minute drive and the mighty Colorado River is close at hand
so there is no real reason to feel land locked.
What do people do here all day?
The bigger question is what don’t people do here all day?
Virtually every RV community here has a laundry list of classes and activities
scheduled daily to suit pretty much any interest you might have. There are
fitness classes, yoga, shuffleboard, pickle ball, tennis, golf, horseshoes,
swimming, aqua fit, Zumba, Spanish classes, woodworking, lapidary, pottery,
quilting, painting, photography, cycling or hiking, billiards, poker, cribbage,
bunco, bingo, line dancing, concerts, dances, car shows, air shows, burger
bashes and parades. This is by no means a complete list. If you’re bored it is
most certainly by choice.
Why are these hundreds of parks full?
These parks are full of folks from all over the US as well
as Canada. Many if not most have tried travelling about looking for the best
place to spend their retirement years. Gosh people here have been full timing
since before it was ever a thing. And they have all discovered that Yuma ticks
off more boxes than most any other first world location available to them. Then
after spending a busy and affordable season in a community with great weather
meeting likeminded people and making friends, well why wouldn’t they all come
back?
Is this really what my retirement dream is going to look like?
Well now that is still a big question for me, and if you’re
still with me it’s probably a big question for you too. I can’t honestly say
that I started out thinking that Yuma was gonna be “it “. I’m still not sure
that we will always come here. But what I have discovered is that there are
many things that I really do like about being here. And I’ve also discovered
that Yuma is the main reason we have been able to afford to both spend the
winter south yet still be able to travel further afield and slowly explore more
exotic locations. It is extremely easy to get to Phoenix or other hubs from
here for international flights. And when we are here I know we can take full advantage
of the many classes and activities on offer and it is really wonderful to
reconnect in the fall with friends met in previous seasons. It really is a
pretty good fit for us and our current lifestyle. So I have to say that in
spite of my early misgivings we are quite happy here and I would definitely
recommend Yuma to those seeking an affordable alternative. And you just know I
gotta say that our experiences here have really reinforced our overall theory
of taking your time to get to know a place and the people within that place. You
just might end up liking that place you love to hate!
