Prescott residents are so accustomed to earning accolades for their unique lifestyle – there were 16 last year alone – so when it was named fourth in the nation for well-being by a Gallup poll, that made city officials do a double take.
“We were surprised by it. It is really quite a wonderful thing for Prescott being fourth in the nation,” said City Councilmember Billie Orr, who is also mayor pro tem. “I would like to see what we can take from this and what we can learn and ways we might be able to improve. This is something we need to put our arms around.”
The report analyzed well-being across the following five elements.
The categories were:
Social: Do you have supportive relationships and love in your life?
Purpose: Do you like what you do every day?
Financial: Are you managing your economic life to increase security and reduce stress?
Physical: Do you have good health and energy to get things done?
Community: Do you like where you live, feel safe and have pride in your community?
“I think people do love living here. They love Prescott. We are a safe community and we have pride in our community,” Orr said. “To me, that really speaks to our citizens, just being a wonderful place to have a great life.”
Orr says she has never seen a community like Prescott. “People here reach out to each other. We have 700 Friends of the Library and hundreds at the hospital.”
In fact, there are so many opportunities to volunteer, it is not hard to find a niche to support others. Speaking to the “social” portion of the survey, she said: “People have strong relationships with each other.” Coming in seventh in the financial portion of the survey proves Prescott is a pretty nice place to live, she says, even though the cost of houses are a little higher than other places, it is still very affordable.
“It is still a good place to get a bargain on a nice home, and food and utilities are reasonable. There are things to do that don’t cost a fortune.”
Leland Moreno-Hilburn is an agent for Firesky Realty and Rosa, his wife, has her own business, Virgo Original Designs. Both are ambassadors for the Prescott Chamber of Commerce.
He said what makes Prescott stand apart from other communities is that while residents might have different political or religious beliefs, they still have shared values, a great sense of community.
“It has been my experience that people really do get up every day looking at the opportunity that is here.
There are recreation opportunities, employment opportunities, civic opportunities, fine arts opportunities or whatever they want to do. There is a diverse population here and the Yavapai Regional Medical Center has everything from soups to nuts. We don’t have to go out of the region for medical care.”
In the financial category, “If you have the ability to purchase a home here, the cost of living is moderate. The cost of utilities, food and gas are less expensive compared to other states.”
And, he says, selling homes is hardly a challenge. “I don’t sell houses, I sell Prescott. I facilitate finding a house on the needs of the customer.”
The top in the poll is Naples-Immoklee-Marco Island in Florida and the bottom was Fort Smith, Arkansas.
To learn more visit the Prescott Chamber of Commerce website. QCBN
By Patty McCormac, QCBN
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