No emissions testing in Prescott. I lived in Prescott Valley for several years. Had to move because of the lack of jobs, but since that is not a concern for you, no problem. Car scene is okay, but not as good as Phoenix or larger cities. I liked Prescott Valley better, as it got less snow and was more open flat land, about 5K feet elevation. Prescott is more mountainous and higher elevation (5-7K feet). I still own my house/shop there. Close enough to Sedona, Flagstaff and Phoenix to go whenever we wanted. AZ is nice for car registrations, as they are cheap and you can do for up to 5 years at a time!!! Driver's licenses are good from the time you get them until you turn 65 (one reason there are so many crappy drivers in AZ...) 8-) Property taxes aren't too bad and neither is the cost of fuel (when compared to CA, where I am now), but other places are cheaper. Roads are maintained okay, but there are still a lot of roads that are still dirt/gravel in the outlying areas. Temperatures range from lows in the teens in the winters to triple-digit heat in the summer. Those are the extremes, but normally not that bad. Loved those summer afternoon thunderstorms. Housing prices are on the rise again, after being depressed for a long time. Lots of drug, specifically Meth rehab. Not one of the things people will tell you (especially real estate agents). Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley, and Dewey are the larger towns with many smaller towns scattered in the area. Lots to what topside and RodStRace recommended. A lot depends on what you are looking for.