Cottonwood,
a city of approximately 11,000 inhabitants, is located 18 miles
from Sedona at an elevation ranging from 3300 feet to 3900 feet
above sea level. Looming behind it are the Black Hills and 7,000-foot
Mingus Mountain. The community is bisected from the northwest
to the southeast by the Verde River.
Although
the average price of a home in Cottonwood is about half that
of Sedona, the rate of appreciation in both communities has
been about the same over the last five years. The city has much
to offer anyone seeking a mild climate with clean air. The recent
additions of a Super Walmart and a Home Depot show that the
community is growing just fast enough to provide the services
and amenities needed to maintain its present way of life, without
losing its small town atmosphere.
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Taxes:
Cottonwood’s
Property tax rate in 2005 was $8.72 per $100. of assessed evaluation
while the Sales Tax within the city limits remained at 8.55%.
Medical
Facilities:
The
Verde Valley Medical Center (VVMC) is a 110-bed facility, the
largest in the Verde Valley. It has a staff of 800 professionals,
including 80 physicians engaged in 21 different medical specialties.
It is Medicare-licensed and offers a wide variety of comprehensive
programs in medical, diagnostic, inpatient and outpatient services,
including cardiology, laboratory, medical imaging, obstetrics,
orthopedics, rehabilitation, respiratory, surgery and education.
VVMC’s
Medical Imaging Department is unequivocally state-of-the art.
It includes a 16-slice
CT scanner, a 1.5 Tesla MRI, the latest mammography equipment
for breast biopsies, and advanced nuclear medicine capacity.
Angel
3, the hospital’s on-site helicopter, is available for
emergency transport to and from Sedona, Flagstaff and the Phoenix
area.
Educational
Facilities:
Mingus
Union High School is home to approximately 1300 students. The
Cottonwood Middle School has an enrollment of about 750 students.
On
the elementary level, the Dr. Daniel Bright School has some
850 students and the Cottonwood Elementary School has an additional
650 students. A Montessori school as well as a Charter School
and numerous private elementary and college prep schools also
serve the area.
Community
Facilities:
Cottonwood
has a Civic Center, a library, a recreation center and four
parks, including one on the riverfront. There are two golf courses
and numerous tennis courts. Senior citizen services such as
skilled health care, supervisory care and retirement centers
are also available.
Annual
community activities include Verde River Days, the Verde Valley
Birding and Nature Festival, the Cottonwood Gem & Mineral
Show, a Chocolate Walk, a Fourth of July Fireworks celebration,
and the Cottonwood Christmas parade. For more information on
the community of Cottonwood, visit the Chamber of Commerce at
www.cottonwood.verdevalley.com.
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