Disclaimer-I've never actually lived in Yuma, but my parents do and I've visited many times. I won't say anything about where to live or rent/buy options because I have no real knowledge about that aspect. Yuma is a small desert town that caters to two groups, old people and military. The population doubles in the winter when all the snowbirds come in from the north and then similarly gets cut in half in the summer when they all leave. It's typical desert, very hot in the summer but can get pretty cold in the winter. I believe it is officially the driest and sunniest populated area in the US. Not a whole lot to offer families as far as recreation unless you enjoy scorpion hunting, desert 4 wheeling and hiking through the scrub brush. YPG is a short drive north out of town, not sure where those folks live, but the base itself is small (amenity wise, lots of land surrounding for testing) and in the middle of nowhere. But, Phoenix and San Diego are a short 3 hours away.
