Moving to Arizona SOS (Phoenix, Tucson: trip , housing, violent crime)

[zolidze]

Hi,
Me and my husband will be moving in a year. We are thinking about Arizona. We currently live in OH.
Very tired of cold and long winters. We love nature, hiking, mountains, skiing, rafting, you name it. We want to move to a metropolitan area, with lots of shops, restorants, people and things to do. We are in our late twenties. My husband will be a dentist in a year and I am a fiinance professional. We want to buy a house in the range of 350K. No kids yet, but planning in the future.

Any suggestions?

Would appreaciate any advice

[motormaker]

Zolidze,
I feel your pain. For now I suggest reading through some of the threads related to moveing to AZ, Theres a lot of info here and in the Phoenix and Tucson forums.

Then if you have any specific questions, come back and ask them.

Good luck.

[MotleyCrew]

AZ is so diverse, you would benifit from a visit here before a move.

As far as cities go, you have a few to choose from that are nice and offer homes in the range you mention. Gillbert is one on the east side, north Phoenix, Desert Ridge area is another. We live in north Peoria and love this city. It is within a 15 minute drive to Lake Pleasant for hiking and fishing. You would have several very nice communities to choose a home in. Sonoran Mt. Ranch, Westwing, Vistancia and others, which all have fantastic shopping and restaurants. Going south of Phoenix, you have Chandler and Queen Creek. North Scottsdale is awesome. Maricopa is a newer area and not sure I would recommend that to you as it lacks the metro bling you are seeking. You really need to come and visit.

[Great Joy]

Good answer MotleyCrew. I agree with you!

[MotleyCrew]

Thank you Great Joy!!!

[zolidze]

Thank you for your suggestions. I got a little scared one I was reading some other threads about Arizona and Nevada. Some people were saying that it's just a desert and it's terribly hot and there is really nothing out there. So that's why I decided to post my own thread and see what people say. There is also so much information, it is overwhelming. Very exciting though.
We'll definetely come visit.

[GilaMonster]

Oh my, it is hard to beat AZ when it comes to natural diversity. If you are an outdoors freak AZ is the place to be. The only thing we don't have is seashore. We have mountains, valleys, deserts, dense pine forests, rivers, lakes, cities, empty places.

We have abundant sunshine, in many places 300 or more days per year, but we also have snow and rain for those who love that. Actually just about 10 days ago you got an example of AZ diversity: while in the Valley (Valley of the Sun = Phoenix area) we had temperatures of about 85, Flagstaff which is about 2 hours north had a snowstorm.

Last winter I enjoyed balmy valley temperatures of 68 while my kids went skiing in Flag where it was 9 degrees.

It means, you can be outdoors every day in the year. Even if you live in the valley, nature is not farther than about a 30-45 minute drive.

Well, anyway, I am sure you will find out about all that by looking at some books or webpages about AZ.

When it comes to choosing a place to live, your interests probably would place you into the Northeast valley. Scottsdale probably would fit you well. However, be aware that many people here in the valley call it Snobsdale. The fact that the richest people in the valley usually live in Paradise Valley and Scottsdale can be a bit of a problem. On the other hand, there are not many areas in the valley where crime doesn't overwhelm you, so the Northeast is a good bet.

Scottsdale also has a pretty vibrant party scene and lots of "events." Other parts of the valley are rather sleepy.

Houses in Scottsdale used to be way over $ 500,000 but with the unbelievable drop in the market lately you could find some for $ 350k, but probably not many.

Less "in" but pretty nice and with more affordable housing are some areas in the East Valley, in the towns of Gilbert, Chandler and Tempe. However, there it really depends on the area. The Kyrene district in Tempe is pretty upscale with housing prices in the 400ks, Gilbert's Islands and far West Chandler are comparable. However, there is much less "action" in this part of the valley.

I might be prejudiced, but in my opinion you don't want to live in the West Valley. You don't. Unless you like neighbors who can share with you their experiences in Arizona's jails and prisons.

[j760]

Originally Posted by GilaMonster

Oh my, it is hard to beat AZ when it comes to natural diversity. If you are an outdoors freak AZ is the place to be. The only thing we don't have is seashore. We have mountains, valleys, deserts, dense pine forests, rivers, lakes, cities, empty places.

I agree, the scenery in Arizona is outstanding. And if you want to see the coast, the drive from most parts of Arizona to California is not bad at all. Your more than welcome to come out here and enjoy our beaches here in California. It's a great weekend trip especially during the summer.

[Great Joy]

Originally Posted by GilaMonster

I might be prejudiced, but in my opinion you don't want to live in the West Valley. You don't. Unless you like neighbors who can share with you their experiences in Arizona's jails and prisons.

What an awful statement! We haven't been to prison nor do we know anyone who has! Due to your comment, I curiously searched "prisons near Phoenix" and most of the results come up in the east valley...including a big one in Florence.

Obviously you haven't been to the west valley in several years as there are many places in the west valley that are absolutely beautiful and safe places to live with some even at the same level of the really nice areas in Scottsdale. Goodyear, Buckeye, Litchfield Park, Palm Valley, the Sun Cities, Surprise, Peoria, Glendale, and W/NW/N Phoenix all have very nice upscale areas.

[GilaMonster]

LOL OK, I apologize to all West-Valleyans.

Actually the saying about the prison neighbors was a quote from my realtor when I was looking for a home in the valley when I came here some time ago. And what is meant is not that there are prisons in the area, but that people living there might have been in one or might soon be in one.

However, nobody can deny that violent crime is much more common in the Western part of the valley than in the Eastern. There definitely are some areas where a big part of the population does have prison experience, but I agree, there are similar areas also elsewhere.