thinking of moving to Tempe (apartment complex, to rent, houses)

[dreamdans6]

Hi all you Arizonians.....I'm considering a move from California to Arizona...trying to decide if I want to do graduate studies in dance at Herberger College in Tempe.....what is it like to live in Tempe or outside.the city.....is it easy to find a cottage, duplex, or 1 bedroom home to rent? How expensive is it to live in the surrounding area and where are the safest areas for a single woman to live?I'm not one for huge apartment complexes to live in. Hope someone can give me a heads up......peace and love.......dreamdans6

[vegaspilgrim]

Let me just give you a heads up: there is the type of housing you are talking about in Tempe-- cottages, duplexes and quadriplexes of 1 bed homes-- and in the neighborhoods west, south, and east of campus-- problem is, it's not a place you're going to want to live in as a single woman. This is exactly the type of housing that is overrun with illegal Mexicans, where you'll have ten of them packed into one room with beatup cars everywhere. My suggestion would be to look on Craigslist and fliers posted on the kiosks at the ASU campus for people renting houses looking for an additional roommate. A lot of ASU students, grad and undergrad rent houses in the neighborhood just west of Mill Ave and the one just south of Apache. This will still put you walking distance from campus. Costs could vary widely, but I'd say expect the same quality of housing in LA to cost less than half that amount here!

[dreamdans6]

thanks vegaspilgrim for the heads up.....it definitely helps to know where to and where not to live............one more question though as far as living in Tempe. Is it a friendly environment as far as people go......what is the nitelife like.....music, etc..........I know I probably just need to come and visit to find out for myself, but I always like talkin to the locals about where they live and if it's a great place to move to......peace out.........dreamdans6

[Sarah85308]

I lived in Tempe for a few years when I was in college at ASU in a large apartment building south of campus on Lemon. The music scene is pretty good at bars on Mill Ave and at the little coffee shops around Tempe. I don't know about clubs because I have never been into that. The atmosphere with the younger crowd is very 'college,' if you know what I mean...the people are kind of clique-ish and snobby but there are some good people if you can hound them out. As far as being a single female, I agree with vegaspilgrim in that it isn't the best area to be one. One morning on my way to class I was chased down the street by a naked frat boy! I'm just glad I was on my bike! I am not a victim by any means, but I never felt particularly safe around ASU and Tempe at night or early in the morning when I was alone. To be honest though, I felt a lot more threatened by the college and homeless men than I did the illegal immigrants. Just my experience.

[vegaspilgrim]

Hope you're still reading the thread, dreamsdan6... it's been a couple of days. Whether or not you'll find people here "nice" depends on what you're used to. It's very easy to chitchat, make small talk with people, find instant friends to hook up for parties, etc. There's also a lot of mean people around too... and a lot of mean creeps on the street. One thing that I would recommend, reiterating what Sarah85308 said, is if you're going to be outside at night, going from campus back home, you're better of bicycling than walking-- in case if there is a weirdo out there, so you can get away. I dont' want to give you the wrong impression of Tempe, it's not a dangerous place overall; you just need to be aware. Nightlife in Tempe pretty much revolves around drinking.. and more drinking. There is a nice venue north of the Salt River called the Marquee Theater. Although, personally I most of the local bands suck! It's mainly emo and (wanna be) punk bands-- and I hate both of those genres. Overall, I'd say if you're a very outgoing, "fun" type, you'll probably like Tempe. If you are more of the intellectual, artistic, or introverted type, there's probably better places.

[ilovefootball]

Originally Posted by dreamdans6

I'm not one for huge apartment complexes to live in. Hope someone can give me a heads up......peace and love.......dreamdans6

I'm looking to move to the area and rent an apartment, but I don't like the larger apartment complexes either. One of my friends lived in a 16 unit apartment complex and said that it was a good experience. So I guess anywhere between 12 and 20 units would be ideal for me.

Does anyone know about those kinds of apartment complexes in Tempe and around the ASU campus? I don't mind being around college students, I just wanted to move to an area where the nightlife was good! Thanks!