Relocation Safety Please Help (Phoenix, Gilbert: rental homes, violent crime, how much)

[Steve Pickering]

With your dog you are either going to be where you will need a dog like that, or you will need about $500 a month more at the minimum to get a house. The areas that welcome dogs like yours are rarely on a good low crime street. Your budget is a little low for a safer non-apartment neighborhood.

[Cida]

You know, I believe you can check government crime statistics, rather than relying on random opinions of people who happen to be online.

[Steve Pickering]

You can also read the Arizona Republic Online.

[USMCWife1120]

Thank you, all those who gave positive advice. When it comes to Tempe, it's not so much that people scream to avoid it because of crime, but moreover due to the insanely large student population there during the school term. I don't mind students--I lived in Denton for 8 years (biggest city I've ever lived in, with a population of about 100,000 when students are present), and there are two major universities there within a mile of each other.
And, thanks, AZ Bound, for your concern for our Malamute girl, but rest-assured, she has always been an inside dog, and we shave her during the summer. It's 109 here right now. She's pretty used to it (I wish she didn't have to be, though).

I feel so blind moving to a state I've never even visited. I'm a new parent, so I just want to be sure we don't make a mistake in choosing a home for our family. I grew up in a town with fewer than 1300 people in it, so moving to a huge city is unnerving to me. I really appreciate your help in calming my nerves a bit.

I would also like to add that, if you can't say something nice or if you're just here to be judgmental and condescending to someone who is seeking help from people instead of statistics, then please do not say anything at all. It is not helpful to anyone here.

[amatrine]

Your dog will be fine as long as it is not left outdoors. I have two Great pyrenees. They are indoors during the day and like to out at night.

It is hard to move somewhere blind, I have done that . A good thing to do maybe would be to stay in a hotel when you first get here and get an idea for different parts of the valley , and you can see what you like and where you feel comfortable.

[MommaKD]

AD Army mama here As others have said, Gilbert has a nice community atmosphere and I feel safe here, and honestly I've experienced more day-to-day crime on military bases than while living in major cities. I spend extended amounts of time alone with my children, as well. There are pockets of areas better than others. We're relocating to Tempe to be closer to my husband's work, if you're worried about proximity to college students I suggest checking out South Tempe. I understand the anxiety that comes with being a new mama, you have a heightened awareness of everything around you. No area is perfect, just take some time to drive around neighborhoods and get a feel for what's out there in your price range.

[breakingbad]

I live in Queen Creek, AZ and it is pretty low key. I wouldn't recommend Laveen and Glendale like another poster has done.
You do realize that your extreme fear is unhealthy?

[liz451]

Originally Posted by breakingbad

I live in Queen Creek, AZ and it is pretty low key. I wouldn't recommend Laveen and Glendale like another poster has done.
You do realize that your extreme fear is unhealthy?

I think you're being harsh. I don't have any kids yet but I can empathize with how difficult it must be to move from a very small town, as a new mother of a 4 month old, to a city as big as Phoenix when your husband is in the military and could be gone for months at a time. I have friends who are military wives and it is extremely hard, often scary, and lonely, so I think you should cut her some slack.

My mom grew up in a farming town of 2,000 and then went to UCLA - which alone was probably 10-20x larger than the town she grew up in and said she cried for 2 weeks and was totally overwhelmed. I don't think you'll have that issue as you have technology now to keep in touch with friends and family but I would definitely suggest Chandler/Gilbert. Neither are too far from Tempe if you need to go to school there and have tons of young families.

Also, check out the many, many mom's groups in the area. If you're into fitness there are groups called Stroller Strides where you do workouts while your baby is in a jogging stroller with you. Regardless look on Facebook or anywhere you can to find some mom groups, it will help with the adjustment. Also, remember, just because people might move a lot faster in a town like Phoenix doesn't mean we're less friendly. When you join a mom's group I'd say outright that you were scared to move to a big city with your daughter, everyone has been in a situation where they've been scared/overwhelmed before and anyone worth being friends with will understand.

I also highly recommend staying in an extended stay for a month or so in the area you choose, it will be much easier to learn what the neighborhoods might be to avoid (not because they're necessarily unsafe but maybe rundown).

[rgscpat]

Would the original poster's hubby be okay with living under the flight path for Sky Harbor? The noise can be somewhat noticeable in far north Tempe and some of the nw part of Mesa. It's not an issue for most folks, but it might be a bit of a consideration for someone who is particularly noise sensitive. Arizona and Texas share a strong law-enforcement culture as well as southwestern features, so once you get here the move may not fell quite as strange or frightening as you might expect. There are also lots of family-oriented neighborhoods in the areas people have mentioned for you to visit.

[Storm00]

I also agree that some of the statements are harsh. I was 18 when I had my son and lived in a very small town, but after me and his dad split up, I moved to a larger town for work - not huge, but I went from about 4,000 people to about 20,000 people, and I was definitely worried. I can remember constantly looking over my shoulder when walking out to my car in a grocery store parking lot at dusk, worried that someone would mug me while I was putting my son in his carseat. LOL The fear subsided eventually, and since then, I've only moved to bigger and bigger cities. Now, I'm planning on going from where I'm at now (about 400,000 metro area) to one of the outlying cities in the Phoenix metro area, so I'm sure my guard will be up for a while then, too.