Relocating to the Phoenix area soon...Locals please help!

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by LindseyNotWendy

They are also planning to fly my husband out for a couple of days for his face to face interview and I'm planning to tag along and we're going to scout areas that we find desirable, but with that said it's hard to really dig for facts and get good ideas about places on such a limited amount of time. I've considered contacting Real Estate Agents but I know that "Legally" they can not tell you which areas you should avoid and which are more appealing than others (or so I've read). So I figured that reaching out to members of these communities would help me narrow down my search options easily considering that no one is getting a commission off of helping me out haha

Coming from Atlanta your expectations regarding neighborhoods may be in for somewhat of a change. Our neighborhoods are based primarily on economic factors and not race. We don't have rich white and rich black, poor white and poor black and so on. It's rich or poor and color doesn't matter. There is nothing like Cascade here. There is no block busting; most could not care less what color lives next door. So finding a good one is pretty much a matter of you get what you pay for. The more expensive ones have more affluent residents of all colors in them (again no racial segregation to speak of). More expensive means better schools and safer streets. If you find areas where homes are going for 20-30 % or more above the median you can expect better than the median in the other factors as well. You can find these neighborhoods all over suburban Phoenix - north, south , east, and west. The main areas that you will avoid will be the west and south sides of the Phoenix (city not metro) area. I doubt you will be interested in them anyway as it is pretty obvious they are poorer areas on inspection. On the other hand, things look very new here compared to the east and even the poorer homes seem to be in relatively good repair. Just check the price tags.

Now, there are some minor nuances but they are mostly myth like Gilbert is churchy and Tempe is college and Scottsdale is snobbish. None of that has much truth in it. I think the biggest problem for a new resident is not finding a nice place to live but choosing from so, so many different choices of where to live.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by LindseyNotWendy

I do believe that is the shop. There are 2 or 3 more (I think) but when we talked to them I think thats the one they're putting him in. I read that Tempe was a really college-life friendly area (more fast-paced than what we're looking for) so we haven't been looking there but if I hear good endorsements of it then that will be a place I will certainly check out! Thank you!

I say this a lot here, but once you get away from the immediate area of the campus, you'd not know that the largest university in the country is even there. It's a nice, safe suburb, with a good quality of life. Good schools, a great parks, recreation and library dept with lots of activities/ classes, etc, and nice, well-kept parks and a very nice library. The best public transit in the Valley if you have need of it. Definitely worth a look.

[pbenjamin]

One point to make is that your desire for suburbs doesn't really exclude Phoenix itself. Much of the city is what most people would consider suburban. Ahwatukee, which is in Phoenix, is the sort of place that you are looking for, and Northeast Phoenix, aka Paradise Valley Village, would work as well.

[bluegrey]

It's really not a question of there being nice areas. It is more a question of being able to afford them.

[LindseyNotWendy]

Well all of this is making me feel a lot more at home already! I honestly couldn't care less about who I lived next to...as long as they're nice! White, brown, black or purple would make me happy either way! The only negative things i've run into on my neighborhood search is being told to try to avoid anything south of Highway 10 (I think).

I really appreciate all of the feedback that I've been getting! It's making all of this a lot easier on me considering I've lived in the same small town my entire life...so moving across country is more than intimidating. I live about 35mins north of Atlanta right now in a mix of Upper-Middle Class and Lower-Class, very racially mixed and everywhere is very safe. My husband (who was raised in Cleveland OH) says that its like a little utopia bubble because with him traveling all over Atlanta and Metro Atlanta...he assures me that it isn't the norm, haha. So basically that's what I want to have for our lives and the lives of our children out in AZ!
So keep all of this valuable information coming! You guys are great!

[observer53]

I do encourage you to look at Tempe. It has a fair amount of diversity compared to other cities in the Valley, partly due to the university influence, but also because people like living there.

[bluegrey]

Originally Posted by LindseyNotWendy

Well all of this is making me feel a lot more at home already! I honestly couldn't care less about who I lived next to...as long as they're nice! White, brown, black or purple would make me happy either way! The only negative things i've run into on my neighborhood search is being told to try to avoid anything south of Highway 10 (I think).

I really appreciate all of the feedback that I've been getting! It's making all of this a lot easier on me considering I've lived in the same small town my entire life...so moving across country is more than intimidating. I live about 35mins north of Atlanta right now in a mix of Upper-Middle Class and Lower-Class, very racially mixed and everywhere is very safe. My husband (who was raised in Cleveland OH) says that its like a little utopia bubble because with him traveling all over Atlanta and Metro Atlanta...he assures me that it isn't the norm, haha. So basically that's what I want to have for our lives and the lives of our children out in AZ!
So keep all of this valuable information coming! You guys are great!

I was shopping for deals in Atlanta, and personal crime rates appeared to be double what they are in Phoenix.

[LindseyNotWendy]

Originally Posted by bluegrey

I was shopping for deals in Atlanta, and personal crime rates appeared to be double what they are in Phoenix.

Haha, I dont doubt it! Hence why I never travel much to the city! I live in a more rural area so I don't experience much crime...if ever.