Glendale vs Tempe

[Valley Native]

Glendale is hit & miss. The Arrowhead area and north sides are the best locations, but the areas around downtown & south Glendale are very spotty. In fact, there are many neighborhoods in central & south Glendale that I would stay away from simply because they aren't very nice.

Tempe would actually be a closer commute to downtown Phoenix, and more options for commuting besides driving. Bus & light rail are readily accessible from north Tempe. There are some old historic neighborhoods south of University Avenue that might be in your price range, and would be within 15 to 30 minutes of downtown Phoenix (depending on what time of day you commute). South Tempe would be a little too far if you want to avoid the 30+ minute commute.

[azriverfan.]

There are many options close to downtown Phoenix besides Tempe. South Scottsdale is close to downtown Phoenix as well North Chandler and Ahwautukee. If you want to live on the west side, consider Tolleson, Avondale and Peoria as they are relatively close to downtown Phoenix.

North Chandler is very close to downtown Phoenix as well, it borders South Tempe. I commute to downtown from there and I can make it there in 20-25 minutes WITH MORNING RUSH HOUR( Once you get past the Broadway curve on I-10, your fine). I also recommend Ahwautukee but try not to go too far deep into the foothills.

The parts of Glendale that are close to downtown are not the nice parts of Glendale and I wouldn't recommend Glendale for this reason.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

It would be helpful for you to look at a map to see just how large some of these towns are. For instance Phoenix proper (no suburbs) has over 516 square miles of area! Compare that the Tempe at around 40 square miles. So nearly 13 towns the size of Tempe could fit inside of Phoenix.

Even in the town of Peoria, there is over 178 square miles of area. The town is massive. With traffic, it could easily take >30 minutes from edge to edge. I'm not sure how these towns got their borders but a map will show some screwy plots.

If you prefer a short commute, consider one of the many Phoenix proper neighborhoods. I can work from anywhere (so long as there is a FEDEX truck). But if I had to work downtown, I'd keep it under 20 minutes. During rush hour, I've been in 0 MPH traffic too many times in the downtown vicinity.

Good luck.