Job in Tempe (Phoenix, Tucson, Scottsdale: apartment complexes, to rent, house)

[ballrmdanz]

Hi,

Our family may be moving to AZ soon for my husband's work. He would be working in Tempe south of the Guadalupe area. I am just beginning to look at the area and trying to get info. We have one son who is 8 and we home school. We don't really want to live in the city and would prefer to rent a house for now. Not sure what direction would be best from Tempe area, but we would prefer to have no more then a 45 min commute. I love the look of the Flagstaff area, but that is obviously to far. It looks like most of the area is desert around Tempe. Correct me if I'm wrong about that. I have been to AZ twice, once to Tucson and the other time to the Scottsdale area.

We are originally from Maine, moved to VA then here in PA. So AZ seems like a totally different world to me. I know the heat is an issue during the summer. What about scorpions, snakes and spiders? Do you have to spray every year? It also seems like a pool is a necessity. How is gardening? I'm assuming it would be better to do raised garden beds. Thank you for any help.

[sh9730]

Welcome,

Well....the climate anywhere within that 45 min commute zone is going to be about the same no matter where you are...slight differences but not worth mentioning. HOT HOT HOT in the summer, and cool and sometimes cold (but no snow) in the winter.

If you dont want to live "in the city", and by that Im assuming you mean anywhere in the more urban area, as the Phoenix/Tempe area is really a whole bunch of cities and towns all meshed together.

SO, if you want to be outside of that "zone" there are some smaller places within 45 mins of Tempe - The CITY of Maricopa, City of Casa Grande, and even parts of Florence and San Tan Valley are within that (although right at 45 mins for some) commute time. These are much smaller cities, are removed from the "Big city" but still have most of the amenities one would need. Since you are home schooling the schools are not an issue for you....

The good thing is you will get a lot more house for your money (renting or buying) in these towns but of course you ll spend some more money on gas and time lost.....

If you need to be closer there are lots of options - but they will all be in the "Metroplex" of Phoenix....

[BuckeyeBoyDJ]

Phoenix is not like cities back east. The suburbs here are not small, peaceful, no traffic, etc. The suburbs here are quite large geographically compared to cities back east and they are cities in their own right and have traffic, noise, etc but a good number of the burbs here are nice family areas and great places to raise a family. You might see a spider every now and again but scorpions and especially snakes are rare occurrences in the urban areas. If you plan on living in Tempe which is urban your chances of seeing either is 1 to 1000. Only newer homes built on former desert land or far flung suburban areas have that problem. A pool of course isn't a necessity but not gonna lie it is nice to have for obvious reasons. Gardening I'm not a huge expert on but a lot of Tempe has mature vegetation with a lot of green areas which makes gardening easier. Garden beds may or may not be necessary....really depends the house you buy. Good luck!

[Zeromus-X]

If you're working in the south Tempe area, the obvious area of interest would be Ahwatukee. Outside of the main city area, a bit tucked away, still close to things, and probably a five minute drive from most areas to south Tempe.

If you want cheaper and less near civilization, maybe Queen Creek area... that'd be about a 30 minute hike to work.

[observer53]

There is nothing wrong with Tempe itself. I'm a bit perplexed as to why you don't want to live here. It's a very nice suburb, with a good quality of life and excellent city services. And, good schools, if at some point you decide to stop homeschooling. As others have said, you aren't going to find a different climate within 45 minutes.

Disagree a bit about Ahwatukee, parts of it feel more congested than south Tempe.

Many have pools, many don't. Gardening is different here in that you have to amend the soil quite a bit, raised beds or not.

You don't necessarily have to spray every year for bugs, you may never see a scorpion. Plenty of threads on that subject already, you can do a search and find them.

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by observer53

Disagree a bit about Ahwatukee, parts of it feel more congested than south Tempe.

You are being too polite, Ahwatukee is way more congested than South Tempe. South Tempe is one of the most uncongested areas you can live. The streets are wide two lane on each side. I like both communities but one of my criticisms of Ahwatukee is how congested it is. Even their strip malls feel so congested with tiny parking lots and entry ways; it's a beautiful area but it's congested due to being in the hills.

To the OP

You would be crazy not to consider South Tempe itself. It has a lot of prestigious neighborhoods, parks and amenities. You are making the mistake most non-Arizona people make, you are judging an area before you know anything about it. I agree you should rent but South Tempe is considered a posh area. The Arizona Cardinals training facility is there, the Ikea is there, Whole Foods is near there, Lifetime Fitness gym (an upscale gym) is in the area, Mercedes/BMW/Lexus and Audi have dealerships that are adjacent to the area. Mark-Taylor, builder of upscale apartments, is building two apartment complexes in the area. Target corporation is located there. You really need to do your research.

[Golden_Monkey]

Living in South Tempe wouldn't be much of a hardship. I'd just look around there and walk to work.

[ballrmdanz]

Thank you to all for the helpful posts. It's not that we don't want to live in Tempe. We just don't know much about the area. I'm just beginning my research. My intention is not to judge the city itself, but just to find out more about it. We know that we prefer more of a country or less big city feel. I grew up on a farm and have live in the city as well. I guess my issue is that I want some quiet country, but still want access to some amenities. One of the posters mentioned that even the areas around Phoenix are more like cities and not quiet suburbs.

I said I like the look of Flagstaff. I just was hoping for more of the Flagstaff type turain, trees, etc. not desert only. Like I said I really have no clue about AZ. Thank you for your suggestions.

[JohnSoCal]

Originally Posted by ballrmdanz

Thank you to all for the helpful posts. It's not that we don't want to live in Tempe. We just don't know much about the area. I'm just beginning my research. My intention is not to judge the city itself, but just to find out more about it. We know that we prefer more of a country or less big city feel. I grew up on a farm and have live in the city as well. I guess my issue is that I want some quiet country, but still want access to some amenities. One of the posters mentioned that even the areas around Phoenix are more like cities and not quiet suburbs.

I said I like the look of Flagstaff. I just was hoping for more of the Flagstaff type turain, trees, etc. not desert only. Like I said I really have no clue about AZ. Thank you for your suggestions.

If you have been to Scottsdale and Tucson, you must have some idea about Arizona. Scottsdale adjoins Tempe on the north. I agree that south Tempe is a good area. I used to live there.

[fennec2009]

Originally Posted by ballrmdanz

I said I like the look of Flagstaff. I just was hoping for more of the Flagstaff type turain, trees, etc. not desert only. Like I said I really have no clue about AZ. Thank you for your suggestions.

You won't get anything like that within an acceptable commute of Tempe. If you want to avoid the desert terrain, there are parts of south Tempe that have a lot of trees and greenery since they are older and more mature. Then there are neighborhoods like Dobson Ranch, Ocotillo, Scottsdale Ranch, Val Vista Lakes, McCormick Ranch, and Verrado that are very green as well. Most are within 45 minutes to Tempe (except Verrado and maybe Scottsdale Ranch/Ocotillo) but they don't have the country feel you are looking for. They also tend to be pricier than surrounding areas since they are more desirable.

If you really want the small town feel, South Chandler or South Gilbert might work for you (and I am talking really south, like Chandler Heights on down). South Gilbert more so. It won't be anything like where you grew up, but it feels more rural than anywhere closer to Tempe. However, it's pushing the 45 minutes because you need to take surface streets up to the 202 which can add lots of time. Queen Creek and San Tan Valley you would probably take a liking to, but the commute would almost certainly be more than 45 minutes. Plus all these areas are very desert-like, with not much greenery.