So Many Suburbs!!! Help!!!! (Phoenix, Mesa: houses, school district, living)

[observer53]

That house is out of your 20 minutes to your child's school range, not that convenient to the airport (price issues aside).


High schools in the Ahwatukee/south Tempe area are strong for both academics and athletics.

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by observer53

That house is out of your 20 minutes to your child's school range, not that convenient to the airport (price issues aside).

Not that it really matters but you could definitely make it to 52nd St. and McDowell from there within 20 minutes. It's about the same to get to the airport too. Convenient location to both IMO.

[PoppySead]

Well, I apologize I didn't realize it was a land lease. But, my advice wasn't based on that specific home which of course won't work but to use some search sites in the area to see if anything works for you. If not you can easily branch out on the map and find the closest area within your budget and with the kind of home you desire. Just a tool for the box. You can then ask on a specific area and we can tell you if it's a good area or not.

I am not an agent and couldn't begin to pick a house for someone else. lol But, if you see a Gila Monster give me a pm.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

Not that it really matters but you could definitely make it to 52nd St. and McDowell from there within 20 minutes. It's about the same to get to the airport too. Convenient location to both IMO.

Depends on the traffic and the time of day so yes and no. And, as you indicated, if it's out of price range, it doesn't matter.

[PoppySead]

They should use the maps to plot out from their school and see surrounding areas. Pictures and school ratings are included on most sites and they can get an idea of what their money will buy which will vary greatly from area to area. The original question is difficult because of our demographics. The areas surrounding their school choice are hit or miss, they really need to use a map to get a feel for which areas to avoid. Then come on a pose a narrower search question. IMO, of course. Takes a bit of work but I think it would really help.
You can also use the ground viewer on a map to get a feel for the neighborhood.

[PoppySead]

Originally Posted by observer53

Depends on the traffic and the time of day so yes and no. And, as you indicated, if it's out of price range, it doesn't matter.

Yes, traffic does change things. I have a feeling that 20 min will be changing to 30 or 40 eventually given the location of that school and their list of wants.

[kodokan]

The area I live ticks a lot of your boxes: 20 mins to your youngest son's school (probably 25 in traffic); community pool and lots of parks with tennis, beach volleyball, basketball, etc; very family-oriented; reputable high school with very good academics and sports programs (I think - my kid's not the sporty type, so going on hearsay).

The high school is Mountain View in Mesa, and you could pick up a lovely 4-bed house VERY easily for that budget. Here's the boundary map, so you can see the area I mean: Mesa Public Schools » School Locator

[shiphead]

Originally Posted by cwalk79

Hello Everyone!! I'd love to get some insider perspective for our move to the Phoenix area this year. We currently live in NM and have 3 boys. Our youngest has special needs, which is the reason we are moving. Having services available to him is our top priority. We have already selected the program he'll be in for the next three years and it's located at N. 52nd and E. McDowell....just north of Papago Park. Where he will go on a daily basis is a top priority and now we need to build our life around that. Because of his school location (on the edge of everything) we could live in North Phoenix, South Scottsdale, Tempe, West Mesa, Chandler, Tukee, West Gilbert, and The South Mountain area. Help us narrow it down!!!

Here is our wish list.....
-Convenient access to my son's school (less than 20 min commute)
-Convenient access to the airport since my husband travels multiple times a month for work. Preferably Light Rail access.
-A good High School!! Our older boys are in 9th and 10th grade. Academics are important, but sports and activities are important as well. They are both very athletic.
-A nice family neighborhood with recreation. We'd prefer a community that has pools (we don't want the cost to maintain our own), parks, playgrounds, basketball courts, etc.... Our budget is no more than $350k.
-We are looking for a family neighborhood but good access to the city lifestyle....shops, restaurants, recreation, sporting events, ect.

I think that's about it....any suggestions?

I am a bit flabbergasted with the Scottsdale recommendation off the bat. I would never send any family to Scottsdale unless they want to go to the train park. South Tempe and Chandler are the only areas in the valley I recommend to families. You can drive to the airport directly or drop him off at a park and ride that has a light rail station. Driving will be shorter when rush hour isn't around, but the light rail is mostly there for convenience more than anything else. Going off topic a bit, you said you had a special needs kid, is s/he deaf by chance? We have a huge deaf community in the Phoenix area, but I notice more signing in Chandler and south Tempe.

For a high school, no one but you can do the research on that. Figuring out what your kids want in academics and what a school provides is up to you. We have a variety of school types out here. Maybe go to google maps, go to the area you want to live in and type "high school."

A family oriented neighborhood would be Chandler and South Tempe. There are plenty of city pools in both cities, between splash pads and water play areas. There won't be much playing outside during the summer, but there are plenty of indoor recreational places to go to though. The season is when you'll be doing most of your outdoor activities.

Access to city lifestyle? The phoenix area is a suburban nightmare. Everything is spread out everywhere. Want to go to the grocery store? Want to go to Target? Ikea? Diamondbacks game? techshop? rotating restaurant? train park? etc. You'll be driving everywhere, all the time. Unsure what you mean by "city lifestyle."

Lastly 350K budget for a house. I wouldn't worry about being limited at all. You could buy in so many areas of Chandler and Tempe.

[cwalk79]

Originally Posted by kodokan

The area I live ticks a lot of your boxes: 20 mins to your youngest son's school (probably 25 in traffic); community pool and lots of parks with tennis, beach volleyball, basketball, etc; very family-oriented; reputable high school with very good academics and sports programs (I think - my kid's not the sporty type, so going on hearsay).

The high school is Mountain View in Mesa, and you could pick up a lovely 4-bed house VERY easily for that budget. Here's the boundary map, so you can see the area I mean: Mesa Public Schools » School Locator

Thank you for all the info ~ I will definitely look into it. The only "con" I've found with Mesa is the way the grades are divided in that district. We are coming from K-5 is elementary 6-8 is middle and 9-12 is high school. Mesa seems to be 7-9 jr high and 10-12 high school. Since I will have one in 9th and one in 10th, this means they will go to seperate schools. With the move, and not knowing anyone, I would prefer they at least had each other in the same school. Seems most other Phoenix metro suburbs have the traditional 9-12 high school that we are used to.

[cwalk79]

Originally Posted by shiphead

I am a bit flabbergasted with the Scottsdale recommendation off the bat. I would never send any family to Scottsdale unless they want to go to the train park. South Tempe and Chandler are the only areas in the valley I recommend to families. You can drive to the airport directly or drop him off at a park and ride that has a light rail station. Driving will be shorter when rush hour isn't around, but the light rail is mostly there for convenience more than anything else. Going off topic a bit, you said you had a special needs kid, is s/he deaf by chance? We have a huge deaf community in the Phoenix area, but I notice more signing in Chandler and south Tempe.

For a high school, no one but you can do the research on that. Figuring out what your kids want in academics and what a school provides is up to you. We have a variety of school types out here. Maybe go to google maps, go to the area you want to live in and type "high school."

A family oriented neighborhood would be Chandler and South Tempe. There are plenty of city pools in both cities, between splash pads and water play areas. There won't be much playing outside during the summer, but there are plenty of indoor recreational places to go to though. The season is when you'll be doing most of your outdoor activities.

Access to city lifestyle? The phoenix area is a suburban nightmare. Everything is spread out everywhere. Want to go to the grocery store? Want to go to Target? Ikea? Diamondbacks game? techshop? rotating restaurant? train park? etc. You'll be driving everywhere, all the time. Unsure what you mean by "city lifestyle."

Lastly 350K budget for a house. I wouldn't worry about being limited at all. You could buy in so many areas of Chandler and Tempe.

Thank you for all the great info. From all the research I've done South Tempe is starting to top our list. I have done tons of research online but it's one thing to "see" it online and another to "live" it. My goal with this post was to just get some insider perspective to these different suburbs. We are planing a trip over there at the end of June to get a feel for some of the areas...we were just hoping to narrow it down a little. When I said "city life" I just meant easy access to shops, restraraunts, activities. Where we live now is considered pretty rural. I have to drive 30 mins to get the the grocery store and all we have is a Walmart, Kmart, and a very small mall. It's going to be a huge change to have options!!
My son actually has Autism....so if anyone had any input on local autism advocacy, groups, etc....any info would be great.