Moving to Phoenix area from Chicago (Scottsdale, Chandler: apartment complexes, to rent, homes)

[ChicagoVballTransplant]

Okay, I swear I have read at least 30 of these threads to try to glean all of the information I am looking for but have ultimately ended up hopelessly confused. I'm not looking for anyone to convince me I've made the right choice to move to Phoenix or tell me why Phoenix sucks (in their opinion) and how great Chicago is by comparasin. I've found my dream job and am happy to move away from Chicago winters. Also, being pretty sporty/outdoorsy, I'm excited about being able to be active more months a year. Now that you know that, I would be SO grateful if someone can help me with the following:

I will be moving to the Phoenix area around April 2008. I will be working in downtown Phoenix near Patriots Park (zip 85004). I have done extensive searches in trying to figure out where to live. I intend to rent my first two years or so ($800 or so per month), and have checked into Scottsdale, Phoenix, Tempe and Gilbert. I really liked the apartments in Gilbert, but the threads say the commute is over an hour each way (and, since I am relatively young and single, a bit boring). While Tempe seems more "happening", the commute seems to still be awful and the area may be a bit TOO young (don't want to be up all night with partying college kids). That leaves me with Scottsdale and Phoenix, but I can't seem to get a real handle on commutes being that there are so many different areas encompassed in "Scottsdale" and "Phoenix." Any help on the following issues would be appreciated:

1. What areas in Phoenix would you recommend? I've seen some decent places in the "ahwatukee" area but have no idea about the commute. Any other zip codes within Phoenix you recommend that don't have hellish commutes?

2. Same question with regard to Scottsdale.

3. Still open to Tempe, since I understand there is an express bus and soon to be a lite rail, so I would appreciate your comments on apartment complexes and zipcodes in that area, as well as your thoughts on commute.

4. Any other recommendations you have or things I should look into.

Thanks again for any help you can be!

[joninaz]

Look at North Tempe/South Scottsdale. You'd be between two of the largest entertainment hubs for shopping/dining/nighlife and while there are students, there's also a lot of other young professionals. Both areas have Papago Park along one end and the Scottsdale Greenbelt on the other - so plenty of parks and outdoor stuff.

There will be a light rail station on the S. end of Papago, so that would be a quick trip to there. But honestly, it's really only a half hour hop to downtown on a number of surface streets. There's a freeway as well, but during rush hour its full of people going all sorts of places whereas the surface streets are pretty easy for an East/West hop of 10 miles or so.

There are other areas as well, but the above recs will give you a good starting point and you can explore more when you are living here.

[silverbear]

#1. Ahwatukee is fine but a long way from Downtown. If you're renting, why not stick closer and get a place in Downtown, Midtown, Biltmore, Arcadia, etc?

#2. Apartments are scattered throughout Scottsdale, but the Old Town area will give you shortest commute.

#3. It's really a stereotype to think of Tempe as dominated by college students. That's true of some of the complexes immediately east and west of the ASU campus, but there are a lot of areas elsewhere in Tempe that appeal to young college graduates and families.

#4. I'd strongly recommend starting with housing options closest to your job and working outward only if you don't like those options. That way, you'll end up with the shortest commute that you can get without compromising other priorities.

[starfish]

We too moved from Chicago last summer. I'd second the last post and recommend Arcadia/Biltmore (85018 or 85016). I live between the two and have a rush hour commute of 10-15 minutes to downtown. If you are interested in a more urban setting, you might want to check out the Central Corridor from Roosevelt north to Camelback -- where a nice scene is developing and is sure to improve when the light rail opens.

[ChicagoVballTransplant]

Thanks everyone! It is really helpful when you put in zip codes, because the apartment locators aren't as easy to find if I just type in a general area. For example, "Central Corridor from Roosevelt north to Camelback" leaves me scratching my head. Same with "old town" area of Scottsdale. The "south Scottsdale" post was very helpful, but again I have no idea what is included in "south Scottsdale." Being in Chicago all I can do is go to the apartment locators and plug stuff in so I can make a list of places to check out when I visit.

Thanks again!

[joninaz]

South/Old Town Scottsdale: 85251, 85257
N Tempe 85281

[silverbear]

Zip codes are not always reliable in looking for a home. Some neighborhoods straddle two or three zips, while others may occupy only a small portion of a zip and get mixed in with undesirable areas within the same zip. If you are using sites where zips are the only effective way to search, then you may wish to use this map to determine zip codes for target areas:

http://www.homesalenews.com/phoenix-zip-map2.pdf (broken link)

[Plin]

Originally Posted by silverbear

Zip codes are not always reliable in looking for a home. Some neighborhoods straddle two or three zips, while others may occupy only a small portion of a zip and get mixed in with undesirable areas within the same zip. If you are using sites where zips are the only effective way to search, then you may wish to use this map to determine zip codes for target areas:

http://www.homesalenews.com/phoenix-zip-map2.pdf (broken link)

I get a 403 error trying to access that page, alas.

[sweettearose]

Originally Posted by starfish

We too moved from Chicago last summer. I'd second the last post and recommend Arcadia/Biltmore (85018 or 85016). I live between the two and have a rush hour commute of 10-15 minutes to downtown. If you are interested in a more urban setting, you might want to check out the Central Corridor from Roosevelt north to Camelback -- where a nice scene is developing and is sure to improve when the light rail opens.

I would also agree with this. If you are seeking an apartment Arcadia/Biltmore is ideal. I also happen to like these areas better than Scottsdale becaue they have more of unique identity to them with more of an urban feel. The downside is that the area is a little older and the apartments may be a little older as well. Whereas in Scottsdale, you can be assured of finding a very trendy and upscale apartment with all the amenities. Still, you are coming from Chicago so the older apartments in Phoenix make even the best apartments in Chicago look weak by comparison. The apartments in the Phoenix metro look like resorts especially some of the Mark Taylor apartments.

[azsundevil99]

I used to live in Ahwatukee (48th St. & Ray) and commuted to near downtown. If you leave really early for work (between 5 & 6), you'll have no problem on the I-10. However if you leave past 6AM, the traffic gets worse and worse until it finally subsides...probably sometime after 9. The problem is the 202 merges in around Chandler and the US 60 merges a few miles north therefore creating gridlock all the way up and through the Broadway curve. 48th St. north is an alternative but it goes through some residential areas and is a pain to get through. I've never lived in Scottsdale or Tempe, but would have to agree with the others that it will probably be an easier commute.