North Scottsdale for young families (Chandler, Paradise Valley: condo, house, neighborhoods)

[mandakb]

Hello,

We are moving to the Scottsdale area from New York and have two kids, ages 3 and 5. We live in a gated condo community now and really like the sense of community and amenities, so that is what we are looking for in AZ as well. Grayhawk looks very nice, would it be a good place for us? DC Ranch? Are there lots of kids and young families there, and a good sense of community? The schools seem highly rated but I have heard publics in AZ are very different from the east coast so would love feedback on that as well.

If anyone on this board has lived in Grayhawk or similar communities, I would appreciate any firsthand feedback. We are also Jewish (though not religious) and I assume there are Jews in North Scottsdale but would like confirmation that we won't be the only ones.

Many thanks!

[AZJoeD]

Both Grayhawk and DC Ranch are fine communities and I think you will be very happy there. We regard to "a good sense of community", it is what you make of it. If you are someone that participates in community events, school functions and is friendly and outgoing, I think you will be satisfied. If you prefer to keep to yourself you can have that option as well.

Are the schools that much different? I do not think so. While Arizona's education system is often maligned, and deservedly so, there are many good schools. I think you will find the schools serving these two communities to be very good, not that much different than anywhere else in the country.

One point to note, DC Ranch is in the Scottsdale Unified School District while Grayhawk is in the Paradise Valley Unified School District. When you do your research you may wish to take note where the schools for your community are located in relation to your property.

[Iowastater]

Hi,

We have kids in that age range and just moved to Scottsdale. We did a lot of looking in places like DC Ranch, Desert Ridge and Grayhawk north of the 101 and I think if you move into the "cheaper" areas of those developments you will find a lot of families with young kids. The downside being that the homes in the "cheaper" areas are on pretty small lots and the homes are kind of generic. The nicer part of DC Ranch (Country Club area) has big lots and nicer homes but it seems to be primarily older people. The same could probably be said for the gated areas of Grayhawk and the Troon North area.

We ended up buying in the McCormick Ranch area because it was more centrally located and also had bigger lots. Our area of McCormick Ranch is very close to the public elementary school and there are lots of families with young kids in the area (also lots of old people like everywhere in Scottsdale). We are pleased we chose this area although if you get a home in the area you will likely need to update it.

Regarding the public schools in those parts of Scottsdale, you won't have any troubles. We were also very concerned due to what we had heard about the AZ public school system and were pleased with what we found. There is a great sense of community around the schools and the parents are very involved. Our kids are pushed and challenged and the teachers are great. It is not these areas of the state that give AZ the bad reputation for public education.

I can't speak for all areas of N Scottsdale but our area has Jewish families and there are Jewish kids in school. There is a big JCC along Scottsdale road that is very nice. You won't have any issues.

[mandakb]

Thanks so much to both of you. I have heard good things about McCormick Ranch too - for some reason it doesn't seem as self-contained as the other newer planned communities but I am sure we will be able to meet people through the schools.

Iowastater, have you found a lot of snobbery or materialism so far? As I continue my research I am reading threads that Scottsdale is awful in that respect, and we are trying to escape that feeling (which is prevalent in our area of NY!). Thanks again!

[mandakb]

Also, someone had suggested Chandler to us and it looks more affordable than Scottsdale and seems to have good schools, but I also heard it is heavily Mormon (which I do not have a problem with, just not the right fit for us). Are there any Jews in Chandler and what is it like there generally?

[Iowastater]

Our feeling was that there was more materialism in the newer neighborhoods than in McCormick Ranch. Not sure if that is accurate but it was our feeling. People living in McCormick Ranch are choosing location over a nicer house so maybe it would attract less ostentatious people? That being said, it is Scottsdale so you have to deal with living with well to do people and their quirks. But we've experienced zero snobbery and have met a lot of really nice people.

[mandakb]

Thanks so much, this makes sense and we will definitely be checking out McCormick Ranch.