North Chandler feels as if it is becoming an extension of Fiesta District/West Mesa (Phoenix: real estate, 2013)

[southsidegal6743]

I live in the Sunridge Townhomes community off of Alma School at the northernmost portion of Chandler bordering Mesa. I lived in Mesa and watched nice communities go from blue collar to no collar. Moved to Chandler and I am seeing it again, tons more tweaker types, non-English speakers, and just plain trash. I got panhandled by 3 people at the shopping plaza at Dobson and Elliot, and not the "I just need gas to get back on the freeway" types, actually bag carrying bum cup shakers. In addition I saw what appeared to be a drug deal by the Starbucks on Alma School.

It's sad, apparently in the Valley of the Sun unless you can afford Paradise Valley, North Scottsdale or you live in a retirement community..expect to relocate in 10 years when your area turns into a ghetto. Chandler used to be so nice...this whole area will become Sunnyslope South or Maryvale del Este sooner than later.

[Jkgourmet]

Then it's a good thing you've decided to move back to Chicago. http://www.city-data.com/forum/chica...l#post39911749

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by southsidegal6743

I live in the Sunridge Townhomes community off of Alma School at the northernmost portion of Chandler bordering Mesa. I lived in Mesa and watched nice communities go from blue collar to no collar. Moved to Chandler and I am seeing it again, tons more tweaker types, non-English speakers, and just plain trash. I got panhandled by 3 people at the shopping plaza at Dobson and Elliot, and not the "I just need gas to get back on the freeway" types, actually bag carrying bum cup shakers. In addition I saw what appeared to be a drug deal by the Starbucks on Alma School.

It's sad, apparently in the Valley of the Sun unless you can afford Paradise Valley, North Scottsdale or you live in a retirement community..expect to relocate in 10 years when your area turns into a ghetto. Chandler used to be so nice...this whole area will become Sunnyslope South or Maryvale del Este sooner than later.

Moving out and seeing the old hood go to seed is pretty much the Phoenix pattern. Some of it is due to the fact that the bums have to live somewhere, but more often it signals the improving finances of the people who moved into starter areas. I moved every 5 for my first 20 years here. It's best if one can mov into a solid upper middle class area to begin with. Those neighborhoods generally age much better

[farmgirlsuz]

Originally Posted by Jkgourmet

Then it's a good thing you've decided to move back to Chicago. http://www.city-data.com/forum/chica...l#post39911749

[JTW2013]

Originally Posted by southsidegal6743

I live in the Sunridge Townhomes community off of Alma School at the northernmost portion of Chandler bordering Mesa. I lived in Mesa and watched nice communities go from blue collar to no collar. Moved to Chandler and I am seeing it again, tons more tweaker types, non-English speakers, and just plain trash. I got panhandled by 3 people at the shopping plaza at Dobson and Elliot, and not the "I just need gas to get back on the freeway" types, actually bag carrying bum cup shakers. In addition I saw what appeared to be a drug deal by the Starbucks on Alma School.

It's sad, apparently in the Valley of the Sun unless you can afford Paradise Valley, North Scottsdale or you live in a retirement community..expect to relocate in 10 years when your area turns into a ghetto. Chandler used to be so nice...this whole area will become Sunnyslope South or Maryvale del Este sooner than later.

The area you're referring to is the Mesa School District, not Chandler, so it's not an attractive area to upper middle class families. Most of us with kids make our housing decisions based on school districts. If you want to preserve an area, have quality schools. I don't think the decline of a part of Chandler that is within a mediocre school district means that the parts of Chandler in the Kyrene/Tempe and Chandler school districts will also decline. The reputation of those school districts is solid.

The standard real estate advice is to buy into the best school district that you can afford because houses in good school districts hold their value better.

[Sovetsky Medved]

It's not just your neighborhood. Im seeing the same thing here in central phoenix.
I thought I was just imagining it, but the "Tweaker Trash population is growing. My Apartment building is going to hell.
management doesn't seem to care. More pests "Cockroaches and bed bugs" and the street people even come on the property to use our pool as there personal wash station.
as much as I hate to, Im considering leaving phoenix even to the extent of giving up my job to do so.
Im going back east to visit my hometown at the end of the month and if I like it. Im Re-Locating back.
But something just tells me, this problem is bigger than just Phoenix and Im going to see the same thing back there.

[JTW2013]

Originally Posted by Sovetsky Medved

It's not just your neighborhood. Im seeing the same thing here in central phoenix.
I thought I was just imagining it, but the "Tweaker Trash population is growing. My Apartment building is going to hell.
management doesn't seem to care. More pests "Cockroaches and bed bugs" and the street people even come on the property to use our pool as there personal wash station.
as much as I hate to, Im considering leaving phoenix even to the extent of giving up my job to do so.
Im going back east to visit my hometown at the end of the month and if I like it. Im Re-Locating back.
But something just tells me, this problem is bigger than just Phoenix and Im going to see the same thing back there.

This is not just a Phoenix thing. The divide between the haves and the have nots is getting bigger everywhere. School districts are the dividing line because that is what matters most to people with money. The cost of entry to a good school district keeps going up while the quality of the other areas declines. The Chicago suburbs are a perfect example of this phenomenon. The suburbs with good school districts have gotten much more expensive in the last 20 years and are becoming unaffordable for the middle class. At the same time, the second tier suburban school districts get worse because they are inundated with more kids with issues; ESL, messed up family lives, etc.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by JTW2013

This is not just a Phoenix thing. The divide between the haves and the have nots is getting bigger everywhere. School districts are the dividing line because that is what matters most to people with money. The cost of entry to a good school district keeps going up while the quality of the other areas declines. The Chicago suburbs are a perfect example of this phenomenon. The suburbs with good school districts have gotten much more expensive in the last 20 years and are becoming unaffordable for the middle class. At the same time, the second tier suburban school districts get worse because they are inundated with more kids with issues; ESL, messed up family lives, etc.

Chicken or egg, though? Those schools and the entire area around Fiesta was once prime family country. I was at the grand opening of Fiesta Mall and it was an area we wish we could have lived in. We were in south Phoenix. I think the schools went bad either along with or after the character of the neighborhood began to decline. In any case, once the schools are lost, I agree, people with means don't want to live there anymore and it is really tough to stem the decline. I wish Ducey could figure that out, because it is a problem affecting the entire state to one degree or another.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by Sovetsky Medved

It's not just your neighborhood. Im seeing the same thing here in central phoenix.
I thought I was just imagining it, but the "Tweaker Trash population is growing. My Apartment building is going to hell.
management doesn't seem to care. More pests "Cockroaches and bed bugs" and the street people even come on the property to use our pool as there personal wash station.
as much as I hate to, Im considering leaving phoenix even to the extent of giving up my job to do so.
Im going back east to visit my hometown at the end of the month and if I like it. Im Re-Locating back.
But something just tells me, this problem is bigger than just Phoenix and Im going to see the same thing back there.

It's nationwide. In metro Atlanta certain suburbs have turned ghetto over a course of 20 years. As Atlanta gets safer and the crime elements get pushed out, they are going into the suburbs. And some of the suburbs had their own tweaker elements long ago, like in Paulding County and Bartow County.

The only way to truly escape any kind of "trash" is to be middle upper class or higher up in the income bracket.

[JTW2013]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

Chicken or egg, though? Those schools and the entire area around Fiesta was once prime family country. I was at the grand opening of Fiesta Mall and it was an area we wish we could have lived in. We were in south Phoenix. I think the schools went bad either along with or after the character of the neighborhood began to decline. In any case, once the schools are lost, I agree, people with means don't want to live there anymore and it is really tough to stem the decline. I wish Ducey could figure that out, because it is a problem affecting the entire state to one degree or another.

There is a chicken and egg thing but anything in the Mesa SD was probably bound to decline eventually because the SD was going to encounter problems and then drag down the school quality in the better schools in the district. The district is very big with a lot of diversity and many retirees. Not a good combination.