Which is better West Valley or East Valley?(Phoenix area)

[AndyDwyer480]

Just watch the traffic report on the news in the morning if you don’t believe people are telling the truth about the 10 really sucking in the West Valley in the morning

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by AndyDwyer480

Just watch the traffic report on the news in the morning if you don’t believe people are telling the truth about the 10 really sucking in the West Valley in the morning

Thank ADOT for that. The huge I10 median is nothing but dirt and a wire fence, which ADOT could have made into additional traffic lanes. I know the plans are for light rail to eventually run in that median ... however, that won't be for another 10 years at least. But what can you expect? This was the same agency that allowed I10 to flood in 2014 because they didn't maintain their pumps like they should have.

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by Valley Native

Thank ADOT for that. The huge I10 median is nothing but dirt and a wire fence, which ADOT could have made into additional traffic lanes. I know the plans are for light rail to eventually run in that median ... however, that won't be for another 10 years at least. But what can you expect? This was the same agency that allowed I10 to flood in 2014 because they didn't maintain their pumps like they should have.

Homeowners, municipalities, the state, and insurance companies are still litigating the damage from that flood. Crazy if you think about it.

[fluffythewondercat]

Originally Posted by wase4711

its interesting how infuriated a certain group of people here get when anything even a tiny bit negative is posted about the East Valley...

All I can tell you is that we never seriously entertained the idea of buying a home in the West Valley. Everything that appeals to us -- luxury without pretension, cultural activities, entertainment, great restaurants, upscale shopping -- is in the East Valley. It's very similar to where we came from...without the neo-Marxists and the insanity of bullet-train-to-nowhere politics.

[Prickly Pear]

Originally Posted by fluffythewondercat

All I can tell you is that we never seriously entertained the idea of buying a home in the West Valley. Everything that appeals to us -- luxury without pretension, cultural activities, entertainment, great restaurants, upscale shopping -- is in the East Valley. It's very similar to where we came from...without the neo-Marxists and the insanity of bullet-train-to-nowhere politics.

West Valley is more affordable, and money talks. If you do all those things outside of rush hour traffic (rush hour changes everything as we all know and are currently debating regarding the I-10) then it's not as much of a concern to drive to what's in East Valley. It really depends on the lifestyle and personal preference.

What's important to any transplant is not everything is what they seem by appearances. And you won't know anything about it until moving here and "exploring". We can stereotype both West and East Valley but truth is none of it matters unless someone who has actually lived in XYZ neighborhood can comment on what life is like there. That is what is great about this forum as we all have different experiences. For example I spent the first third of my life in far northwestern Peoria (next to Sun City and Surprise near Vistancia) down the street from Lake Pleasant, then I spent the second third of my life living in Arrowhead Ranch and central Glendale. Spent four years in Tucson then moved to Moon Valley in North Phoenix. I have family in every suburb so I've visited basically every part of town. But if someone asked me what it's like in East Mesa I'd have no idea, even though I'm a native and I have been over there a couple of times. I can give an assumption, but it may not be accurate. However "Northwest Valley" is in my expertise and I can provide a lot of commentary. NW Valley is still fairly new and most posters don't live there or are unfamiliar, and I've watched it change with my own eyes, who else would know it better than me?

I've lived here long enough to have a fairly good idea of where I'd consider living. This would be Old Town Scottsdale, Downtown Tempe, and Downtown Phoenix. Tempe is too college-oriented for my tastes (for obvious reasons), and Scottsdale is still a bit too expensive. Phoenix is more diverse, more affordable and larger so the stars align essentially there. But the lifestyle I really want frankly doesn't really exist here at all, only in very small pockets. It mostly exists in other American cities. Even though I know where I would most likely prefer, I still don't know if it's truly "better" than another place without knowing the other person's preferences and what they prioritize.

[wase4711]

great comments, and its nice coming from someone who has lived all around the valley

[AndyDwyer480]

At the end of the day, there are amazing areas in every city here. You just may have to find it. If I could choose to buy house literally anywhere in this large area that we live in, and not worry about anything that would be involved, such as taxes, HOA, traffic, etc. etc.

I would get a house in fountain Hills. And I would live on a cliff somewhere and look down at the city. I love that little area it is completely separated from the rest of the valley, there are no buses or freeways, sure there is Shea Boulevard and the 87, but they hardly qualify as a major freeways. I think that area is amazing and yes, there are tons of old people there, which means it is pretty safe to bring my son there, and generally in the summertime there will be hardly anyone there at all. Which also is lovely.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by AndyDwyer480

I would get a house in fountain Hills. And I would live on a cliff somewhere and look down at the city. I love that little area it is completely separated from the rest of the valley, there are no buses or freeways, sure there is Shea Boulevard and the 87, but they hardly qualify as a major freeways. I think that area is amazing and yes, there are tons of old people there, which means it is pretty safe to bring my son there, and generally in the summertime there will be hardly anyone there at all. Which also is lovely.

Fountain Hills is definitely an exurban area, even though it technically latches onto Scottsdale as far as city boundaries are concerned. It has grown quite a bit, but it really hasn't changed all that much over the years, and I think most residents want it that way. You get some heavy traffic on Shea with weekend travelers passing through, but other than that, it seems almost isolated from the rest of the metro area.

With that said, I do think the Beeline (87) should be made into a full fledged freeway from Mesa up to Payson. There's too much stop & go traffic from the 202 all the way to Ft McDowell Road because of all the stoplights. The speed limit also too low: should be 75 instead of 65, and making into a freeway would likely cause the speed limit to be raised as well. Don't expect ADOT to act on this idea because they seem to be preoccupied with patching freeways with their precious rubber asphalt, and coming up with corny sayings on their overhead message boards.