Looking for some help to better understand the area (Phoenix: rental, to buy)

[kmorgida]

My husband and I are looking to relocate to the Phoenix area as he has been approached by a company in Mesa (border of Gilbert and Mesa). I am thinking for my career I am going to have to look in the down town, central and camelback corridors. I dont want both of us to have long commutes so I am trying to figure out what are good areas for us to look. We have a son who will be starting Kindergarten next year so a good school district is a must. We are looking to move probably December this year. We want to buy but will probably rent for 6 months to a year just to make sure we know where we want to live. Our rental budget would probably be $1400-$1500 a month. We currently live in San Diego and my current commute to work is about an hour each way so I am not opposed to doing something like that. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

Originally Posted by kmorgida

My husband and I are looking to relocate to the Phoenix area as he has been approached by a company in Mesa (border of Gilbert and Mesa). I am thinking for my career I am going to have to look in the down town, central and camelback corridors. I dont want both of us to have long commutes so I am trying to figure out what are good areas for us to look. We have a son who will be starting Kindergarten next year so a good school district is a must. We are looking to move probably December this year. We want to buy but will probably rent for 6 months to a year just to make sure we know where we want to live. Our rental budget would probably be $1400-$1500 a month. We currently live in San Diego and my current commute to work is about an hour each way so I am not opposed to doing something like that. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you

Tempe, south Scottsdale (south of Osborn) or central Scottsdale (Osborn to McCormack)

[Jkgourmet]

Originally Posted by FirebirdCamaro1220

Tempe, south Scottsdale (south of Osborn) or central Scottsdale (Osborn to McCormack)

I'd agree, with a strong preference for Tempe or Central Scottsdale.

[JGMotorsport64]

Central Tempe, South of Broadway but north of the 60 has some nice areas and is reasonable in cost with great freeway access and public transportation. I'd say commutes from that area to Downtown range between 20 and 35 min depending on the severity of whatever is happening on the Freeways at that time.

A little shortcut that saves time however. Take Southern or Broadway to 48th Street, take it to the 143 then from there to Washington where the lights are timed into Downtown.

In addition Scottsdale is a worth a strong look.

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

Originally Posted by JGMotorsport64

Central Tempe, South of Broadway but north of the 60 has some nice areas and is reasonable in cost with great freeway access and public transportation. I'd say commutes from that area to Downtown range between 20 and 35 min depending on the severity of whatever is happening on the Freeways at that time.

A little shortcut that saves time however. Take Southern or Broadway to 48th Street, take it to the 143 then from there to Washington where the lights are timed into Downtown.

In addition Scottsdale is a worth a strong look.

Or you can cut through the airport, I used to do it alot when I lived in Gilbert

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by FirebirdCamaro1220

Or you can cut through the airport, I used to do it alot when I lived in Gilbert

I used to do that commuting from Downtown to Tempe from the I10 when traffic was stopped up at the Curve.

However, one day I was trapped at the airport for 2.5 hours for some "incident," haven't done it since.

[kmorgida]

So if we were looking in Gilbert would that be way out of the way?

[goolsbyjazz]

I live in Mesa near the 60 and I travel to Tempe every morning. I carpool with my wife and on a good day it will take us 20-25 minutes in the HOV lane. We also travelled the streets and it took us a solid 30 minutes. Now, in the event of an accident, all bets are off!

[JGMotorsport64]

Originally Posted by kmorgida

So if we were looking in Gilbert would that be way out of the way?

If you have to commute to Downtown, it's not out of the way per se, since a lot of people make that commute, but it's not a commute I would ever recommend. This is true of everywhere, but it seems to be more prevalent here, the commute via freeway is wildly unpredictable. It might take you 35 min to get to work, it might take 1.5hrs to get to work. That kind of uncertainty always bothered me when I lived in Chandler, so I moved to Central Phoenix.

If I were in your position I would look at places between where your husband works and where you will be working, some of the best areas of the whole city are between Mesa and Downtown.

In your shoes I'd give a very serious look at East Phoenix, Central Tempe, Southern Tempe, Northern Chandler, and Central Scottsdale.

[pbenjamin]

Tempe or Ahwatukee within the Kyrene school district sounds like the ticket to me.