Recommendations/opinions for City vs suburbs (Phoenix, Mesa: rental, houses, neighborhoods)

[Tigerlily64]

There is potential for us to relocate back to the US from Australia, specifically to Phoenix where my office is city centre. We are a British couple (kids grown and left), early 50's and have lived in Fort Worth, TX for a year and SoCal for 3 years (we loved SoCal and made good friends there). My employer then relocated me to Australia and I may have an opportunity to now go to Phoenix.

Looking at various previous posts, plus general research, the areas that look attractive to us would be Scottsdale, Chandler, Gilbert areas but as the office is in the city, the latter two places are a 25 mile commute (or drive to Mesa for the light rail and then a 50 min rail trip) and Scottsdale seems quite a bit more expensive. I don't really want to be commuting longer than 30-45mins average if possible but up to an hour if really necessary to get what we like.

Are there areas in Phoenix city that offer decent size single family homes (1500sqft minimum with at least 2 bedrooms) with a pool (or at least a community pool) that people can recommend in nice areas? I find a lot of info on the above mentioned places but nothing much on living within Phoenix itself. As we would be coming on a visa with my job, we would only be looking to long-term rent and would like to budget up to approx $2,500/3,000 ideally.

We currently are waterside in Australia and in CA we lived lakefront but a nice view would be good whether waterside or not but also within easy distance (walking even) of some bars/restaurants if possible. Any ideas therefore of other areas we could consider than Scottsdale/chandler/Gilbert?

Thanks in advance to anyone taking the time and effort to answer.

[DetroitN8V]

Your rental budget could get you a nice house in Scottsdale within a reasonable commute to downtown Phoenix with a pool and possibly a nice view of Camelback Mountain. 85251 and 85250 will get you what you want within a bike ride to Old Town bars and restaurants.

[Silo2]

DetroitN8V has good advice, but you do have a lot of options in Central Phoenix. I would look in the Biltmore area, i.e., anything within a few miles of 24th St. and Camelback Rd. (but would stay north of Camelback). You are likely to find something with mountain views and nearby bars, restaurants, and shopping. The neighborhoods seem to be quiet and well cared-for, although my judgment is only based on passing by. The commute to downtown Phoenix would be trivial as you'd be very close to the 51 freeway, and even taking surface streets would get you downtown in less than 30 minutes.

[Tigerlily64]

Thank you both DetroitN8V and Silo2 for your recommendations. You get more bang for your buck in places like Gilbert and Chandler than you do in Scottsdale but I guess the extra costs for commuting both in actual money and in time is a factor.

Good to know that it might be worth investigating areas within Phoenix itself, thank you.

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

Originally Posted by Tigerlily64

Thank you both DetroitN8V and Silo2 for your recommendations. You get more bang for your buck in places like Gilbert and Chandler than you do in Scottsdale but I guess the extra costs for commuting both in actual money and in time is a factor.

Good to know that it might be worth investigating areas within Phoenix itself, thank you.

Curious, why would you want to leave Brisbane? Their climate seems to be the best parts of CA&FL rolled into one

[Tigerlily64]

Originally Posted by FirebirdCamaro1220

Curious, why would you want to leave Brisbane? Their climate seems to be the best parts of CA&FL rolled into one

The climate in Brisbane is indeed very nice and we like many things about living here but Australia is also a very long way from family and friends still in the UK. Many treat a visit to Australia as a once-in-a-lifetime event rather than a journey to be undertaken frequently and of course it is also not cheap to come here on vacation etc.

I work for an American company and have moved several times with them from UK to TX to CA to Australia and now there's an opportunity for me to move back to US, an 11hr flight from UK family rather than 24+ hrs and just a few hours from other family in Cayman Islands. So the decision is not based on climate but rather career progression and proximity to family and friends.

[nala1908]

I do not see why you are trying to locate so far away. You could find beautiful houses in Phoenix for half your budget. I live downtown, in the city center and I only pay 1000 a month for rent for 950 sqft. My commute is only 5 minute by bike. And I am within walking distance of the train and buses. Which will bring you anywhere.

If you live in Chandler, Mesa, Gilbert, or Scottsdale you will live in a suburban setting, far away from shops and bars and grocery. There is no light rail in those areas and the bus service is spotty and times are limited ( but due to get better here in the upcoming months)

To sum it up, if you want to have a life, don't move to the suburbs. Locate between the 17 and the 51, anywhere north of downtown is going to suit you very well.

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

Originally Posted by nala1908

I do not see why you are trying to locate so far away. You could find beautiful houses in Phoenix for half your budget. I live downtown, in the city center and I only pay 1000 a month for rent for 950 sqft. My commute is only 5 minute by bike. And I am within walking distance of the train and buses. Which will bring you anywhere.

If you live in Chandler, Mesa, Gilbert, or Scottsdale you will live in a suburban setting, far away from shops and bars and grocery. There is no light rail in those areas and the bus service is spotty and times are limited ( but due to get better here in the upcoming months)

To sum it up, if you want to have a life, don't move to the suburbs. Locate between the 17 and the 51, anywhere north of downtown is going to suit you very well.

How are you getting 1k/month for 950 sq ft downtown? I live in midtown and am paying $900/mo for 800sq ft

[AZ_Rookie]

Originally Posted by FirebirdCamaro1220

How are you getting 1k/month for 950 sq ft downtown? I live in midtown and am paying $900/mo for 800sq ft

What happened to the 1100 place?
https://www.city-data.com/forum/44372948-post156.html

[DetroitN8V]

Originally Posted by nala1908

I do not see why you are trying to locate so far away. You could find beautiful houses in Phoenix for half your budget. I live downtown, in the city center and I only pay 1000 a month for rent for 950 sqft. My commute is only 5 minute by bike. And I am within walking distance of the train and buses. Which will bring you anywhere.

If you live in Chandler, Mesa, Gilbert, or Scottsdale you will live in a suburban setting, far away from shops and bars and grocery. There is no light rail in those areas and the bus service is spotty and times are limited ( but due to get better here in the upcoming months)

To sum it up, if you want to have a life, don't move to the suburbs. Locate between the 17 and the 51, anywhere north of downtown is going to suit you very well.

This is simply not true. You will be far from bars, shops and grocery stores in Scottsdale?? You're not serious are you?