How scary is South Scottsdale?? (Phoenix, Mesa: low income, rental, condo)

[Panks]

Hi
I read a post that said S. scottsdale has gangs etc, but now I can't find it

Can anyone tell me where it starts getting better (which major street) ?

I'd like to live in N.Scottsdale but I can't spend over $325k so either I have to move further south or further north. Which is better in your opinion?

Also what do you think of the 85018 zip code?

thank you Arizonians

[Steve-o]

Further north puts you further out from everything, but its worth it IMO. As for south Scottsdale being dangerous? Ive been through there many times, and while its not attractive (to me), it didnt seem overly dangerous. Id take the north side of Scottsdale anyday over the south side. But, the southside is closer to Old Town and all the nightlife/dining. Win some, lose some.

[vegaspilgrim]

Not "scary" at all, just older and poorer areas. South Scottsdale is a major nightlife center with a lot of open air bars lining Scottsdale Rd. South Scottsdale is tame compared to the bad parts of Mesa and Phoenix. If you want to be close to north Scottsdale, I would recommend taking a look at north Phoenix first. BTW, there's a strip mall in south Scottsdale called "Papago Plaza" that is a must see. It is the coolest strip mall I have ever seen!

[sablebaby]

You're not going to get anything going more north in scottsdale. I'd recommend getting close to the Scottsdale border (Tatum Blvd) north of Thunderbird. You may have to go up north of bell though for your price range. But it puts you in a great area across the street from Scottsdale. But, that also depends on how big of a home you want (they will be small for $325k). This would be NE Phx.

Also, there are other great areas of the valley that you could afford. Parts of N. Phx, N. Glendale, N. Peoria.

The zip of 85018 is Arcadia. The median home price there is $560,000. I think you need to look in areas that you can afford.

[Kevin Beasley]

Originally Posted by Panks

Hi
I read a post that said S. scottsdale has gangs etc, but now I can't find it

Can anyone tell me where it starts getting better (which major street) ?

I'd like to live in N.Scottsdale but I can't spend over $325k so either I have to move further south or further north. Which is better in your opinion?

Also what do you think of the 85018 zip code?

thank you Arizonians

I had a listing near old town priced at 325k 3/2/ with a pool nice old school block home built in 1958 though....i wouldnt go any further south than thomas & Hayden cause once you cross the Salt River you are in tweakerville..I kid you not!

[FlyGuy_ca]

Tweakerville? Please explain for us not in the know.

[silverbear]

Originally Posted by Kevin Beasley

I had a listing near old town priced at 325k 3/2/ with a pool nice old school block home built in 1958 though....i wouldnt go any further south than thomas & Hayden cause once you cross the Salt River you are in tweakerville..I kid you not!

Once you cross the Salt River, you're in Tempe. In fact, you'd be in Tempe even before crossing the Salt River. The Scottsdale / Tempe border is approximately two miles north of the river.

As for the original question, southern Scottsdale isn't scary at all. I know people who live comfortable lives there and even send their kids to local schools. The only reason southern Scottsdale has a bad reputation is because it is more modest and less upscale than the northern part of the city.

I actually prefer the southern and middle portions of Scottsdale; north of Shea, I lose interest in the city pretty quickly and go there only for hiking purposes.

[fdxboy]

85018 zip code has a lot of great homes in nice areas. Not every house in the 85018 zip is Arcadia. Arcadia goes from 44th st to Camelback to 56 to the North side of Indian School.

Anything in the 85108 north of Indian School West of 44th st is very nice and there is a lot of homes in your price range. $325 buys a lot more now than it did 3 years ago.

As far as South Scottsdale goes....it is fine. Remember when thinking of the Valley pretend it is a map that looks like a quilt. Good area..bad area..good area...bad area. South Scottsdale is too close to major freeways and employers to remain what some consider to be a "bad area".

[joninaz]

I live in South Scottsdale and think it's great. Location wise, it's extremely convenient.... Just a 5 minute drive to Old Town, Arcadia, Mill Ave. in Tempe. 10 minutes to Sky Harbor and another 5 to downtaown and the Biltmore area.

To be fair, there are some patches of low income, heavy rental areas where I wouldn't want to live, but they aren't too bad and are simply patches, not indicative of the whole area. There are also patches of very high end places and everything inbetween. I lived for 12 years all over L.A. so I know gangs and sketch hoods - this is overall a fine place.

There's no real defenition as to where the "South" actually begins, but from Camelback (considered Old Town) it's only 3 miles to the Southermost border with Tempe. And within the Old Town/South areas, there's a sick amount of development money being invested... a few $Billion? I'm not making anything off that, but am seeing more and better side effects - cool new reataurants, nighlife options, more investment by the city, etc. and a lot of great small businesses.

The houses are a little older and smaller than those in newer developments in the metro area but include Havers and other retro ranch styles. I seem to have several houses in my neighborhood at or under 300K. That won't get you half of a trendy new 1 bedroom condo in Old Town or Tempe, but can get you a house and a bit of land inbetween.

[Kevin Beasley]

Originally Posted by FlyGuy_ca

Tweakerville? Please explain for us not in the know.

Tweekrville/ usually an area frequented by meth or crack users/dealers. Most cases is accompanied by other criminals, such as thieves, prostitutes, child abuse, forgery experts.