Is the crime really that bad? (Phoenix, Mesa: rent, low crime, houses)

[raindroplotus]

I am looking to get out of the SLC area and Phoenix seems like a good option in many ways. My major concern(besides scorpions ) is what appears to be a significant amount of crime. Just so you know, I am a Southern California native so I have lived in some not so great areas. However, I think I've become accustomed to the safety here in the south valley of Salt Lake County. Rents have gone up so much here that I am just floored to see 4 bedroom houses around Phoenix for under $1400/month. The problem is, I'll find a property that I am interested in and it's in a really sketchy area. The places that seem comparable in safety to here also seem comparable in rent.
I just have a hard time believing that the whole area is just full of crime with literally a few blocks here and there of safety. Especially when I do Street View on Google Maps and the neighborhood looks so well-kept. What gives?

[LBTRS]

For a metro area with almost 7 million people the crime rate is not bad at all. I've never felt unsafe here. I don't know what crime you're talking about specifically, however, if you stay in the recommended areas there isn't a big problem.

Of course, the better areas are going to have a higher cost of living. That isn't limited to the Phoenix area.

[WSPHXPELON]

Post back with some addresses or cross-streets and we can tell you have safe or un-safe they are.

[locolife]

What would make you think desireable locations of a much bigger city would be cheaper? And as others have said post up more specific locations and we can help. But like anywhere proximity to jobs and nicer areas are pricey here. Phoenix is in a bit of a boom right now so there's not a lot of huge bargains floating around like 2009.

[Bondurant]

Originally Posted by raindroplotus

I am looking to get out of the SLC area and Phoenix seems like a good option in many ways. My major concern(besides scorpions ) is what appears to be a significant amount of crime. Just so you know, I am a Southern California native so I have lived in some not so great areas. However, I think I've become accustomed to the safety here in the south valley of Salt Lake County. Rents have gone up so much here that I am just floored to see 4 bedroom houses around Phoenix for under $1400/month. The problem is, I'll find a property that I am interested in and it's in a really sketchy area. The places that seem comparable in safety to here also seem comparable in rent.
I just have a hard time believing that the whole area is just full of crime with literally a few blocks here and there of safety. Especially when I do Street View on Google Maps and the neighborhood looks so well-kept. What gives?

What are your sources that state Phoenix is a crime ridden hole with only a few blocks of civilized neighborhoods?

[raindroplotus]

I've had a few people try to caution me about moving my family(me, husband, 4 kids) to the area because it wouldn't be safe. Granted, this is coming from friends of friends.
It does seem that Gilbert and Chandler on the whole are pretty safe. Actually, Gilbert is much safer than the city I currently live in. It's just that when I look at the crime "heat map", it seems that most of the neighborhoods are on the "Least Safe" end of the spectrum. Confusing and conflicting data between the two sites.
My husband works in IT, so I imagine he'll end up finding work in Scottsdale. We are wanting to stay on the east side to keep the commute manageable. We are planning a trip down there in the next couple of weeks to see for ourselves. Any areas I should stay away from?

[raindroplotus]

Originally Posted by locolife

What would make you think desireable locations of a much bigger city would be cheaper? And as others have said post up more specific locations and we can help. But like anywhere proximity to jobs and nicer areas are pricey here. Phoenix is in a bit of a boom right now so there's not a lot of huge bargains floating around like 2009.

Sorry if there was a misunderstanding, but I never assumed that the more desirable areas would be cheaper. I was just curious about how safe and desirable the areas with reasonable rent are. At first glance, it seems like PHX is much more affordable than SLC. SLC is going through a huge boom a well, hence the lack of affordable housing...or much housing at all. I will come back with some specific areas soon. Thank you for your help.

[Mister-A]

Originally Posted by raindroplotus

Actually, according to , Gilbert is much safer than the city I currently live in. It's just that when I look at the crime "heat map" on , it seems that most of the neighborhoods are on the "Least Safe" end of the spectrum. It's just that when I look at the crime "heat map" on NeighborhoodScout, it seems that most of the neighborhoods are on the "Least Safe" end of the spectrum. Confusing and conflicting data between the two sites.

Did I understand correctly that telling you neighborhoods in Gilbert are "least safe"?

It might be of interest that those heat maps seem to be relative: in other words, they're saying "least safe in Gilbert", not "least safe in America", so it might be that perspective that's throwing you off. In an area with low crime, *any* crime may cause one neighborhood to skew to the far end of the spectrum as the most dangerous in the area, right next to an area with no reports.

Note that they also list Gilbert, in total, as being safer than 54% of American cities with a crime rate of less than 14 per 100,000, which seems to line up with Sperling's Best Places: lower than the national average. I don't know SLC, but comparing some south valley towns, the numbers seem to compare favorably.

Don't take my word for it, but coming from upstate New York, we've found the East Valley to feel very safe overall, and the raw numbers seem to bear that out. Gilbert has a particular reputation for being quiet and family-oriented.

The local media does seem downright hysterical about crime, which can be alarming until you realize that they're covering every violent crime in a 75-mile radius with an equal level of intensity - crimes that would likely warrant only a few passing mentions in our small city.

[raindroplotus]

Originally Posted by Mister-A

Did I understand correctly that NeighborhoodScout is telling you neighborhoods in Gilbert are "least safe"?

It might be of interest that those heat maps seem to be relative: in other words, they're saying "least safe in Gilbert", not "least safe in America", so it might be that perspective that's throwing you off.

Note that they also list Gilbert, in total, as being safer than 54% of American cities with a crime rate of less than 14 per 100,000, which seems to line up with Sperling's Best Places: lower than the national average.

Don't take my word for it, but coming from upstate New York, we've found the East Valley to feel very safe overall, and the raw numbers seem to bear that out. Gilbert has a particular reputation for being quiet and family-oriented.

The local media does appear downright hysterical about crime, which can be alarming until you realize that they're covering every violent crime in a 75-mile radius with an equal level of intensity - crimes that would likely warrant only a few passing mentions in our area.

I think you found my mistake! I bet you are right that the heat map is going by least safe areas of a particular city. I don't know why I didn't see it that way

Gilbert really seems like the place we want to be, which is a quiet suburban town with proximity to big city activities and entertainment. I am open to Chandler and Queen Creek too. For example, there is a home I really like in Queen Creek near N Gantzel Rd and E Pecan Creek. Anyone familar with this neighborhood? How about Apache Junction around E Broadway and S Labelle? Doesn't look like there are any in Gilbert right now that are what I'm looking for, but there are houses in those areas that I would love to live in.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by raindroplotus

Sorry if there was a misunderstanding, but I never assumed that the more desirable areas would be cheaper. I was just curious about how safe and desirable the areas with reasonable rent are. At first glance, it seems like PHX is much more affordable than SLC. SLC is going through a huge boom a well, hence the lack of affordable housing...or much housing at all. I will come back with some specific areas soon. Thank you for your help.

No worries, it sounds like you're interested in some of the suburbs of Phoenix, which in that case you'll have no problem finding very safe areas comparable to where I think you live in SLC. I'm originally from Sandy, and I'm guessing you may live around there or Draper based on what you've posted. Gilbert, East Mesa, most of Chandler, and large pockets of Phoenix/Scottsdale would also work for you. It's just that the closer into downtown Phoenix you get the more expensive desirable areas are.

Another big difference between SLC and Phoenix is just the sheer size of the valley, the SLC valley (basically SL County) is tiny compared to the Phoenix valley, so being in Gilbert and driving to downtown Phoenix will be more like living in Provo and driving to downtown SLC, although traffic may be better or worse here, I'm not sure as I haven't lived there in a long time.

But a lot of jobs here are spread out along the 101 corridor, so it may be that you live in Gilbert and work in Chandler, in that case all good.

Overall, there is absolutely more crime in the entire valley then in Salt Lake but it's far from crime ridden, there's just bad pockets like I'm sure you experienced in SoCal. Maryvale, South Phoenix, and other areas of the inner west side are probably the worst but even in the east valley there are some dicey pockets like West Mesa. I don't think anything here ranks as high as Compton, Watts and the rest of South Central but certainly larger areas of trouble spots then Salt Lake has, at least to my knowledge.

Because a lot of those crime areas tend to be in Phoenix the "Phoenix city" gets a bad wrap sometimes but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised when you checkout the areas you're looking into.

If you haven't already looked you may also like Northeast Mesa, there's some nice neighborhoods there that run up against Hawes Mountain and close to the Salt River.

Anyways, hope that helps.