aa moving to phoenix where should i live

[ElleTea]

Let's keep this thread to Phoenix and the OPs questions about where to live in Phoenix, please, and not turn it into another discussion about the midwest.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by BIG CATS

Be prepared for zero architecture, housing stock that is all-too-similar, endless strip malls, and beige everything. Are you sure you wanna make this move?

Only if you choose to live in that type of area, your destiny is up to you. Plenty of unique, colorful and even walkable options right here but it's not cheap.

[Juram]

Originally Posted by KurtAZ

With a budget of $150k, you won't be finding a 3/2 in a "nice" neighborhood. That might get you a condo in a mediocre neighborhood...but then you have to deal with an HOA.

You can find decent homes in North Phoenix, around Greenway and Bell, west of 35th Ave in safe neighborhoods from around $140k to $200k. She might be able to find something in her range there.

[malefiscen]

thanks for the help guys. just to clear up a sticking point everyone seems to have; my budget isn't 150k i'm annoyed i have to spend 2-220k. also i think i've narrowed down some neighborhoods: estrella north mountain avondale south mountain alhambra. is laveen the same as laveen village? appreciate the help.

[Thomasaz]

Originally Posted by malefiscen

thanks for the help guys. just to clear up a sticking point everyone seems to have; my budget isn't 150k i'm annoyed i have to spend 2-220k. also i think i've narrowed down some neighborhoods: estrella north mountain avondale south mountain alhambra. is laveen the same as laveen village? appreciate the help.

I just googled them because I didn't have a good idea of their boundaries. Laveen is pretty much the same as Laveen Village. Those are decent choices, but some specific areas within those neighborhoods can be sketchy. The I-17 areas within some of those neighborhoods are usually not good. I suggest using Trulia to get an idea of crime. Trulia isn't very accurate, but it'll give you a decent idea. Using it in combination with actual crime maps will be helpful.

edit: looking over these areas, I'd likely avoid Alhambra. Avondale might be the best option.

[Prickly Pear]

Originally Posted by ajonesaz

The Baseline Corridor is seeing a revitalization and houses are still affordable. Easy access to downtown and access to South Mountain Park. Neighborhoods are hit and miss though. I would check them out in person before committing to anything.

I second this. Good homes are coming out of Laveen these days. Try looking west of 7th Avenue and no further west than say 51st Avenue (that's where they are building the 202 extension).

Someone also mentioned around 35th Avenue and Union Hills. I lived in that area, it's safe.

[Thomasaz]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

No. No. No. It's OK to hate on Phoenix, especially in August but your implication that things are "prettier" in the rust belt is just wrong. Sure there are great streetscapes back there but where you average Joe lives and shops is so much nicer here it defies comparison. Phoenix is landscaped to the nines with colorful shrubs, art work along the freeways, trees and shrubbery in even Walmart parking lots. Most cities have standards for commercial building landscaping, color, lighting etc. Most new developments have green areas and parks/play areas for kids. . There are very few abandoned boarded up buildings and no collapsing factories dotting the city in the parts where almost all of us live. No potholes, no heaved and broken sidewalks. It is all fresh, clean, and new. Honestly if your average small town rust belt look is what one wants, Maryvale is the place to go. If a rust belter wants an idea of how it looks here, think about the new part of your town or the nearest bigger town with the new houses, and stores and roads - out by the highway. That is Phoenix, except here it extends 25 miles in every direction from the center.

This is the biggest pile of BS I have read so far. Do you honestly believe the Rust Belt is essentially run down cities and abandoned homes? Oh lord...

I suggest you take a drive down Grand Avenue or take a drive away from Central Avenue towards I-17 and see all the "fresh, clean, and new". I like how Maryvale is thrown around as if it's the only ghetto area that exists in the Phoenix area. I doubt you've spent much time around the older neighborhoods in the original housing areas of Phoenix.

Standards for commercial building landscaping, color, lighting? What standard is that? Beige or brown color, desert tree and rocks, and generic white lighting for night? That's all I see. Art work on the freeways? What world do you live in if you think mostly beige walls with an occasional purple lizard every 20 miles is art?

The blindfolds that people wear here are unbelievable.