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Old 03-21-2008, 01:07 PM
 
Location: Brookfield, WI
42 posts, read 145,870 times
Reputation: 18

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Considering Maricopa for possible re-location. Drove around last year and saw some properties but decided to wait for the market to move lower.

Looking again this year but I am concerned about quality of life issues, i.e., crime, income-levels, noise, traffic within Maricopa, amenities, etc. Especially concerned since property values have dropped so precipitously - more than I expected. Not snobbish - just don't want to deal with chaotic families and loud or rude neighbors. Appears that the crime level literally depends on what side of the tracks you live on.

I'm looking at the Rancho El Dorado area.

Any information of impressions would help.
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Old 03-21-2008, 01:21 PM
 
Location: Sonoran Desert
39,072 posts, read 51,199,205 times
Reputation: 28313
The unfortunate reality is that crime seems to be inversely linked to income levels. The lower the income level of an area, the higher the crime rate. The appeal of Maricopa has to be the low home prices and those prices attract both the law-abiding and the undesirable elements. Your odds of having chaotic families and loud and unruly neighbors are going to be greater than in areas with homes costing 2,3 or more times as much. Still, Maricopa is certainly not the worst place in the metro area and it's isolation probably will help.
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Old 03-21-2008, 01:26 PM
 
Location: Brookfield, WI
42 posts, read 145,870 times
Reputation: 18
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ponderosa View Post
The unfortunate reality is that crime seems to be inversely linked to income levels. The lower the income level of an area, the higher the crime rate. The appeal of Maricopa has to be the low home prices and those prices attract both the law-abiding and the undesirable elements. Your odds of having chaotic families and loud and unruly neighbors are going to be greater than in areas with homes costing 2,3 or more times as much. Still, Maricopa is certainly not the worst place in the metro area and it's isolation probably will help.
In your experience any areas better than others? Looking at the police blotter it appears that the Rancho El Dorado area is pretty crime free.
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Old 03-21-2008, 03:38 PM
 
Location: St Louis,MO
307 posts, read 953,955 times
Reputation: 85
Default Visit neighborhoods

Visit the neighborhood you are considering...

Take a walk around the block a few times...

I got lucky because in the neighborhood I live in (Surprise,AZ) - one of my co-workers moved into a year before I did.

He noticed we were considering the house we bought and gave his recommendation.

You may not have that option, but you can "tour" the neighborhood by just taking a few strolls....

Hope this helps!
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Old 03-21-2008, 03:43 PM
 
682 posts, read 2,565,897 times
Reputation: 344
There are some older posts about Maricopa which stated that the city only recently got its first police officer and one car. That was a couple of months ago, so maybe the force is larger now, but I would be concerned moving to an area that did not have adequate police protection.

altus2006
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Old 03-21-2008, 04:39 PM
 
Location: Denver, CO
5,610 posts, read 23,301,938 times
Reputation: 5447
Please read this thread-- a couple of other people and I commented on Maricopa and Rancho El Dorado just a few days ago. Ask yourself, why Maricopa? Do you plan on commuting to the Phoenix metro area? Is it just the cheap home prices? Because even if that's all you're looking for, I think there are still better options that are closer in to the core metro area. The only subdivision in Maricopa that I like is Cobblestone Farms, by Fulton Homes. The other ones I don't care for too much.
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Old 03-21-2008, 04:59 PM
 
Location: Sonoran Desert
39,072 posts, read 51,199,205 times
Reputation: 28313
Quote:
Originally Posted by JDish2000 View Post
Visit the neighborhood you are considering...

Take a walk around the block a few times...

I got lucky because in the neighborhood I live in (Surprise,AZ) - one of my co-workers moved into a year before I did.

He noticed we were considering the house we bought and gave his recommendation.

You may not have that option, but you can "tour" the neighborhood by just taking a few strolls....

Hope this helps!
Great advice but I'd say visit at night. During the day the neighborhood can look great when everyone is gone. If you visit at night, or on the weekend, and see cars and trucks with deep window tints and expensive wheels parked all over the driveways, the road or the "lawn", see trash outside the fences, hear noises that concern you, and see worrisome-looking people, then trust your instincts and don't rationalize away the problems. The questionable newer neighborhoods here do NOT get better - only worse.
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Old 03-21-2008, 06:12 PM
 
14 posts, read 66,581 times
Reputation: 15
I live in RED and it is GHETTO!!! I can't wait to get out. We've had the police out two times within the last 4 days. Been vandalized twice. And another thing. When reading the police blotter, remember that it only shows PINAL county reports and not the Maricopa police reports. I believe Maricopa police took over a couple months ago.

We're looking to buy within a year. And yeah, we could get a killer deal out here. But it's just not worth it.
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Old 03-22-2008, 08:55 AM
 
Location: Brookfield, WI
42 posts, read 145,870 times
Reputation: 18
Thanks all for the input. As I mentioned, I have been through the area. Seemed nice but a little manufactured. But housing was attractive and I could overlook it and the commute.

But if things are so iffy in such a small town that I have to drive around each neighborhood at night to see if monsters come out then it's not for me no matter how cheap housing gets. Sounds like Maricopa got it's police force none to soon.
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Old 03-23-2008, 08:48 PM
 
551 posts, read 2,725,361 times
Reputation: 261
Quote:
Originally Posted by ready2go View Post
Considering Maricopa for possible re-location...but I am concerned about quality of life issues, i.e., crime, income-levels, noise, traffic within Maricopa, amenities, etc.
Quality of life really depends on what you are looking for. Maricopa is a somewhat isolated bedroom community type city, mostly consisting of housing developments. It is definitely not the big-city, but does have a small-town feel that some people cherish.

The crime in Maricopa is more of the nuisance type (such as light vandalism, graffiti, and other quick smash & grab opportunity types) -- nothing serious like murder, rape, assault, armed robbery, etc. This is mostly due to the large population of unsupervised pre-teen & teenagers that have nothing else to do, and quite frankly can been seen all over the greater Phoenix area. The police department (consisting of many cars and officers now) has actually been in force for a while now, having taken over duties from the sheriff department.

Income levels would probably cover a wide range. Maricopa is a very family oriented city, consisting of many families with children. There is not much of a singles scene here. Overall noise pollution (assuming that is what you are referring to) is very low, since there is not much here in Maricopa, other than housing. Farms make up the majority of the industrial sectors in Maricopa.

Traffic in Maricopa is moderate to high during peak times and weekends and will probably continue to get worse until the city decides to improve the infrastructure. Currently, there is only one major road out of Maricopa to the Chandler/Phoenix area. There are, of course other ways out, but they lead in other directions.

Amenities are very scarce at this time. There are two grocery stores, an Ace hardware, a couple of restaurants, many fast food places, plus a few other strip-mall type shopping places. There is an urgent care office, and many dentist offices. Most people have to leave town for a big-box type of store, or to go to the movies, etc.

Basically, it all comes down to what you are looking for. The population is estimated to be above 30,000 at this time, and continues to grow.
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