Favorite MPC?

[dgfurman]

Originally Posted by Great Joy

Estrella and Anthem are beautiful. Verrado, Arrowhead, and Vistancia are very nice too. There are other great ones around Phoenix, which I'm sure others will share. We live in Vistancia, and would only choose a MPC community if we ever move again. MPCs do a great job of bringing residents together through events and loads of amenities, so our circle of friends has grown fast and continues to grow.

So far, from what I've been able to see online, EMR and Anthem have the nicest amenities. Vistancia looks like a close 3rd. Verrado is a little further out than we want to be, and I haven't heard of Arrowhead, so I'll google that one.

One big question is - will the commute be worth it? From what I've read, it seems like the commute from EMR to Phoenix is a little easier than the one from Anthem. However, if you like to go into Scottsdale, or esp. up north (like Sedona) I would imagine that living in Anthem gives you a head start.

[hts]

Disclaimer: I own in Anthem and I love Anthem, but I don't currently live there.

I can't speak to the commute from EMR to Phx, as I'm not familiar with it, although the two times we looked into EMR before buying in Anthem (and we almost bought in Verrado), it seemed to me as though it was a long, long way off the I-10 to get there. With Anthem you're just minutes (if that) off of the I-17, which of course they're in the midst of widening this year. Anthem to Scottsdale is definitely an easier commute then EMR to Scottsdale. I mostly drove from Anthem to Sky Harbor and did so early in the mornings (6am-ish) and drove back typically after 7p, and at those times, it was around 40 minutes each way, which was entirely acceptable. As much as we love the quality of life in Anthem (and I suspect EMR is similar), I'm not sure I'd choose to live in either if I had to make a daily 9-5 commute downtown.

[JoePAz]

I live in Anthem and have lived there since september 2004. I think it is one of the best master planned communties in the Metro area. It is "out there" a bit, but that is one of its appeals to me. EMR is also nice, but the commute may not be any better. From June 97 to September 2004 I lived in Avondale and commuted on I-10 to the Airport area. In 97 the commute was a snap. 20 mintues. By 2004 it had degraded to 40 mintues each way in stop and go traffic the minute I got on I-10. It really did not make any difference what time I went in. EMR is about 10 mintues father than my old place in Avondale and would require using I-10.

Anthem is a 40-45 minute drive to my work, but I can find a time when the traffic is light and just sail in at 70 mph the entire way. Even so this drive may not be for everyone. I personally am happy with it since my wife loves the area. We have a 2 year old and another on the way and I think Anthem is a great place to raise a child. The reason I deal with the long drive is to live in such a nice place. There are no(or very few) new builds in Anthem, but plenty of resales. Price have dropped down to 2001-2002 levels as well.

I don't know much about the rest of the MPC in the area, but I do think that most are pretty far from the downtown area. My wife and I looked at Verrado back in 2004, but found the prices too high although we like the area. In the end however Anthem fits our needs better.

[Great Joy]

Originally Posted by dgfurman

One big question is - will the commute be worth it? From what I've read, it seems like the commute from EMR to Phoenix is a little easier than the one from Anthem. However, if you like to go into Scottsdale, or esp. up north (like Sedona) I would imagine that living in Anthem gives you a head start.

In my opinion, the drive to most MPCs is worth it because of the better quality of life (especially if there is a stay-at-home parent and kids). MPCs offer many ways to connect with residents and build friendships all over the community quickly. If going to Scottsdale and northern AZ are important to you, then I would focus on Anthem, Vistancia, and Arrowhead as well as others in the N and NE area of Phoenix.

[JoePAz]

If you are going North from Anthem...

This past weekend I went to visit a friend in Flagstaff. I left Anthem saturday morning and had clear sailing up the I-17. I pulled into Flagstaff in about 1hr 45 minutes or so. It is about 1 hour 15 to hour 30 to Sedona. One nice thing about going North from Anthem is that you have missed most of the "getting out of town" traffic and also miss alot of the return traffic as well. Sure you still have the general I-17 traffic, but that cannot be avoided. EMR would add at least a hour to any trip north as compared to Anthem. Vistancia would add at least 30 minutes.

[dgfurman]

Originally Posted by JoePAz

If you are going North from Anthem...

This past weekend I went to visit a friend in Flagstaff. I left Anthem saturday morning and had clear sailing up the I-17. I pulled into Flagstaff in about 1hr 45 minutes or so. It is about 1 hour 15 to hour 30 to Sedona. One nice thing about going North from Anthem is that you have missed most of the "getting out of town" traffic and also miss alot of the return traffic as well. Sure you still have the general I-17 traffic, but that cannot be avoided. EMR would add at least a hour to any trip north as compared to Anthem. Vistancia would add at least 30 minutes.

Aaahhh........that's what I thought. Yeah, I'm thinking an MPC up north may be a better option for us.

[Great Joy]

If you're going "up north" from Vistancia, you can also completely miss the "Phoenix traffic" in the 101 and 17 area because there is a great route if you go north on Lake Pleasant Road, cross over highway 74, go north on New River Road, and then connect with I-17 in New River (5 miles north of Anthem).

[dgfurman]

Originally Posted by Great Joy

If you're going "up north" from Vistancia, you can also completely miss the "Phoenix traffic" in the 101 and 17 area because there is a great route if you go north on Lake Pleasant Road, cross over highway 74, go north on New River Road, and then connect with I-17 in New River (5 miles north of Anthem).

Great info! I didn't know that. But how much longer (if at all) does it take to get from Vistancia to Scottsdale vs. from Anthem to Scottsdale? (let's say to Frank LLoyd Wright and Scottsdale)

[Great Joy]

According to Google maps, Vistancia and Anthem are both about the same mile distance to that location in Scottsdale (around 29 miles or so). Drive time states to be a little shorter from Anthem (32 min-Anthem & 40 min-Vistancia). I'm sure it's because Google assumes you can drive faster on I-17 than the surface streets between Vistancia and the "101". That's also assuming there are no traffic issues on I-17. I can't speak to driving from Anthem to Scottsdale, but I can from Vistancia to Scottsdale. During rush hr, traffic can slow along the northern section of the "101" going east in the mornings and going west in the afternoons, but rarely ever to a slow point of stop-go-stop-go. Traffic here is much milder than I've experienced in other large cities. I believe it's because of the many alternative routes in Phoenix's grid system.