Commute Question - Anthem vs Surprise (Phoenix, Glendale: income, job, home)

[cpwrjw]

Possibly moving to Phoenix area for job in the downtown area. We looked at and liked two neighborhoods for our family.....Surprise and Anthem. All else equal, I am trying to get a sense of current rush hour commute times are from Surprise to downtown Phoenix and from Anthem to downtown Phoenix.

Many thanks for any input!

cpwrjw

[HX_Guy]

It depends a little on where in Surprise, but they are roughly the same distance from downtown...about 30 miles and commute times will also be about the same, possibly a little bit better from Surprise.

I would go with the Happy Valley and I-17 area personally, you'll shave off about 10 miles to downtown (20 miles total a day) and about 15 minutes off the commute each way.

[sablebaby]

NEITHER! I would never do either commute. You're looking at over an hour, easily. Move closer to your work. You have picked two the worst communities for getting out of your area the hardest. Do you really like spending 10-15+ hours a week in your car commuting, you must.

[HX_Guy]

...not to mention how much money will be spent on gas.

I think when people calculate how much money they make, they should take into account the time they spend commuting as well as on gas, and then see if they are still happy with their income. Instead of dividing by 40 hours per week...divide by 55, take out the money spent on gas, and things will look a little different.

[WantingoutofAz]

I would not move to either of those places. Both will be well over an hour commute to downtown Phoenix, even longer on any given day if you throw in accidents or construction. I really feel that quality of life here can depend on how much time you get to spend with your family vs. in a car driving. Unless you are used to long commutes such as LA or DC and dont' mind it, I wouldn't move that far out. From Anthem you will have to deal with the I-17 and with Surprise you will have to deal with Bell road, both of which can be a nightmare even during non rush hour times.

There are plenty of nice, family friendly neighborhoods much closer to downtown. We live in North Peoria which is a good 20-30 minutes closer to downtown than Anthem or Surprise and when my husband worked downtown his commute was 35-40 minutes in the morning (leaving by 6:15 am) and it was 45-50 minutes in the afternoon (leaving at 4:30 pm). Our neighborhood is full of families.

If I were you, I would check Northern Glendale, Peoria or North Phoenix.

Good luck!!

Originally Posted by cpwrjw

Possibly moving to Phoenix area for job in the downtown area. We looked at and liked two neighborhoods for our family.....Surprise and Anthem. All else equal, I am trying to get a sense of current rush hour commute times are from Surprise to downtown Phoenix and from Anthem to downtown Phoenix.

Many thanks for any input!

cpwrjw

[trefive]

Yes, this is my first post...

I live in Anthem and work off 44th street and Washington (near the airport). It depends what your work hours are, but it takes me no longer than 40-45 minutes to get to work and anywhere from 50-70 to get home and that's past downtown, so shave off some time that you normally wouldn't be stuck in the tunnel working downtown.

I love living in Anthem and to tack on an extra 20 minutes each way on a commute for living in a beautiful community, with cleaner/fresher/cooler air is worth it to me.

[ibarrio]

Both areas are wonderful for families...however, both are horrible for commutes to downtown.

[sablebaby]

Originally Posted by trefive

Yes, this is my first post...

I live in Anthem and work off 44th street and Washington (near the airport). It depends what your work hours are, but it takes me no longer than 40-45 minutes to get to work and anywhere from 50-70 to get home and that's past downtown, so shave off some time that you normally wouldn't be stuck in the tunnel working downtown.

I love living in Anthem and to tack on an extra 20 minutes each way on a commute for living in a beautiful community, with cleaner/fresher/cooler air is worth it to me.

What time do you leave in the morning?

[HX_Guy]

Exactly. The time of day that you are commuting at makes a huge difference.

I live at 67th Ave and Happy Valley and it takes me about 35 minutes to get to 44th and Washington, and I'm about 6 miles closer then Anthem. 40-45 minutes from Anthem sounds right...if there is no traffic and you're driving at 70-75 MPH the entire time.

[cpwrjw]

Thanks for all the replies.

My hours will be a little flexible. I won't necessarily be needing to be at the office by 8:00 all the time.

I am trying to gather a "worst case scenario".

Assuming I need to be downtown at 8:00 and leaving to return home at 5:00ish, how long would I need to allow coming from Surprise vs Anthem.

My current commute in Texas is about 40 minutes to work and an hour home.

Thanks again for all the responses...we would be looking for an area great for families with young children.

cpwrjw