Relocating from Illinois to AZ-please advise on LP, Buckeye, Avondale, Goodyear (Peoria: to rent, crime rates)

[Aschmitz94]

So we did it! 12 years ago we moved from our home state of SoCalifornia to Illinois, and now we're headed back west to be closer to family. Hubby received a job transfer to Litchfield Park, but now we're trying to get a feel for the areas. According to Realtor.com some areas in Goodyear, Buckeye and Avondale have high crime rates, of course neighborhood scout, niche and area vibes tell me something otherwise. So I am so confused. We have an 18 yr old daughter who will be attending college, not sure where yet, so k-12 school ratings don't really affect us. I just want to live in a safe affordable neighborhood as we are starting our "empty nester" part of life. (We're in our early/mid 40s) so not ready to retire yet, but ready to start the next step in life! Any advice/opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[military spouse]

What is your price range and desired size? I live in Goodyear (Portales) and love it! Old Litchfield Park is wonderful, but the homes are older. Also, Litchfield Green and The Village at Litchfield. There really are so many neighborhoods, and I'm not really aware of crime other than "somebody stole decoration off my entry" type stuff.

[Aschmitz94]

Thank you so much! I'm looking in the $250,000 or below range since I wont' have a job until we're settled and going to be living on one income. I'm more worried about places where you get robbed in the middle night/day. This happened to a friend of my sisters whose lived in the older area of Buckeye for 30 years.. But I've lost my California mentality of locking doors when we leave etc...we're in a small town (been here for 12 years)where everyone knows everyone and no one locks their doors...so just making sure we get a more desirable area and don't have to worry about my daughter being at home alone. We're so excited to be moving closer to family and to new adventures! Is the Newer area of Buckeye a long commute?

[wase4711]

You need to lock your doors everywhere you live now a days, no where out here, or any other major metro area is immune from crime of some sort..
and, 250k wont get you anything decent in the valley any more, so you need to up that to at least 300k..

[Ponderosa]

KB homes has some new developments in Goodyear that have homes from the $235K up range. These are in Canyon Trails, a master planned community with a lot of open areas, walking trails, which is also a nice, safe area, close to amenities, and to Litchfield Park.

[smoochaz]

Suggest you rent before you settle on a place. I personally like Litchfield Park but you may feel cut off from a lot of things - estrella mountains, your best bet is always be close to one of the highways - so you can get around - there is also the proposed 303 that may help... if you're thinking of colleges - ?? community ?? asu ?? will your child live at home and go to school - I know being a homeowner it's hard to rent - but it makes so much sense to rent at least for a year while you figure out what part of town you feel is home to you.

[military spouse]

Originally Posted by Aschmitz94

Thank you so much! I'm looking in the $250,000 or below range since I wont' have a job until we're settled and going to be living on one income. I'm more worried about places where you get robbed in the middle night/day. This happened to a friend of my sisters whose lived in the older area of Buckeye for 30 years.. But I've lost my California mentality of locking doors when we leave etc...we're in a small town (been here for 12 years)where everyone knows everyone and no one locks their doors...so just making sure we get a more desirable area and don't have to worry about my daughter being at home alone. We're so excited to be moving closer to family and to new adventures! Is the Newer area of Buckeye a long commute?

I forgot to close my garage door the other day, was gone for about 10 hours, and everything was still there

How large of a house do you want/need? Does it need to be a single-story?

[Aschmitz94]

Thank you everyone for your advice! When we moved from SoCal to Illinois, it was hard to adjust to NOT having traffic...20 miles literally means 20 minutes of corn or bean fields on either side of you and passing farm equipment.....not too bad after sitting on the 91 fwy in OC for 2 hrs to go the same 20 miles! So distance isn't really an issue, but a clean safe community would be great!!! So far, I really like Litchfield Park, but affordability at this time...i still have you look into...Goodyear and Avondale are also nice, Surprise, Peoria seem great too! I just really like the ides of Buckeye....but I'm hoping maybe it grows a little more before considering it??? I agree, we may end up renting to make a final decision. Thank you everyone for your input!!! It really does help!

[Finger Laker]

Litchfield Park proper is awesome, but that budget is a stretch

You could get into it unincorporated Maricopa County with a LP address in that range though - HOAs are higher though

I think Canyon Trails in Goodyear below I-10 could be great. I used to live adjacent and it's a very convenient area that is still developing.

[cactusland]

I really think you should rent a year. That area is going to change a bit over the next year or so, and you may discover your needs change once you get here and are more familiar with the area and amenities.