Moving to Tempe, AZ to study at ASU (Phoenix: apartment complex, crime rates)

[Arizona_Bound]

Thanks again, Vegaspilgrim! I like the fact that you are picky. In fact, my girlfriend is coming out with me, so I do really need a safe place. We will be walking and biking.

I am going out on April 28th in order to see the campus; a "recruitment visit." But they pay! Or, might I say, you pay with your tuition lol! I will be asking about a few more places. Thanks so much!

Movingsomewhere5,
This is my first time heading out to Arizona. Although the univ has the reputation as a party school, the Grad programs do rank well (thoguh I'm incredulous about how we rank universities here). ASU offered me a great package to study a PhD: T/A, great stipend; health insurance; and work for the summer; they are even paying for my visit. I was accepted to other univ., but I wanted to study there. They really built the place up from my understanding. I like to have a drink, but I don't want to live with/next to young students drinking every night, which I heard is the case.

I also check out apartmentratings.com. However, like vegaspilgrim points out, some of my info is dated. But they do have some good info.

Best wishes to you both!

[CanesDancer]

I am so glad I found this posting randomly by "googling"! I too am moving to go to grad school at ASU and have no idea where to live. The apartment list with info about each place was very helpful. I would love a list of places worth looking at. I want to live really close to campus, probably a 1 bedroom. I want a good price but want to live in a nice, safe place. Close to the music school would be a bonus. This thread is great, please keep posting info - thanks!!

I found this article too - scary!
Living dangerously: ASU off-campus housing risky | Tempe News | eastvalleytribune.com (http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/114873 - broken link)
Check out the map of apt complexes with the most crime

[CanesDancer]

Here is my list of complexes I got off of various apartment websites. I would love feedback from Vegas Pilgrim and any other ASU people. Would love to know where the other grad students will be living - agree with original poster that I don't want to be near partying undergrads but not with families either. Prefer young professionals/grad students.
14 Palms
201 West
Alexan Metropointe*
Amber Gardens
Arbour Park@
Cameron Creek*
Campus Pointe
Campus Walk, formerly Bali Lanai
CEntrado
Cityscape at Lakeshore*
Coronado@
Desert Palm Village@
Eastridge Apartments
El Dorado Village
Elliot’s Crossing*
Fernwood Manor
Flagstone Apartment Homes
Foxfire
Galleria Palms Apts*
Garden Grove
Grandes Cortes
Granada Lakes
Haven*@
Hayden Lane
Hyde Park
La Crescenta
La Estancia*
La Serena
Lakefront at West Bay
Lakeview at the Bay*
Mill Pointe@
Mission Springs
Monarch at Tempe*
Parkside Apartments
Pine Shadows*
Pinnacle Grove*
Quadrangles Village@
Quail Canyon
Rancho Las Palmas
Riviera Palms
Salado Springs
Sandal Ridge
Scottsdale Gateway@
Sevilla
Sierra Park
Sierra Vista I*
Sierra Vista II*@
Signature Place*
Solara at Mill Ave*@
Somerset Village
Sonoran Ridge
South Bank Apartments
Southern Gardens
Sun River Village
Sunset Villas
Tempe Apts
Tempe Groves*@
Temple Palms
The Arbors (Grovetree)
The Carriage House
The Crossroads
The Lofts at Rio Salado*
The Mariner
The Villas
University Park
University properties
Versante Aptartments
Villagio*@
Villas on Apache
Villatree
Willow Creek

*had laundry in unit, pool, gym, and allow pets (those are my needs!)
@on crime map (i posted the article on the previous posting)

Thanks a million!!!!

[vegaspilgrim]

Sorry, CanesDancer, I don't have the time to comment about every single one of those, unless if you're going to pay me $$$. A lot of those apartment complexes I've already talked about. If you search my posts in the archive, type in the keyword "Tempe," you'll find I've already pretty much commented about every part of Tempe. The music school is on the west side of campus, and the nearest pedestrian-grade traffic light is at Mill & 10th st, so perhaps you might want to live in the west campus neighborhood. If you need to live really close to campus, a bunch of those on your list should be crossed off (for example, one that caught my eye-- The Mariner-- this is an apartment complex part of the "Lakes" subdivision, a nice 1970s era development just south of Baseline between McClintock and Rural. That could be worth a look, but that's a bit far to be bicycling to school every day). You need to fire up mapquest, plug in the addresses, and mark their locations on a map. Read that East Valley Tribune article carefully. Any complex they mention with problems, cross off your list. I've already stated here before that the "Gateway" apartment complexes are not safe. Good luck apartment hunting-- and do your homework!

[CanesDancer]

Thanks Vegaspilgrim, I will search your other postings. Maybe tell me which ones to cross off? I would probably cross off the ones on the crime map, and lean more towards the ones that have a pool, gym, laundry in unit, and allow pets. Which ones are on the west side of campus? Thanks :-)

[FutureAZGradStudent]

Hey guys,

My wife and I are moving to go to school there and want to live in a quiet place with other families. We found Solara at Mill Avenue and it seems like a really good deal.

Although I checked apartmentratings and it got pummeled. Are there any opinions about that place? They said they do background checks and don't accept anyone with criminal records...are they blowing smoke?

[joninaz]

Tempe has a somewhat new local shuttle service called Orbit. It's free and comes by ever 15 minutes. My buddy who lives on the N. Tempe/Scottsdale border now takes it everywhere... Mill Ave., Tempe Marketplace, ASU, etc. If you can find a place on one of the routes, I don't see the need for a car or to deal with ASU parking... nor the larger metro public transport. Unlike light rail and the regular buses, Orbit is designed for local commuting. It's also more frequent and free.

See the routes here.

[dhastings]

ArizonaBound,
Hey, renting vs owning....Condo's under construction with clubhouse, state of the art fitness center, cool underground parking, 4 stories, elevators, across from Papago Park and Arizona Historical Museum. 615 E. Weber, 1 bed 1 bath would be a great choice for you. Tucked off Scottsdale Rd. between Curry and Weber. Awesome location and reasonably priced. Great bus transit system and 8/10's of a mile from the light rail. Hidden jewel of Tempe! Oh yes, my daughter went to ASU and just received her Masters in SLP and is a Speech Therapist. ASU was a great school and she loved it. Will probably return for her PhD. in the next few years. Good Luck!
Dawn

[shiphead]

1.) How's the public transportation. I don't have a car, so I'll be using it. Does anyone have good info on the bus routes. I went to the website, but it offered little information. I did, however, request a mailed map of the route (Why isn't it on internet?).

There has to be a PDF somewhere on the mass transit site. If not, you can always buy a bus book. Public transportation is effy. It's not constant. One day you could be waiting 5 minutes, another day you could be waiting 40 minutes. That's the biggest compliant i hear from my co-workers.

3.) And what about housing and safety. I'm looking for an apartment, but without the extreme nightly noise of college students (I'm older, going to study a PhD).
I would stay away from living near the university. The farther away you're from it, the better. At least that's what my girlfriend tells me. She graduated from ASU, is the only reason she would know.

[asugraduate]

Originally Posted by Arizona_Bound

I've been doing some research on them. I have been advised to stay away from the Commons, Apache Terr, and a few others due to too much partying.

As someone who lived at Apache Terrace for 4 1/2 years, I can say you are right to stay away. I never felt safe there and was glad I was at least on the 2nd floor. The people on the first floor constantly had their apartments broken into. We had our truck broken into, and someone even broke into the office and stole apartment keys. It was very shady. We had to call the cops on a domestic dispute happening in the street right outside of our bedroom window. My husband and I just waited it out until we got real jobs after graduation, and then we moved.

Good luck!