towns/areas to research? (Phoenix, Scottsdale: cul-de-sac, crime, how much)

[billcephus]

Hello All,

I am very interested in researching some of the areas near Phoenix. My wife and I are moving (when we can, whenever that may be) sometime in the near future. Since the area provides our biggest need (heat/sunshine), I just wanted to get some descriptions on nearby towns in case we wanted to look into it some more.

Any info on pros(recreation, landmarks, local spots, etc.) and cons(crime, pollution, local problems, bugs, anything significant) and what to expect if living in the following areas??? ...

Avondale
Scottsdale
Fountain Hills
Chandler
Peoria
Surprise
Gilbert
Queen Creek

...feel free to add any I missed.

Thanks for any feedback, I really appreciate it.

[JoePAz]

All those towns are in the Phoenix area and share most of the same issues of Phoenix. They also have various home pricing with Fountain Hills and Scottdale being the most expensive. However alot depends on what you want for a home and what sparks your interest. The area's are generally too large to worry about crime since a local neighborhood is more critical than the overall area.

Unlike alot of the east coast all these Phoenix suburbs tend to look quite similar and be inhabited by the same people. A $200k house in each of the areas will be different, but spending 100k more might get you the same stuff in Scottsdale as Gilbert. Is it worth that extra 100k. Well all depends on what floats your boat.

[billcephus]

Originally Posted by JoePAz

...Well all depends on what floats your boat.

Looking for ...
- Quiet town
- Safe area a must
- Some space, don't want to be on top of each other
- Just need some places to eat (chains ok) and shop (malls, chains ok) .... oh and work too. haha

Don't care about ...
- Clubs/Fancy restaurants
- Trendy/status neighborhood

[sablebaby]

Originally Posted by bowyer07fan

Looking for ...
- Quiet town
- Safe area a must
- Some space, don't want to be on top of each other
- Just need some places to eat (chains ok) and shop (malls, chains ok) .... oh and work too. haha

Don't care about ...
- Clubs/Fancy restaurants
- Trendy/status neighborhood

You can find this in just about any of the areas you listed.

Bascially, the Phx metro area is all the same. You can cross the street and be in another city and never know it. There are exceptions though. Scottsdale and Fountain Hills have a different feel than say Avondale. If you take a trip out here you'll understand what I'm talking about.

It depends on your price as to where you live. If you want a $200k home, you won't be living in Scottsdale or Fountain Hills.

How much space do you want between homes? We are pretty close together and to get any land you have to pay a whole lot more or build a custom on some land somewhere.

[JoePAz]

Originally Posted by bowyer07fan

Looking for ...
- Quiet town
- Safe area a must
- Some space, don't want to be on top of each other
- Just need some places to eat (chains ok) and shop (malls, chains ok) .... oh and work too. haha

Don't care about ...
- Clubs/Fancy restaurants
- Trendy/status neighborhood

All those areas have that.. except most don't have much space, but that is the same for any place built after 1980 in the Phoenix metro area. There are some exceptions, but they will cost you $$$$$$$$$$$.

[ibarrio]

Look for houses in Surprise that sit on premium lots (Cul-De-Sac or corner lots)...Surprise has everything that you are looking for.

[billcephus]

Originally Posted by ibarrio

Look for houses in Surprise that sit on premium lots (Cul-De-Sac or corner lots)...Surprise has everything that you are looking for.

i'll look into Surprise, thanks.

[billcephus]

Originally Posted by sablebaby

You can find this in just about any of the areas you listed.

Bascially, the Phx metro area is all the same. You can cross the street and be in another city and never know it. There are exceptions though. Scottsdale and Fountain Hills have a different feel than say Avondale. If you take a trip out here you'll understand what I'm talking about.

It depends on your price as to where you live. If you want a $200k home, you won't be living in Scottsdale or Fountain Hills.

How much space do you want between homes? We are pretty close together and to get any land you have to pay a whole lot more or build a custom on some land somewhere.

- probably 300k ceiling
- how many feet usually between homes?

how is maricopa and maricopa village?

[MotleyCrew]

You really should come to AZ and spend a week looking at the different areas. It took us a year of flying back and forth before we settled in N. Peoria. We love it here, but there are many other desirable areas as well. It seem that lately the only new neighbors I have met have been from New Jersey and N.Y. LOL. Best of luck in your search.
I might add that the distance between homes allows us to wash each others windows.

[Great Joy]

Originally Posted by sablebaby

You can find this in just about any of the areas you listed.

Bascially, the Phx metro area is all the same. You can cross the street and be in another city and never know it. There are exceptions though. Scottsdale and Fountain Hills have a different feel than say Avondale. If you take a trip out here you'll understand what I'm talking about.

It depends on your price as to where you live. If you want a $200k home, you won't be living in Scottsdale or Fountain Hills.

How much space do you want between homes? We are pretty close together and to get any land you have to pay a whole lot more or build a custom on some land somewhere.

I agree sablebaby.

I've seen almost all of Phoenix, except the SE area. So since some posters on here have said good things about Chandler and Gilbert, I thought I would check out those cities when I was in that area about a week ago. It was interesting to see that those cities look just like the rest of the whole Phoenix area, including nice areas and not-so-nice areas. All of the Phoenix area looks mostly the same, with exception of Fountain Hills, Cave Creek, and some areas of Scottsdale.