Tips for newcomer to PHX (Phoenix, Scottsdale: apartment complex, to rent, lofts)

[Maroon197]

Downtown has far more bars, restaurants, and residences than it used to, and it continues to grow. This is cool. But, even so, the walkability hasn’t really improved much at all, and there’s still nothing inviting about spending time in dt Phx. It also doesn’t help that development continues to be strung all along the midtown corridor for miles, preventing any real density in the housing, amenities, or attractions. Tempe is still the only genuinely walkable urban area in all of metro Phoenix (and old town is still the second best).

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by HeadedWest2020

Job is based in Tempe however I am aware of the light rail and will have my car so if needed commuting isnt an issue. I battled DC beltway commutes for 5 years haha

I spent most of my life in the D.C. burbs (both Maryland and Virginia), and trust me...as the other poster pointed out, the Valley here is HUGE. A drive to the airport from Surprise (West Valley) seems like an eternity...Dulles can't compare). Even going downtown from here is a driving adventure. And the light rail here is not as fast as the Metro subway system, and much more limited.

So I do think that saying that commuting isn't an issue is something you may need to rethink. I'd rather be on I-95, the Beltway, or I-66 any day over my limited experiences here on I-10, and some of the other expressways here seem to have been built through empty spaces, rather than direct routes, so while you can take an expressway to many places, it may double your mileage.

But...welcome. Glad to have you here.

[Sno0909]

Originally Posted by phetaroi

I spent most of my life in the D.C. burbs (both Maryland and Virginia), and trust me...as the other poster pointed out, the Valley here is HUGE. A drive to the airport from Surprise (West Valley) seems like an eternity...Dulles can't compare). Even going downtown from here is a driving adventure. And the light rail here is not as fast as the Metro subway system, and much more limited.

So I do think that saying that commuting isn't an issue is something you may need to rethink. I'd rather be on I-95, the Beltway, or I-66 any day over my limited experiences here on I-10, and some of the other expressways here seem to have been built through empty spaces, rather than direct routes, so while you can take an expressway to many places, it may double your mileage.

But...welcome. Glad to have you here.

OP has absolutely zero reason to live by Surprise. He is single, mobile, and has a nice budget. He should live by where he works or where the action is.

[KurtAZ]

Originally Posted by HeadedWest2020

Thanks everyone, a lot of advice all over the map (literally).

I will be checking out all of the suggested areas when I fly there in a few weeks.

Honestly...this is normally the debate on here when a single, younger professional asks for recommendations of where to live. The hotspots are OT Scottsdale, Tempe along Tempe Town Lake/ASU area and DT Phoenix. When you fly out...visit the areas. We really can't speak to what is going to suit you and the vibe of each location is a bit different.

[Banjo71]

Originally Posted by HeadedWest2020

Thanks everyone, a lot of advice all over the map (literally).

I will be checking out all of the suggested areas when I fly there in a few weeks.

I suggest checking out Tempe first, for many reasons based on your criteria. Tempe has Sprouts, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s. A bustling nightlife. As walkable as can be out here (Phoenix isn’t really walkable, as several posters have mentioned). For the gym I would visit Mountainside Fitness near Tempe Town Lake. Nothing like a good work out with a decent view!

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by Sno0909

OP has absolutely zero reason to live by Surprise. He is single, mobile, and has a nice budget. He should live by where he works or where the action is.

Nowhere did I suggest he live in Surprise.

[DougStark]

Originally Posted by More Rock

First thing is to re-imagine what a city is, for Southwestern cities are different than the Northeast.

There is no area close to everything. Cities built in deserts grow horizontally, not vertically. Phoenix is more populated than Philly, but it doesn't feel like it.

To survive in the West you must accept that cities are separated by hundreds of miles; a car is crucial. Also, the interesting parts of Arizona are far from Phoenix.

Lastly, it is arid. Your nose may bleed until you adapt.

You are correct to a large degree, but SOME western cities have not followed this low, sprawl growth pattern (think San Francisco and Seattle.)

IMO, one reason western cities are sprawled out is because people WANT that!! Yeah it puts a huge strain on providing water and sewer and road infrastructure demands, but seems there's no stopping home builders from this type of development.

You're probably aware of Portland Oregon's terrible "experiment" with controlling sprawl with "growth boundaries". Not only did it not stop sprawl, it caused sprawl to occur beyond the "restricted sprawl areas" and onto areas very far from metro Portland and into small town not prepared for spill-over from metro Portland. Fortunately for me, that area has no allure to me for many reasons, but i mention it as an example of "unexpected consequences" of "good ideas."

Are any of you familiar with the sprawl in cities like Tulsa and OK City? It blew me away when I first saw it years ago. Far flung housing developments here, there, and everywhere. Land is cheap there, so what's to stop leap-frog development? The consequence that makes me sad is that these new suburbs seem to hasten the decline of older, closer-in developments, and they start looking shabby. Sad.

[Sno0909]

Originally Posted by phetaroi

Nowhere did I suggest he live in Surprise.

Then why are you talking about your drive from Surprise to the airport and telling the OP how bad traffic on the 10 is? Not sure why any of that is relevant to the OP.

[phetaroi]

Originally Posted by Sno0909

Then why are you talking about your drive from Surprise to the airport and telling the OP how bad traffic on the 10 is? Not sure why any of that is relevant to the OP.

The same point that several others have made -- that commuting in the valley -- anywhere in the valley -- is something that someone moving here ought to think very carefully about. I have lived places where a 20 mile commute might not be bad, but I've also lived places (including here) where a 20 mile commute would be horrendous. Oh, not if you do it occasionally, but if you do it on an almost daily basis. And I have no hidden agendas such as a real estate agent would.

[AZSunDevil83]

Originally Posted by KurtAZ

To be fair...DT Phoenix has gotten better than 5+ years ago. There is construction and they just announced another apartment/live/work space being developed, albeit only about 9 stories. The problem for DT proper (below I-10) is mostly due to the flight path from Sky Harbor. Can't build tall buildings if they are in the flight path. It really wouldn't stop them from building North of I-10...if there was money in it.

This has been discussed ad nauseam already. Much of the land in downtown is zoned up to over 500 feet but the demand just isn't there. For example, the winning RFP for new transit center consists of two towers approaching 40 stories but tops out at 450' or somewhere around there. This would've been a perfect site for a new tallest. However, there are other proposed towers in the pipeline that claim will break Chase Tower's height record. One can only hope...