What is the story with Ahwatukee? (Phoenix: car rental, rental, neighborhood)

[EDGENAPLES2002]

My wife and I are moving to the Phoenix area...my job brings me there. We have always lived in Florida, except the last 18 months in PA. I am a little worried about moving back to hot weather, as I remember the days of sweating in a suit and tie all day...like in Florida, and now it looks as if those days are back again. UGH
Anyway, my job will have me traveling around the Phoenix area about 75%....the other 25% around Scottsdale, Tempe, and Flagstaff. We'd love to live in Flagstaff to be cooler, but then I'd have to drive back and forth to the Phoenix area most days, so I guess that doesn't work. So, we are trying to find an apartment...2/2 for $1000/month or under. After a year we will no if the heat will be too much for us, and if we stay then we can start looking for a house. The Ahwatukee area sounds nice. Does that area seem to work for my travel situation ? Can anyone recommend an apartment complex ? Thanks very much !

[Robert A]

Ahwatukee will be fine. You'll be reasonably close to everywhere you've described.

I lived in Mountain Park Apartments which were located at 4221 E Ray Rd (85044). It was a very nice, clean apartment complex next to a large park. The management was great, extremely responsive. I've heard some apartments have scorpions (the complex backs up to a small mountain preserve), but I never saw any in the year I lived there. We were on the 2nd floor, so that may have influenced it.

You should be able to find a 2BR under $1000 without a problem.

[homesweetazhome]

You may also want to look at West Chandler (85226). Home sellers in both Ahwatukee and West Chandler are very anxious about their homes not selling due to the market saturation and many are considering renting out their vacant homes.

[_Charles_]

When looking for info on Ahwatukee keep in mind it is part of the city of Phoenix. Though folks often think of the area as its own community. Sometimes this can cause a little confusion.

[Surf Ryder]

We recently relocated to Phoenix and live in Ahwatukee. I can honestly say that I have never met more unfriendly people in my life. I'm from the south and I always thought that folks from NY and NJ were unfriendly. Not true, they just have a faster pace lifestyle. Ahwatukee has them beat hands down. I have had 3 occasions where I have waived at a neighbor and they actually turned their head and looked away. This morning I saw a lady who actually had a lemon in her moth that she was sucking on... ur.. allegedly.

I love the middle school. However, the elementary school is so different then what we are used to.

I have had 2 incidents of road rage in one day. One I actually reported to the police.

In adition to not liking Ahwatukee, I have experiences with service providers, retailers, teachers and parent volunteers which their follow through on commitments is as poor as I have ever seen. People just don't feel the need to do what they say there were going to do. It is really disappointing and frustrating. I don't think I should have to follow up with people 5 times to get them to follow through.

Okay, I'm off of my soap box, however, I will say that if my middleschooler did not love her school so much I would be headed out of her as fast as I can.

[observer53]

Well, thanks for contributing to a thread that's more than 2 years old. I'm sure the OP has done whatever they decided to do by now.

From your only other post on this forum, it's clear that you don't like living in Arizona. I don't know if you did your homework beforehand, (or had ever even been here before ) but perhaps not. Arizona generally is very different from the south. You should not have expected it to be anything like it.

However, the complaints you have really have nothing to do with Ahwahtukee, but with the specific people you have encountered. I'm not saying you don't have a right to your opinions about those people, and they may well be quite valid, but you could have encountered those SAME situations not only in places all over the Valley and elsewhere in Arizona, but in countless other states.

[still_in_CT]

[quote=observer53;16449211]Well, thanks for contributing to a thread that's more than 2 years old. quote]

lol

[Beware_of_Dog]

Ahwahtukee = an old Indian word referring to when one sits on a cactus.

[Jukesgrrl]

Originally Posted by Surf Ryder

In addition to not liking Ahwatukee, I have experiences with service providers, retailers, teachers and parent volunteers which their follow through on commitments is as poor as I have ever seen. People just don't feel the need to do what they say there were going to do. It is really disappointing and frustrating. I don't think I should have to follow up with people 5 times to get them to follow through.

Okay, I'm off of my soap box, however, I will say that if my middleschooler did not love her school so much I would be headed out of her as fast as I can.

You're not going to be slammed by me for what you've written, or that you put it on an old thread. As a person who has lived in many places, from Washington, DC, to Washington State, I can empathize with your problem. I don't see the lack of friendliness so much, maybe because I spend most of my time in Tucson, which is much less a city atmosphere than Phoenix. In fact, I tend to be put off by strangers' need to talk your ear off at every possible opportunity. Forgive me if I don't care what happened to your pony when you were ten.

But the hardest thing for me to get used to is Arizona's relaxed attitude toward business. Since I've been here, I've had more meetings canceled on me than in the entire rest of my professional life put together. Every meeting I try to schedule is met with the reply, "Well, can't we do it next week?" I am astounded by the number of Arizona professionals who manage to work only four days a week. I don't know about Phoenix, but Tucsonans have more vacation days than the French. I realize it is now typical in business never to get a human on the phone and to be told by a machine, "I'll call you back as soon as possible." In most places I've lived, that's later in the day or the next day. In Arizona it's next week or never.

My worst experiences are with the medical profession. My elderly mother lives with me. She has many serious, chronic health issues that require attention from specialists (who are paid a fortune). I never get an appointment with any one of them in less than three weeks. I don't know what is so magical about three weeks. If I called any of these offices and told them Mom had blood shooting from both ears they'd say, "Take her to Urgent Care and the doctor will see her in three weeks."

I have come to the conclusion that I am not going to change any of these people. That's life here, just as it is in several foreign countries where I've spent time. It is, however, very difficult for those of us who have been raised with a strong work ethic and a get-it-done attitude to rationalize, especially where the needs of their loved ones are concerned.

I will close with what I consider to be my quintessential Arizona business story. I took my car to a "no appointment necessary" establishment, which heavily advertises, for an oil change mid-week at 3 p.m. A sign on the door said the place was open until 6 p.m. I was told the oil could not be changed that day. "Why," I asked, "There's no line, I'm willing to wait, and your sign clearly says you're open for three more hours!" The guy leaned on the counter and drawled, "Ma'am, we believe we did enough work for today."

[Vegas28]

So what if someone wants to comment on a post that is more than two years old. When you do a search as so many people tell you to do so you don't irritate them by asking the same old questions, you are going to be sent to posts even older than two years. I find older posts interesting.