Thinking of moving to Florence (Phoenix, Gilbert: relocating, houses, jobs)

[jojo80]

we are thinking of relocating to AZ from NJ. Any pros or cons on Florence? We are retired, so jobs are not an issue. How far to shopping, restaurants, etc. I am mostly interested in knowing the demographics of the area, how is the crime, and (this may sound like a stupid question) is there an issue with bugs,scorpions, spiders? If you could live anywhere in Arizona, where would you live. Looking for a house under $300,000. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

[sh9730]

Search around this site. Under 300,000 you will be able to get a VERY large house in most of Pinal County.

Florence, although the County Seat, is about 20-30 mins from Casa Grande which is the largest city in the immediate area (40,000 pop). CG has the nearest mall etc. Houses in CG are slightly more expensive than florence, but for 300K you can still get ALOT of house. (I just got a 1900 SF brand new home for $140K).

But, if you PREFER to be a little more removed, then Florence may be nice....there is a new retirement community of Sun City Anthem (just outside of Florence) that is very nice?! There is a new supermarket/shopping center in Anthem, but that is about it.

Florence is about an hour outside of Phoenix....

But there are MANY posts on this site with opinions/comments about Florence...search around.

[jojo80]

thanks for your quick reply. I'm on the computer right now checking out Casa Grande, A few questions, if you don't mind. Is the area safe, and is there a problem with any type of bugs. thanks again.

[Master Shake]

"Problems with bugs" really depends on your point of view. Yes, there are bugs in Arizona, but nothing like other places with high humidity. Arizona is mostly desert and has many desert types of bugs.

You will find that a lot of people here comment on scorpions and perhaps black widow spiders, but it really isn't that big of a problem. If you do happen to find yourself with an insect problem, simply contracting with a local exterminating company will usually take care of it.

[azsundevil99]

Originally Posted by Master Shake

"Problems with bugs" really depends on your point of view. Yes, there are bugs in Arizona, but nothing like other places with high humidity. Arizona is mostly desert and has many desert types of bugs.

You will find that a lot of people here comment on scorpions and perhaps black widow spiders, but it really isn't that big of a problem. If you do happen to find yourself with an insect problem, simply contracting with a local exterminating company will usually take care of it.

I agree. Although you will find these creepy crawlers, they're not all that bad and there are plenty of exterminators to choose from. In the two years I've been in San Tan Heights, I've seen 1 scorpion, a couple black widows, and a couple centipedes (by far the worst I feel).

Also, in addition to the shopping in Casa Grande there is the recently opened Queen Creek Marketplace at Ellsworth & Rittenhouse which isn't too far away, plus some new stuff being constructed at Gary & Hunt Hwy. The Town of Florence itself doesn't have too much but a 30 minute or so drive (just not during rush hour!) will get you within reach of QC, southeastern Gilbert & CG.

As far as crime stats I don't know the numbers, but there have been a few robberies as of late (Fry's, QT, Walgreen's) but overall I feel it's a safe area. And there are plenty of houses for less that 300K.

[drb85650]

I notice no one mentioned that Florence is home to ADOC, that is, prisons. Old Central Unit, Death row, sex offender unit and others. Plus at least one private prison. But, other than being a eyesore, I doubt that you are in any more danger there than Casa Grande or Phoenix. I would suggest you look at Superior and the Globe area. Not far from Florence, up in the "mountains", scenic and much cheaper than Phoenix metro area. Your price range would buy not only a gigungous home, but acreage too in the Globe area.
Casa Grande is just a little better looking than Florence. Have you seen either area????
Kinda like night and day from what you're used to.

[ILuvAZ]

Florence is in the middle of nowhere and its ugly. It doesn't have much hope of being anything worth writing home about anytime soon. Visit the area first.

I would suggest looking closer in unless you don't mind AT LEAST a 30 min drive every time you need something they don't carry at Safeway or want to go out for a nice evening. I would be miserable there.

[JonathanT]

Florence is that bad. Thinking of buying a home there as an investment property. Any insight. Thanks

[Elmonellie]

Originally Posted by jojo80

we are thinking of relocating to AZ from NJ. Any pros or cons on Florence? We are retired, so jobs are not an issue. How far to shopping, restaurants, etc. I am mostly interested in knowing the demographics of the area, how is the crime, and (this may sound like a stupid question) is there an issue with bugs,scorpions, spiders? If you could live anywhere in Arizona, where would you live. Looking for a house under $300,000. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

Have you ever been to Florence or even Arizona? You really have to visit the area to understand it. Florence is a pretty remote town. It is not the "prettiest" town. I'm sure it has a lot of positives, but you MUST come visit and eyeball it.

Are you set on "desert" or would you consider something with more greenery? If so you might want to look at Prescott or Flagstaff. They are both cute, smaller towns. Even Wickenburg (only about 1 hour from Phx) small, cute town - old fashioned feel...might be of interest. I don't want to put Florence down, but want to give you a bit of a heads up about it.

I, myself love the area north of Scottsdale. It's not cheap up here....if I wanted to stay under $300,000 I think I would check out Prescott. It really is a nice smaller city that has everything you need, you are still within a reasonable drive to Phx if you want to experience a big city...you are also close to Sedona (BEAUTIFUL) and the rest of N. Arizona....gorgeous for day trips. I think Prescott was named the #1 city to retire in by some big magazine a few years ago. Not that that means anything, but a lot of people like Prescott.

[amatrine]

Prices in CG are down. I just checked trulia, and there are some nice starter homes that are resales starting at 99k now.