East Valley vs. West Valley: How different are they? (Phoenix: income, work)

[jlzpo1]

This thread is not meant to be a war zone

Coming from Boston, there's always been a "sibling rivalry" of sorts between the "North Shore" and the "South Shore" in terms of culture, wealth, attitude, fashion, etc...

Can anyone give me an idea if this exists in Phoenix among the Valleys?

[bigjdotcom01]

Short answer, yes.

[Ponderosa]

People with little going for them sometimes try to pump up their flagging self-image by categorizing others by which side of the "valley" they come from - and other things, of course. In reality, the differences are not nearly as marked as in Eastern cities and it is hard to draw any conclusion without a specific address. Over the years the west side has had lower home prices and attracted people who needed that. The west side that is in close proximity to or within Phoenix is lower income, higher crime, and is less desirable. On the other hand, some parts of Phoenix and especially Mesa on the east side have declined and are also pretty bad.

Change is in the air - it always is here. In the past few years, the west side has blossomed as the east side ran out of any convenient area to build. The west side is now getting the lion's share of the development "plums". The biggest and most ambitious master planned communities are all on the west side. The sports venues have chosen the west side. I work with developers long before the plans and ideas hit the sales department. I can tell you that virtually everything "big" that is being planned now is on the far west and northwest sides of the valley.

Stereotypes once cast can be hard to break. Rest assured, however, that these days one can easily find a home and a lifestyle to suit their income and desires in any quadrant of the the city.

[ibarrio]

Yup, Surprise, N. Peoria, N. Glendale are becoming some of the more desirable areas of the city.

I can tell you first hand that Surprise has a great reputation among Californians...So does Gilbert and Chandler...Mesa not so much. Scottsdale is seen as a wanna be Beverly Hills...

Many who live on the East Side still cannot shake that misconception they have of the West Side...particularly of the NW Valley.

[KK85297]

The way I see it is this- and I'm not a native Phoenician, so this is sort of a newbie's perspective- the East Valley is a bit more prestigious and generally considered the nicer side. This is why we picked it after much deliberation. People who live on the west side will usually concede that the east side has a better rep but that the west side is undeserving of it's bad rap and will be just as prestigious soon.

As for me, I took the safe bet and went with east side. To me, parts of the west valley are just kind of ghetto and seem unsafe and unstable. Not that parts of the east valley aren't as well (Mesa, I'm talking to YOU!).

It's a matter of opinion, I suppose- but home prices are much cheaper on the west side and that's usually not by accident. Nowhere on Earth is anyone going to pay more money to live in a less desirable area- prices reflect prevailing value, and people clearly value the safety, cleanliness and access on the East side more than they do the West- or else the West side would be more expensive (or at least equal).

That's just my humble non-expert opinion. No one who lives on the west side is going to say "Yeah, I live in crapville!", neither is anyone on the east side. There are nice areas in both sides of the valley, I'm just trying to give my summary and perspective as to why I chose where I am and what the conventional wisdom (which isn't always right, of course) seems to dictate.

[sablebaby]

I think people should also think in terms of North Valley v. South Valley. As the North valley on the east and the west side are very nice.

[Hamancheez]

Not to start anything, but I feel the need to give a shout out for Goodyear, expecially the Estrella MPC, which is pretty far West and South. We have it pretty good over here. We could use more restaurants, but they're coming.

I think Ponderosa said it best.

[pstratt]

Long time residents consider anything west of I-17 to be the "West Valley", this is so not true. Phoenix extends all the way to 99th avenue in some areas and should not be considered part of the "West Valley". Avoid El Mirage, Tolleson and the southern part of Avondale and the "West Valley" is actually very nice. Scottsdale props of the image of the "East Valley", when in reality it's just the same house on a more expensive piece of dirt.

[sablebaby]

Originally Posted by pstratt

Long time residents consider anything west of I-17 to be the "West Valley", this is so not true. Phoenix extends all the way to 99th avenue in some areas and should not be considered part of the "West Valley". Avoid El Mirage, Tolleson and the southern part of Avondale and the "West Valley" is actually very nice. Scottsdale props of the image of the "East Valley", when in reality it's just the same house on a more expensive piece of dirt.

Geez, some even think that anything west of Central is the west valley.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by sablebaby

Geez, some even think that anything west of Central is the west valley.

Strictly speaking; Central Ave is the '0' street for the east and west number streets on the Phx/Maricopa County grid.

Likewise; Buckeye is the 'cut point' for north and south streets------Van Buren/McKellips are on the 300 north alignment.