Got a job in Phoenix - How are glendale and surprise areas? (Tempe: to rent)

[movingtoaz]

I mapped DH's new job location in Phoenix. Looks like its close to glendale and surprise.

What can you tell me about these places. We are not worried about it being a good school district as my son is only 2 months old.

I looked up couples of houses on realtor.com and they seem to be decent prices.

ANy input is greatly appreciated

[AksarbeN]

If the job is in Phoenix (assuming it’s downtown) it’s a loooonnnnng drive from Surprise. You could spend an hour or more each way of the commute. Glendale (north) is a good choice and much closer for a drive to work. I also believe Glendale has some good school districts but I’m not sure.

Rush hour traffic to/from work and home is always a problem if you have to drive across town. The freeways are parking nothing more then long parking lots and it can take up to an hour or more for just a short trip into town. Public transportation is available and there are several locations for “park-&- rides” that will take you into the downtown Phoenix locations.

[MotleyCrew]

Don't let the map fool you. It can look close but take over an hour to get into Phoenix. There are some nice developments in Gilbert. That might be a better commute. There are plenty of housing options to explore, you might want to rent and then look around before making a decision. Good luck to you

[AZSuperAgnt]

We live in Surprise and my wife commutes from Surprise to Downtown Phoenix and it only takes her 45 min. Surprise has lot of new homes and is growing very fast. There are lots of desired communities and homes hold their value very well. Glendale has many bad and shaddy neighborhoods. There are some very nice communities as well but you have to see it for yourself. I would recomment Peoria as well. Check out the western side of Peoria. Moderator cut: realtor advertising Gilbert is nice too, but I hear the traffice on the East Valley is much worst then the West. I recommend you check that side out too.

www.surpriseaz.com
www.glendaleaz.com
www.peoriaaz.com

Moderator cut: realtor signature

[HollyhockGarden]

Hello -- Congratulations on your up-coming move to the Phoenix area. We live in Glendale and love it - it is a friendly town. We like the convenience, the old-fashioned downtown with the town square, Thursday night concerts at the band shell all summer, the Caitlin Court homes ,and all the antique shops. My husband and I work downtown and appreciate the shorter commute as it gives us more free time with the kids when we get home. We live within the Peoria Unified School District and have been very happy with the schools. Come and visit all the neighborhoods and look around. Glendale, Peoria, and Surprise are big cities with many areas to choose from. You need to think about what is best for you, in terms of distance to your job(s), type of housing desired, price range of housing, age of housing, distance to stores, schools, parks, library, public transportation, demographics, community government -- lots of decisions! Good luck!

[Trinibeens]

My brother and his wife moved to Surprise last year. It's very nice, but they just sold their house because his wife couldn't stand the 1 hour commute to her job in Phoenix. They're now looking in Peoria, which is much closer. I like Peoria as well, more established communities and a bit more greenery than Surprise.

Trini

[MotleyCrew]

We live up in Vistancia, N. Peoria. My husband commutes every day to Tempe and it takes him between 1:20 to 1:40 min one way each day. It can take longer depending on wrecks, events etc. If you are down by the freeway, they you can cut 15 min off your drive as it takes that long to get down to the freeway onramp. We do love it up here and hope that in the near future he can find something on the west side as firms relocate.