any info on Surprise (Phoenix, Glendale: relocate, travel, job)

[flounder083]

I am looking to relocate froom NY to Az and was wondering if anyone could give me any info on suprise . Just got back from Alomost buying a house in avondale and did myself a favor by stopping in and asking the Pd about the area and was told to drive around and look. There where shanties about a 1/2 mle down the road and a cargo trian was glad i did that .

[restlessinmn]

If you are looking in the west valley, the only area I would live in would be the north west. North of the 101 loop is still a pretty decent area especially north of Arrowhead Ranch.

From my experience, on the west side of the valley, the closer you get to I10 the worse it gets. Avondale, Goodyear, and Litchfield are all close to the I10 freeway. They are your typical cookie-cutter neighborhoods. You'd need to look up the current stats but I can't imagine that they have gotten any better with all of the growth.

South of I10 isn't desirable.

Glendale is ok north of loop 101.

Peoria is known for having good schools but I wouldn't choose to live there. Some areas are ok but some are sketchy.

Surprise is growing a lot. I'd stay away from the areas where Surprise borders El Mirage. Keep in mind that in Surprise it is difficult to travel East-West. The only road that goes through is Bell and it is always packed. If I had to live in Surprise, I'd look on the edge of the city in the more rural part where you get acreage. It's pricier than your average cookie-cutter neighborhood but you have a buffer.

If you can afford it, North Scottsdale is nice as well as Paradise Valley and Fountain Hills.

Hope this helps.

[mmikulak]

You can't go anywhere in a hurry. Traffic is a problem in Suprise. It is pretty locked up with no way out. I can't explain it but I just hate it there.

North Goodyear and Litchfield Park are the way to go out west. If you go NW Phoenix make sure you work out of your home cause the traffic is nasty.

[gigi927]

I think it depends on what you are looking for. Yes, Surprise has some challenges with its traffic - so if you are commuting into the city or traveling east-west, that can be a problem.

However, Surprise is really booming and has very affordable housing. The spring training facilities for a few of the major league baseball teams are there, they have a great little fishing lake, aquatics center and other stuff for kids and families. I understand that there is another $12M water park planned near 175th street with dog park and other facilities as well. Personally I think Surprise is better maintained than many of the other West Valley cities. I am a realtor on the other side of town (have to disclose this) and have spent a lot of time in most cities here and the village really seems to be putting thought into its overall plan and really bringing a lot of family oriented services and amenities to its residents. There are tons of shopping areas and restaurants as well. My parents live there and have been very happy with the area and their neighbors.

One other note is that there are a few retirement communities in Surprise, so do you get the snowbird/retiree element around.

If you do consider Surprise, I agree with the other poster that the more outlying parts of Surprise are definitely more desirable and will give you more appreciation for your housing dollar as well.

Hope this helps you!

[scrapbooksfor4]

I love living in Surprise. We haven't had any problems with crime and the traffic is avoidable if you use routes other than Bell Rd. We are out near the 303 Loop and Bell Rd. My family is all moving out here because they love it.

[azloafer]

We recently visited someone in Sun City West. They told us about Surprise, so we drove in and looked around. Our opinion is that Surprise is one of the nicest looking neighborhoods that we have seen in the past several years. The builder did a great job in the common area and the entire area was neat and clean. We also liked the earth tones used in the housing. Great looking area!

[Joshhhhh]

Suprise is nice, a little out there, far from downtown and scottsdale, but its a nice area.

[imtaya2]

Surprise is one of the fastest growing location in the whole country. Most of my friends moved there but we had to consider the route to Phoenix. I work 7th Street/17 so I need to be close the freeway. Traffic is horrible but I guess got use to it. there are days I wish I was a few minutes away

[ibarrio]

We moved to Surprise from California and love it. Quiet-cool nights right now. Very Family oriented. Low Crime.

Traffic is bad but not horrible. I spent about an 1:10 mins today on my total commute and I work near the Metro center on I-17.

[Nice Nice Baby!]

Surprise is Awesome! Great place to settle if you have a job in the area.