Places to live-Tempe,Scottsdale..? (Phoenix, Hayden: apartments, rentals, how much)

[DavisM]

Hi Everyone,

I'm moving to Phoenix from London, England in just over a week to take up a job at ASU. I'm in my late 20's and I was thinking about where best to live.

Tempe and Scottsdale both seem like pretty cool places. Good variety in bars and nightlife is pretty important to me, although I'm looking forward to doing lots of different stuff. I've read that Scottsdale is pretty good for nightlife but is it worth living there over Tempe?

I've been looking at rooms to rent on craigslist; is this the best place to look? Rent seems really reasonable - about $500/month for a nice place with a pool (I have to get somewhere with a pool now cause I told everyone I might have one). Rent is about double that here and for a room in a cramped apartment.

Any other advice for a foreigner (Irish) moving to Phoenix would be greatly appreciated.
thanks, Kevin

[ivanabacowboy]

Hi Kevin! It is good that you are doing your research. I would seriously question $500/month for a "nice" place tho. That is very cheap. And you usually get what you pay for.

It is very difficult to plan a move without having been here-assuming from your post you haven't, or at least didnt look for housing when you were.

Congrats on the new job! If you are working at ASU and are obviously won't know your way around the valley, I would try to stay close to where you work. Commutes out here can be really bad because the valley is very very large.

I am not familiar with particular apartments down closer to ASU, so hopefully some other posters can come point you the right direction. I live about 15-20 miles north of ASU. My son goes to ASU, so it is a doable commute even from where I live. And while you can take the freeway, if the freeway is heavy with traffic you can get there straight on surface streets. I live in north Phoenix/north Scottsdale.

My niece works at ASU. She lives at Via de Ventura and Hayden (Via de Ventura apartments). I think her rent for a 1 BR is in the $800-900 range.

As far as nightlife, the typical "club" scene would mostly be south Scottsdale or Tempe. Up here it is more nice restaurants with cool bars if you like that kind of thing. This part of town would take you far beyond $500/month tho. How much could you afford for housing? That may help folks assist you.

PS Most rentals out here if you get into a managed complex will definitely have at least one pool. ;-)

[LocoAZnative]

becareful the apts to the west of ASU are rundown and full of illegals, and i bet that's where your $500 for rent is

[DavisM]

Thanks guys. the $500/month is for a room in a houseshare rather than a 1-bed apartment. Does this still sound too low, given that its only a houseshare?? I could pretty much deal with anything under $900 per month but I'd prefer something around the 600/700 mark.

[silverbear]

Originally Posted by DavisM

Hi Everyone,

I'm moving to Phoenix from London, England in just over a week to take up a job at ASU. I'm in my late 20's and I was thinking about where best to live.

Tempe and Scottsdale both seem like pretty cool places. Good variety in bars and nightlife is pretty important to me, although I'm looking forward to doing lots of different stuff. I've read that Scottsdale is pretty good for nightlife but is it worth living there over Tempe?

I've been looking at rooms to rent on craigslist; is this the best place to look? Rent seems really reasonable - about $500/month for a nice place with a pool (I have to get somewhere with a pool now cause I told everyone I might have one). Rent is about double that here and for a room in a cramped apartment.

Any other advice for a foreigner (Irish) moving to Phoenix would be greatly appreciated.
thanks, Kevin

One thing you haven't mentioned is if you plan to buy a car. If yes, then there might be case for either Tempe or Scottsdale. If no, then Tempe is the obvious choice. Not only would you be closer to campus, but you'd also have access to far more extensive transit options in Tempe than in Scottsdale. Also, I'm assuming your job is at the ASU Main Campus in Tempe rather than at the West, Downtown, or Polytechnic campuses.

[ivanabacowboy]

Depending how big the house is and how many people are sharing, might not be too bad. Tho myself personally I would be a tad leery of sharing a house with folks I don't know.

If you post the address (or nearest intersection if you know it) of your houseshare, perhaps folks here can let you know if it is a nice neighborhood.

[murphy2823]

My big suggestion would be to study the bus system here in Metro Phoenix (valleymetro.org). I am assuming you have no transportation, and getting around here is nearly impossible if you don't have a car or live near a good busline. Try to live no more than a block from a bus stop; this will pay off when it's over 100 degrees this summer..

There are several great buslines that drop-off right on ASU-Tempe campus (72,81,30,44) Living on these lines allow a commute with no-bus changes and come in from throughout the valley...

Check with ASU about a "U-Pass". Depending on your status; ASU offers bus-pass discounts to outright free bus cards.

Oh yea - I would suggest living on Hayden Rd/McClintock Rd (81) or Scottsdale Rd, south of Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd (72).