Jewish family moving to Phoenix.. (Glendale, Scottsdale: work, new home, construction)

[NBCA]

..and needing information on which parts are best.

[MotleyCrew]

Best for families, or Jewish communities in particular? I think we are a very friendly, mixed and mingled group up here in Vistancia, N. Peoria. We have folks from the east coast, Calif, mid-west etc. flocking in every week. I know of another web site for our community and if you private email me I can give you the information. There were some new Jewish people looking for religious services and other Jewish couples over in Trilogy, Vistancia. As far as good for families we have lots of communities on the west side that we could recommend. West wing is nice, Sonoran Mt. Ranch, Estrella Mt. Ranch, Marley Park and more.

[NBCA]

Thank-you Jill. Best for families please. Was considering Chandler at one point and Basha Schools. Considering neighborhoods built between 1995 to 2007.

[MotleyCrew]

Chandler is a growing city with plenty of housing choices, but a little more expensive than Queen Creek and Maricopa. They have had some gang activity but like most problems, it will be worked out (we hope). My daughter just purchased a home in Maricopa and it is full of young couples and families starting out. If you are driving into Phoenix for work, you will have some traffic issues, especially from Queen Creek. The west side (we are biased) is our favorite spot to hunt for housing. Surprise is (in our opinion) very affordable as is Buckey. We live in Vistancia which is in N. Peoria. We really love living here and it is extremely friendly and full of warm, welcoming neighbors (well for the most part). We enjoy the walking trails, 3 pools, clubhouse, and across from the entrance is a new Safeway under construction. Four miles down the road there is a new Home Depot / Target center ready to open next week. There is a new elementary school on site and the kids all take the walking trail to go to school. You can google www.vistancia.com and actually take the video tour. Estrella Mt. Ranch was where we almost landed and it is a great development too. They have a lake that you can take little boats out on and fish. If you want any more information on Vistancia I would be happy to run up and grab a package for you (I am not a realtor, just like to help). Peoria schools rate very well.
The other development that just came to mind that is a little older, is the Arrowhead Ranch area. Homes are nice, not sure about the school dist though. It is very close to all shopping. Best of luck to you.

[silverbear]

Originally Posted by NBCA

..and needing information on which parts are best.

That depends on how observant you and your family are. The traditional Jewish center of the Phoenix area has been North Central Phoenix, especially around Glendale Avenue. That's where you'll find Orthodox synagogues, kosher restaurants, and even an eruv.

There's also a large Jewish community in Scottsdale, particularly around Scottsdale and Shea.

If your family is less observant, you could probably be happy just about anywhere in the metropolitan area. Keep in mind, however, that in new developments like the ones described above, there is often a lag before local congregations of any religion exist, so if being near a temple or synagogue is important to you, it might be better to settle in a more established area.

See jewishaz.com for listings of resources.

[tann22]

Jill, we are also a jewish family looking to move to Arizona. Upon our last visit, which was not very extensive, we found a lot of churches, but did not see any temples. We are a reformed Jewish family in Los Angeles. We have heard some nice things about Aritukee, what do you think of this area for raising a family? Would you reccomend a better area? We are mainly concerned about good schools and would like to be around some families that celebrate the Jewish holidays.

I would like to get that other website you said you had.

thanks....Marla

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by tann22

Jill, we are also a jewish family looking to move to Arizona. Upon our last visit, which was not very extensive, we found a lot of churches, but did not see any temples. We are a reformed Jewish family in Los Angeles. We have heard some nice things about Aritukee, what do you think of this area for raising a family? Would you reccomend a better area? We are mainly concerned about good schools and would like to be around some families that celebrate the Jewish holidays.

I would like to get that other website you said you had.

thanks....Marla

BTW, it's spelled Ahwatukee. That's definitely a nice area of Phoenix, and in good school districts. The farther west you live in Ahwatukee, the more isolated you are from the rest of Phoenix; the longer you'll have to drive to get anywhere. But in terms of being a good area for families, it's about as good as it gets. If you're asking about where the "Jewish" areas of town are, look at north-central Phoenix (Glendale Ave/Lincoln Dr), Paradise Valley, or central Scottsdale (Shea Blvd). There are a couple of different reform temples in that area, such as Temple Solel. That section of the valley is where you'll find a whole bunch of synagogues of every flavor, a couple of kosher grocery stores, and related stuff. Beyond that core area, there are still many Jews scattered throughout the valley, just not concentrated in only one neighborhood. I'm not too familiar with the west valley, but in the East Valley, there's a reform synagogue in southern Tempe-- Temple Emanuel-- and a conservative synagogue in Chandler. Do some research on your own, take a look at Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix.

[tann22]

Thanks for the advice, I will do the research.

[Steel87]

Scottsdale School District has a significantly high Jewish population. There are several temples nearby, including the very popular Temple Chai, Temple Beth Israel, and Har Zion Congregation. One of the largest and newest JCCs is located just a little north of the Scottsdale and Cactus intersection. Hebrew High is very popular and highly participated after-school session that Scottsdale school district students attend (essentially meet other Jewish students throughout the city and learn to read and write Hebrew and study the Jewish culture/history, they take other cultural classes and you have a number of choices).

As Scottsdale's Jewish population is significantly high, you will find if they attend a school around there many of the teachers are also Jewish and the classes are very flexible to practicing / seeing the Jewish holidays. I would estimate nearly 10-15% of Chaparral High (if not more) is Jewish. Most are reform, however. This Jewish student population is either equivalent or even greater at the surrounding schools such as Horizon High, Desert Mountain High, and Arcadia High.

If you are a more Orthodox family, there is a high school with only Jewish students (mainly Orthodox families.) I don't recall the name of the school right now though. It is also located in Scottsdale.

[norm]

Here is a web site that lists synagogues around the world: Jewish Directory and Jewish Search by MavenSearch