Moving to Phoenix AZ Area (Tucson, Mesa: section 8, transplants, apartment)
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I'm trying to get advice on where to live in the Phoenix area. I'm looking to spend around $200-$215 on a house. I was looking in either Queen Creek, Buckeye, or Casa Grande they all seem to have more for your money. I would like to be near shopping, High-Speed Internet, hospitals, etc. I work from home so commuting is not an issue. I am concern about safety (crime) of the area and if there's an abundance of spiders,snakes, or scorpions in any particular area that I need to avoid. This is so overwhelming, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!
Well, Id hate to tell you this, but tons of scorpions..definitely rattle snakes..spiders..lizards, you name it in that department. But the creepiest are definitely the scorpions. Im not a big fan of Queen Creek..it is out there. Unfortunately, in your price range, it will be hard to find anything in a well established, pretty good neighborhood. Once you start looking at homes in that price range, you will have to sacrifice a neighborhood that is pretty far from things..but is building up. My mom bought 2 yrs ago in a brand new neighborhood in Avondale thinking it would be so nice..Oh, it was soo affordable..thats all she can say..but I kept telling her that she has to be careful..and now she is dying to get out. The whole neighborhood has become rentals and section 8. I cant say enough, that you should definitely visit these areas before moving..if you like it and like the areas..then great..but you may be in for a culture shock coming from Chicago. Also, try to visit from now until September..will give you a good idea of the average temps and if you can handle 110, every single day..Im not a fan of the PHoenix area..so Im offering you most of the negative things..which I wish I knew before moving. There are alot of illegal Mexicans here..especially in the areas you are talking about. Maybe someone else can offer you some positives for this area..But again..try to visit first..It will be worth it especially if decide not to make the move.
I'm also not a fan of Queen Creek or Buckeye, Casa Grande is OK but still isn't close to everything. Did you look at Chandler? This place is growing by bounds, but is getting more pricey everyday. It's centrally located to just about everything and the schools are some of the best in the Valley. A good-sized home with run you $100,000-$150,000 more than you are looking to spend though.
Out of the places you listed, I'd check out Casa Grande.
Well, Id hate to tell you this, but tons of scorpions..definitely rattle snakes..spiders..lizards, you name it in that department. But the creepiest are definitely the scorpions. Im not a big fan of Queen Creek..it is out there. Unfortunately, in your price range, it will be hard to find anything in a well established, pretty good neighborhood. Once you start looking at homes in that price range, you will have to sacrifice a neighborhood that is pretty far from things..but is building up. My mom bought 2 yrs ago in a brand new neighborhood in Avondale thinking it would be so nice..Oh, it was soo affordable..thats all she can say..but I kept telling her that she has to be careful..and now she is dying to get out. The whole neighborhood has become rentals and section 8. I cant say enough, that you should definitely visit these areas before moving..if you like it and like the areas..then great..but you may be in for a culture shock coming from Chicago. Also, try to visit from now until September..will give you a good idea of the average temps and if you can handle 110, every single day..Im not a fan of the PHoenix area..so Im offering you most of the negative things..which I wish I knew before moving. There are alot of illegal Mexicans here..especially in the areas you are talking about. Maybe someone else can offer you some positives for this area..But again..try to visit first..It will be worth it especially if decide not to make the move.
I have never seen a scorpion nor snake and lizards, yes. They are little and fun to watch..certainly not a problem. Illegal immigrants, yes but our sheriff is on top of this and in this day and age you would be hard pressed to find a place to live where they are not. Hot, no question about that but being from back east I find that you stay indoors during the summer the same as you do when it snows in the east during the winter months. Winter months here are wonderful! The one difference is that you can go out here no matter what the temp is and not have to worry about getting stuck in a blizzard. Just make sure the AC is cranked in the car.
Lastly, my neighborhood is filled with people from Illinois so there must be something they are finding here.
If you want to avoid the critters, air polution, crime, heat, snow and high cost of living, you will need to head toward the South East portion of the state. The higher the elevation the cleaner the air.
Tucson is hot but has beautiful winters. Still, there is some air polution. Home prices are not too bad, but apartment rentals are sky high. The outskirts are more reasonable. You have all the amenities of a big city along with the traffice and crime, but the weather is good. You can live outside of Tucson and be cleaner and safer.
I'm trying to get advice on where to live in the Phoenix area. I'm looking to spend around $200-$215 on a house. I was looking in either Queen Creek, Buckeye, or Casa Grande they all seem to have more for your money. I would like to be near shopping, High-Speed Internet, hospitals, etc. I work from home so commuting is not an issue. I am concern about safety (crime) of the area and if there's an abundance of spiders,snakes, or scorpions in any particular area that I need to avoid. This is so overwhelming, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!
There's a new subdivision in Gilbert starting at 207,000 has a community pool and other activities, even includes granite counter tops and wood blinds.
"my neighborhood is filled with people from Illinois so there must be something they are finding here"
Yes, sooner than later they are finding - skin cancers, respiratory aliments, sinus infections, dry skin, high air conditioning bills.
Quite a price to pay for avoiding the sound of a snow shovel scraping on your driveway.
I think brian_2 knows what he's talking about.
I'm in Chicago and I've visted the Phoenix area (and cities the first poster mentioned, including Gilbert, Chandler, Tempe, Mesa) five times based on people here and in the Phoenix area (who were originally from the Chicago area) telling me how great it is and saying things like "Look at how many people from Illinois have chosen to move here", etc.
I suggest you visit there between July and August and try to talk to as many people as you can who are not recent transplants or trying to sell you some property.
I'd listen to brian_2's advice as well. As a former resident of Detroit, I can tell you that it's a good idea to read between the lines & don't believe all the great things people may tell you about living here. I've lived lots of places, actually, but none besides Phoenix have actually made me miss Detroit, if you can believe that. If you really want mild winters, consider California or other places in the mountain west. Trust me, there's a whole lot of places that have more pleasant and mild winters than Chicago does, without the downside of the dreaded Phoenix summers. There are a great many downsides to life in the "Valley", most of which I've ranted about in plenty of other threads. Complaining about the weather is cliche- of course it's ungodly hot in the summer, it's a desert- but why dwell on that when there are honestly so many other legitimate reasons to despise this place.
Crime's out of hand, thanks in large part to the immigration problems, meth epidemic & recent upsurge in gang activity. California has their "3 strikes and you're out" rule, meaning that a 3rd felony lands you a life sentence in prison. Basically, that's led to a large influx of criminals from California with 1 or 2 felonies into Phoenix, looking for fresh territory to terrorize without fear of going to jail forever. The valley has essentially become a haven for low-lifes and illegals, and the police are completely outmanned & outgunned at this point.
Traffic and pollution are awful, schools are terrible, sprawl is out of control, no downtown or urban scene to speak of (if you're from Chicago and you can go into downtown Phoenix and manage not to fall over laughing, you ought to get your eyes checked). Phoenix landed on the American Lung Association's list of worst cities for air quality, and no surprise. It seems almost every day is an "ozone action" day. Oh yeah, and if you've never heard of Valley Fever, you ought to look it up. It'll scare you out of your mind, and it should. Being that it's the desert, it's very dusty and windy a good part of the time, which means that it's impossible to keep your car (or anything else, for that matter) clean. There's a permanent film of dust all over everything, which makes you wonder exactly what that means your lungs must look like. Like the sun? Well, there's plenty of it- which is probably why Phoenix has the highest incidence of skin cancer of any major city in the world other than Sydney, Australia.
The place just has no soul, no personality or character. I find it very hard to form attachments or meaningful friendships here- everyone seems so concerned with image, their tans, their plastic surgery, their expensive cars, etc. It's a very superficial, disconnected, "L.A." type of vibe, and very un-midwestern, which isn't a good thing in my opinion. I may not miss the winters, but I certainly miss the people.
In short, if you're the sort of person who really hates snow and cold so much that you're willing to put up with literally having to live in an air-conditioned cave for half the year thanks to oppressive heat that can kill you, well then, I guess to each their own. I can tell you that it's not a decision I'd ever make again. Did I mention that I miss Detroit?
I'd listen to brian_2's advice as well. As a former resident of Detroit, I can tell you that it's a good idea to read between the lines & don't believe all the great things people may tell you about living here. I've lived lots of places, actually, but none besides Phoenix have actually made me miss Detroit, if you can believe that. If you really want mild winters, consider California or other places in the mountain west. Trust me, there's a whole lot of places that have more pleasant and mild winters than Chicago does, without the downside of the dreaded Phoenix summers. There are a great many downsides to life in the "Valley", most of which I've ranted about in plenty of other threads. Complaining about the weather is cliche- of course it's ungodly hot in the summer, it's a desert- but why dwell on that when there are honestly so many other legitimate reasons to despise this place.
Crime's out of hand, thanks in large part to the immigration problems, meth epidemic & recent upsurge in gang activity. California has their "3 strikes and you're out" rule, meaning that a 3rd felony lands you a life sentence in prison. Basically, that's led to a large influx of criminals from California with 1 or 2 felonies into Phoenix, looking for fresh territory to terrorize without fear of going to jail forever. The valley has essentially become a haven for low-lifes and illegals, and the police are completely outmanned & outgunned at this point.
Traffic and pollution are awful, schools are terrible, sprawl is out of control, no downtown or urban scene to speak of (if you're from Chicago and you can go into downtown Phoenix and manage not to fall over laughing, you ought to get your eyes checked). Phoenix landed on the American Lung Association's list of worst cities for air quality, and no surprise. It seems almost every day is an "ozone action" day. Oh yeah, and if you've never heard of Valley Fever, you ought to look it up. It'll scare you out of your mind, and it should. Being that it's the desert, it's very dusty and windy a good part of the time, which means that it's impossible to keep your car (or anything else, for that matter) clean. There's a permanent film of dust all over everything, which makes you wonder exactly what that means your lungs must look like. Like the sun? Well, there's plenty of it- which is probably why Phoenix has the highest incidence of skin cancer of any major city in the world other than Sydney, Australia.
The place just has no soul, no personality or character. I find it very hard to form attachments or meaningful friendships here- everyone seems so concerned with image, their tans, their plastic surgery, their expensive cars, etc. It's a very superficial, disconnected, "L.A." type of vibe, and very un-midwestern, which isn't a good thing in my opinion. I may not miss the winters, but I certainly miss the people.
In short, if you're the sort of person who really hates snow and cold so much that you're willing to put up with literally having to live in an air-conditioned cave for half the year thanks to oppressive heat that can kill you, well then, I guess to each their own. I can tell you that it's not a decision I'd ever make again. Did I mention that I miss Detroit?
Well then move!
Chicago- Read my other posts and you'll see the positives.
Crime is rampant in some parts of the Valley but it still isn't as bad as L.A.
Traffic is bad but I could care less. I don't mind driving in traffic.
There isn't a "permanent file of dust" on everything! I don't know anyone who has dust covering their home or car. The only time you'll find a lot of dust on vehicles/homes is in a dust storm.
Some schools are good, some are bad. There are some spectacular schools down here and there are some bad ones.
I like sprawl.
I think Phoenix has plently of personality, it's a very western type of city with a vibrant art scene and great Native American culture. A great mix of modern and western (take a look at Frank Lloyd Wright's Talesin West).
Again, you need to come and see the city yourself. I love it!
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..what they're finding
