Buckeye or Surprise (Phoenix, Sun City, Avondale: foreclosures, renters, house)

[sndayschld]

My husband and I are moving to Arizona from Texas in March. He will be going to Uti in Avondale. We can't decide if we should rent in Buckeye or Surprise.They both seem to have affordable homes for rent, but since I can't see the areas personaly, I'm not sure which is better. Which of these towns has better scenery? I like desert and mountains, so grass isn't important to me. What is the commute to Avondale like from each of these places? Does Buckeye get cable internet?

[CodyW]

Both are equally decent options. The scenery is pretty good in both places; Great views of the white tanks from both cities. Surprise is larger and more developed, while Buckeye is just starting to grow and is more rural. There's more shopping in Surprise; not a whole lot of it in Buckeye.

The commute to Avondale would probably be easier from Buckeye; just a straight shot down I-10.

These days; I think you can get cable internet ANYWHERE in the Phoenix area.

[Finger Laker]

commute would be easier from buckeye - either straight down the I-10 or the MC-85

as stated it is less developed and has a much more "rural" feel - buckeye is building up around their two primary exits, but still is lacking in comparison to other of the towns in the metro

i have friends in both areas and my surprise friends seem a little more satisfied - but I think that has to deal with options available to them for "city stuff"

my friends in buckeye all have long commutes and i think that drains them a little

and you can definitely get cable, high speed internet, etc in either

[imtaya2]

we live in buckeye and it is very rural right now

commute for me, 15-20 min depends where in avondale i'm going & traffic

buckeye - a lot of cheap rentals as low as $600 for a house

[Azsmileym]

I would agree. Surprise is a little closer. Buckeye is a little longer on the commute. Both have pretty affordable rents. Be carefule when looking for a place. Many of the homes are going into foreclosure and it is not uncommon for the renters to be kicked out when the homes are foreclosed.

Stephen

[santos]

Buckeye. Simply because it isn't clogged with senior citizens driving 20 mph in the right hand lane,which is much worse during the season when those who "winter in Arizona" are here.

Last week I opined about Surprise in depth, and if you are interested you can find that thread by searching "surprise". I do not mean to imply that one should not move to Surprise either, just giving what I view as a candid opinion for the purpose of making a decision.

[ibarrio]

Originally Posted by santos

Buckeye. Simply because it isn't clogged with senior citizens driving 20 mph in the right hand lane,which is much worse during the season when those who "winter in Arizona" are here.

Last week I opined about Surprise in depth, and if you are interested you can find that thread by searching "surprise". I do not mean to imply that one should not move to Surprise either, just giving what I view as a candid opinion for the purpose of making a decision.

Your right, Suprise is full of older people. Pros and Cons to that. Pros being that they bring big money to the area and they keep it very safe. Cons are that they tie up traffic and local businesses.

[foma]

I am currently renting in Buckeye and it is b-o-r-i-n-g here. Anytime you want to do something, you always have to drive at least 20 minutes to get into town. It doesn't seem like much but doing it several times a week is a pain. I have to commute between Buckeye and ASU West campus (check in google) and that's a good 50 minutes, almost 2 hours round trip, twice a week. It sucks!

The upside with Buckeye is that it's quiet and pretty family oriented. Because of all the foreclosures, however, you see a lot of signs here. Personally, I don't like it and makes me kind of nervous about the kind of crowd that comes in and out of our neighborhood but no bad incident has occurred (*knock on wood*).

I don't know much about Surprise except that a lot of old people live there ... but at least there's more commercial stuff like shopping and restaurants. I pay $950 for rent on a 1600 sq ft, 3 bedroom house in Buckeye.

[santos]

Originally Posted by ibarrio

Your right, Suprise is full of older people. Pros and Cons to that. Pros being that they bring big money to the area and they keep it very safe. Cons are that they tie up traffic and local businesses.

What Big money do they bring, other than to restaurants?

[ibarrio]

Originally Posted by santos

What Big money do they bring, other than to restaurants?

They shop in local retail stores, they put gas, they buy furniture, they use services such as plumbers, they go to Lowes and buy paint and home improvement items, and so on...

I believe Sun City Grand (the most elegant of the Sun Cities) is part of Surprise so they pay a school tax.