Which is more upscale Gilbert or Chandler?

[observer53]

Originally Posted by HOMESALE123

Maricopa actually has a higher per capita income than Scottsdale, according to the Arizona Republic Newspaper.

Assuming it was true at one point, that won't last long, (or is already not the case) with the changing demographics in Maricopa due to cheap rentals and short sales.

[azriverfan.]

I live in Chandler so I'm biased and take whatever I say with a huge grain of salt. If I had to grade the percentage of nice or upscale communities in Chandler vs Gilbert, then I would say Gilbert wins hands down. Chandler has some run down areas whereas it's really difficult to find a bad area of Gilbert. Gilbert is also more new so it has the advantage of having some nice communities. That being said, the very best neighborhoods in Chandler are more upscale than the very best neighborhoods in Gilbert in my opinion. You can really find some posh neighborhoods in Chandler such as Fulton Ranch, Tuscany, Trovita, Sun Lakes. Gilbert is known exclusively as a family community whereas Chandler is mostly known for being a family community but has a good yuppie population too Gilbert seems to be on the rise and has a lot of land left to develop whereas Chandler feels like it's been developed so there is a lot of potential with Glibert.

The problem with evaluating Chandler is that it is so big that it's not fair to truly compare it to Gilbert or any other community because you could live in Trovita or Ocotillo which rivals some of the best neighborhoods in Scottsdale or you could live near downtown Chandler which is a little ghetto. So in terms of Chandler, this is what you are looking at. West Chandler and Ocotillo are really nice. West Chandler is just an extension of Ahwautukee for all intents and purposes whereas Ocotillo is a newer community south of the 202 near golf courses and lakes. It's nice but a little remote. East Chandler is kind of old and run down.

[he's so hott]

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

I live in Chandler so I'm biased and take whatever I say with a huge grain of salt. If I had to grade the percentage of nice or upscale communities in Chandler vs Gilbert, then I would say Gilbert wins hands down. Chandler has some run down areas whereas it's really difficult to find a bad area of Gilbert. Gilbert is also more new so it has the advantage of having some nice communities. That being said, the very best neighborhoods in Chandler are more upscale than the very best neighborhoods in Gilbert in my opinion. You can really find some posh neighborhoods in Chandler such as Fulton Ranch, Tuscany, Trovita, Sun Lakes. Gilbert is known exclusively as a family community whereas Chandler is mostly known for being a family community but has a good yuppie population too Gilbert seems to be on the rise and has a lot of land left to develop whereas Chandler feels like it's been developed so there is a lot of potential with Glibert.

The problem with evaluating Chandler is that it is so big that it's not fair to truly compare it to Gilbert or any other community because you could live in Trovita or Ocotillo which rivals some of the best neighborhoods in Scottsdale or you could live near downtown Chandler which is a little ghetto. So in terms of Chandler, this is what you are looking at. West Chandler and Ocotillo are really nice. West Chandler is just an extension of Ahwautukee for all intents and purposes whereas Ocotillo is a newer community south of the 202 near golf courses and lakes. It's nice but a little remote. East Chandler is kind of old and run down.

Ding, ding, ding. Couldn't have said it better myself.

[blueeyz911]

I would say Chandler is more "upscale". South Chandler is the nicest area of Chandler IMO. Ocotillo is absolutely gorgeous. I don't believe Gilbert has a neighborhood quite that nice. Gilbert is a nice place to live too but I would prefer to live in Chandler.

[restoguy]

Ok - upscale really means different things to everyone - basically one thing you would really need to consider is the historical values of homes. Gilbert shows longevity in the housing market with more million dollar homes / communities than Chandler - HOWEVER - Chandler is a newer housing area so that is to be expected.

Also consider your work verses travel times and freeway access. Gilbert is closer to downtown, so if your going to be use sporting events or work in Phoenix proper then Gilbert really has a better edge.

Lot sizes are a big consideration for myself - if it is for you then Gilbert would also be a better choice. Since Chandler is newer there tends to be more slammed in Mc'Mansions that become repetitive.

As for the Mormon issue - I am not a mormon - actually the anthesis of a mormon - however if you are looking to avoid Mormons - well I would recommend moving to Las Vegas. I have heard people say many things about Mormons one of the more accurate things is this "Try to move next to a Mormon and a homosexual, you will always have a secure property value." The Mormon temple generally protects members and would step in to aide in preventing a foreclosure. They also are known for taking care of their property. While religiously they are a bit extreme - personally they are quite nice.

Good luck

[observer53]

Originally Posted by restoguy

Ok - upscale really means different things to everyone - basically one thing you would really need to consider is the historical values of homes. Gilbert shows longevity in the housing market with more million dollar homes / communities than Chandler - HOWEVER - Chandler is a newer housing area so that is to be expected.

Also consider your work verses travel times and freeway access. Gilbert is closer to downtown, so if your going to be use sporting events or work in Phoenix proper then Gilbert really has a better edge.

Lot sizes are a big consideration for myself - if it is for you then Gilbert would also be a better choice. Since Chandler is newer there tends to be more slammed in Mc'Mansions that become repetitive.

. . .

Good luck

Lots of overgeneralizing here. There are parts of both Gilbert and Chandler that are decades old, and parts that are quite new. I have no idea whether Gilbert has more "million dollar homes/communities" I know they have more of the 5 bedroom plus homes (appeals to the Mormon population), but there's a lot of upscale in Chandler too... Ocotillo area comes to mind as an example.

Gilbert closer to downtown than Chandler? I suppose west Gilbert and east Chandler are about the same distance from downtown, but west Chandler is far closer to downtown than ANYWHERE in Gilbert. It all depends on where exactly you live.

There are large lots, and older homes with acreage, in both Gilbert and Chandler. Gilbert has just as many crammed in subdivisions as Chandler does, in my experience.

To the OP-- come and look at both. In the end, you can learn best with your own eyes.

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by restoguy

Gilbert is closer to downtown, so if your going to be use sporting events or work in Phoenix proper then Gilbert really has a better edge.

That couldn't be more incorrect. Gilbert is east of Chandler and downtown is northwest of Chandler so how could Gilbert be closer generally speaking? That makes no sense. The majority of Chandler is closer to downtown than the majority of Gilbert as a significant portion of west Chandler borders I-10. The only parts of Gilbert that are closer than Chandler would be to compare north Gilbert near the 60 freeway versus Ocotillo in Chandler. However, I live at Warner and I-10 and it's closer to downtown than EVERY part of Gilbert. Furthermore, east Gilbert extends far east such as Williams Field which is essentially East Mesa. Chandler has a major advantage over Gilbert in terms of freeway access and location/ Chandler residents are closer to I-10 and the 101 than Gilbert residents which gives them a huge advantage in terms of commuting. In fact, that is one of the real drawbacks to Gilbert is its location since Gilbert is heavily dependent on the 202 and 60 freeway.

Lot sizes are a big consideration for myself - if it is for you then Gilbert would also be a better choice. Since Chandler is newer there tends to be more slammed in Mc'Mansions that become repetitive.

Gilbert is a newer community not an older one. A large percentage of Gilbert wasn't even developed until the construction of the 202 which wasn't finished until 5 years ago. Chandler was well developed before then because the 101 extended south to Chandler BLVD before the 202 was finished. In addition, the Chandler Mall and Casa Paloma shopping areas were built years before anything major in Gilbert was built. But I agree that we have more McMansions which is due in part to the fact that we are an older community.

As for the Mormon issue - I am not a mormon - actually the anthesis of a mormon - however if you are looking to avoid Mormons - well I would recommend moving to Las Vegas. I have heard people say many things about Mormons one of the more accurate things is this "Try to move next to a Mormon and a homosexual, you will always have a secure property value." The Mormon temple generally protects members and would step in to aide in preventing a foreclosure. They also are known for taking care of their property. While religiously they are a bit extreme - personally they are quite nice.

Gilbert is a Mormon town. Using the Las Vegas analogy doesn't take away from that. At the same time, this is what makes Gilbert a nice community. Mormons have strong family values and emphasize education. Gilbert has good schools, and low crime as a result. I know many non-Mormons who live in Gilbert for those reasons but acknowledge they are moving to a Mormon dominated city. To them, it's worth the price of admission. Chandler is much more diverse both ethnically and politically. For example, in addition to Caucasians and Hispanic, Chandler has a lot of South Asians (Indians, Pakistani, Vietnamese, Thai, Malaysians) live in Chandler