Low down on jobs and school in Surprise please.... (Phoenix: low income, rent)

[tiredofrain]

Hi folks, my husband and I are in the beginning stages of searching for our a home in Arizona. We currently live in Washington and have always wanted to retire to AZ--but since the market is so low right now--we figured why not go for it. I am 40, he is 50 and we have a 6 year old son. I have looked at many cities (Chandler, Gilbert, Goodyear) and keep coming back to Surprise for affordable housing, safe community...and a place for families and retirees. Please correct me if I'm wrong. Can someone who is familiar with Surprise please tell me about schools and jobs. I'll be moving first and looking for a job, while my husband keeps the income rolling in WA. We aren't party animals, but do ride motorcycles. Schools are important and so are outdoor activities. We'd like to pay cash, so would like to keep the cost under 150K. A hugely long commute to a job is not appealing.

I appreciate any info!

[LocoAZnative]

if a lomg commute is not your thing then last place to look for a house is in Surprise. Im more partical to living in the city ie: Tempe a lot do here. Never understood the appeal of living on the outer reaches of town especially if you commute. Definitely not worth it.

[CodyW]

It's going to be hard to find something in Tempe on their budget.

If you're working CLOSE to surprise, you shouldn't have a problem.
However, if you're commuting into Phoenix - Look elsewhere.

[tiredofrain]

Thanks for the input.....I guess what I'm wondering is are there any jobs/industry within a 30 minute drive to Surprise? I'm used to over an hour commute twice a day---so 30 minutes would be good. Of course less is better.

thanks

[ibarrio]

Originally Posted by tiredofrain

Thanks for the input.....I guess what I'm wondering is are there any jobs/industry within a 30 minute drive to Surprise? I'm used to over an hour commute twice a day---so 30 minutes would be good. Of course less is better.

thanks

Tons of opportunity and jobs within 30 mins of Surprise. What is your line of work?

[tiredofrain]

Well....right now I'm a stay at home mom/ volunteer....but I've spent 14 years as a scheduler and production control analyst in aerospace, I also have teaching certification PK-8. Not exactly sure what my career is anymore....some sort of white collar job I guess you'd say.

[TransporterG]

Good points, all. But for $150k, there is little in safe, neighborhoods with good schools. Surprise from my research and with declining state budgets, is only marginal in a marginal state when it comes to education quality. Coming from WA, where I used to also live, the educational level is--on the whole--higher than Arizona's.

The key to good school districts, beyond the AIMS scores, is look for the immigrants, who are keen on their children's education. You might consider to go where the Chinese and Indians (from India) live, after they got their Master's degrees from ASU and continued to work in the Valley--places like Tempe, Chandler, the close in places with the better school districts but those that are not so high end and very expensive. Their kids excel because excelling is part of the culture. And they are very safe kinds of family oriented neighborhoods.

One area I would look if I were you is the area of Tempe around Ward Traditional School--an excellent charter school in a not-so-expensive area that is family-friendly (but still Harley friendly ) . Around Southern and McClintock. You may not be able to buy for $150k, but you could rent for awhile cheaply, wait out the economic demise, and get your son in an outstanding school that is free. You could get on the waiting list now for the school while he goes to the very reasonable public elementary there.

And you would be very central to everything in the valley, opening up more opportunities for jobs/career and all the resources available in a college town that are cheap and good.

[markas214]

Originally Posted by AZnative4Life

if a lomg commute is not your thing then last place to look for a house is in Surprise. Im more partical to living in the city ie: Tempe a lot do here. Never understood the appeal of living on the outer reaches of town especially if you commute. Definitely not worth it.

Off roading, clean air, starlit skies, quiet, having a large property with horses are some reasons. There are definitely pluses. I would only need to commute 3 days a week. I just don't know if my wife could stand the isolation. Plus the kids wouldn't have much to do.

[tiredofrain]

Originally Posted by TransporterG

Good points, all. But for $150k, there is little in safe, neighborhoods with good schools. Surprise from my research and with declining state budgets, is only marginal in a marginal state when it comes to education quality. Coming from WA, where I used to also live, the educational level is--on the whole--higher than Arizona's.

The key to good school districts, beyond the AIMS scores, is look for the immigrants, who are keen on their children's education. You might consider to go where the Chinese and Indians (from India) live, after they got their Master's degrees from ASU and continued to work in the Valley--places like Tempe, Chandler, the close in places with the better school districts but those that are not so high end and very expensive. Their kids excel because excelling is part of the culture. And they are very safe kinds of family oriented neighborhoods.

One area I would look if I were you is the area of Tempe around Ward Traditional School--an excellent charter school in a not-so-expensive area that is family-friendly (but still Harley friendly ) . Around Southern and McClintock. You may not be able to buy for $150k, but you could rent for awhile cheaply, wait out the economic demise, and get your son in an outstanding school that is free. You could get on the waiting list now for the school while he goes to the very reasonable public elementary there.

And you would be very central to everything in the valley, opening up more opportunities for jobs/career and all the resources available in a college town that are cheap and good.

I would LOVE to find an area with some Asians....my son is Chinese....Also in looking at Great Schools for top 10 schools I notice that Chandler has many. However, the last opinions on that website are WAAAAY outdated. Can someone tell me what the best free schools are in Chandler and I'll search for houses that way...

Thanks

[ibarrio]

1. Surprise is not isolated and it has tons of amenities. It is not like you have to drive 30 miles down a two-lane highway to the middle to the desert.

2. Surprise home values have dropped...right along with the rest of the Valley. You can pick up a great deal right now. Make no mistakes, Surprise is very safe. Right behind Gilbert as one of the safest areas in Arizona.

3. Surprise has done better money wise then most other communities. Cut backs might/will take place...However while places like Mesa are in deep trouble, Surprise is talking about doing beautification projects along Grand and Bell..

4. Dysart district is becoming a good school district. It has taken years of hard work but Dysart has improved and is one of the better districts in the area. It still needs improvement but that comes as a result of growing at a fast rate. The one thing that I have noticed and what really improves a district is parent involvement...and Dysart has that.

5. Surprise is not a low income area. It is middle class with some upper middle class areas. The community has great pride. You have to look hard to find graffiti in Surprise.

6. There are things to do in Surprise. Aside from the Stadium Complex area (which includes a Park, Urban Lake, Museum, Library, Water slide, dog park, and Spring Training for two MLB teams) the area of Arrowhead is very close. I can also get to Westgate in 25-30 mins...

People who generally talk bad about Surprise have never even been to Surprise or haven't been to Surprise in tens years..