More kid friendly: Peoria or Surprise? (Phoenix, Glendale: rent, home, school district)

[tgales]

We are relocating from NW in July and are looking for advice on west side areas. We have young children 4 & 2 and desire all the amenities that young families need: parks, great schools, pools, etc. I have heard that North Peoria is nice and that most of Surprise is also. I will be working on Camelback & the 101, with a stay at home spouse. Any recommendations/help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[TransporterG]

Camelback and 101 is so central in Phoenix. Why would you choose the NW part of the Valley? There are plenty of more established areas with better access to lifestyle amenities, IMHO. East Valley, like Chandler (I don't live there) are very nice and have close access to 101, much better schools, and community activities. They are more mature and have larger tax bases to provide the amenities families like.

[JDish2000]

I live in Surprise - so this may sound bias. I feel Surprise is very kid friendly and to be fair, so is Peoria. My wife and I moved to Surprise in 1998 and have enjoyed it ever since.

I can recommend Surprise!

There is still a lot more growth to be had in both Surprise and Peoria. Both areas have the "more desirable sections" and "less desirable" sections with city limits.

You can always rent in one or the other to find out if you develop a preference for yourself.

Cheers!

[ibarrio]

Originally Posted by TransporterG

Camelback and 101 is so central in Phoenix. Why would you choose the NW part of the Valley? There are plenty of more established areas with better access to lifestyle amenities, IMHO. East Valley, like Chandler (I don't live there) are very nice and have close access to 101, much better schools, and community activities. They are more mature and have larger tax bases to provide the amenities families like.

When is the last time you visited Surprise?

Surprise is very kid friendly and has a ton of amenities. The Stadium village area is awesome...top notch...

[intmd8r]

I would just make sure to research the schools really well using a site like GreatSchools - Public and Private School Ratings, Reviews and Parent Community.

We have some great private schools here, but great public schools you will not find; Phoenix leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to schools, unfortunately. We rank at the very bottom of the country in this area.

That being said, Surprise is very kid-friendly as far as amenities go, but can be somewhat hard to commute from, as there aren't too many ways in and out, so traffic during rush hour can be insane in that area (not to mention the regular rush hour traffic on the freeway).

Good luck!

[roundball]

Originally Posted by TransporterG

Camelback and 101 is so central in Phoenix. Why would you choose the NW part of the Valley? There are plenty of more established areas with better access to lifestyle amenities, IMHO. East Valley, like Chandler (I don't live there) are very nice and have close access to 101, much better schools, and community activities. They are more mature and have larger tax bases to provide the amenities families like.

I'm guessing that she/he will be working on the Western part of the 101 where it intersects Camelback. If you're right and I'm wrong the West Valley is the wrong place for them.



I would recommend Peoria/N. Glendale. There are plenty of nice communities within a few miles of the 101. So you will be close to shopping at Arrowhead and a fast commute. Surprise is nice, just a bit farther out.

[zenkonami]

There are some fine areas in either city. Both are large, spread out, up and coming suburban places. There are a lot of similarities. Lived in Peoria for many years, so I'm a little biased toward it, but really neither are my cup of tea. For what you're looking for, however, I don't think you can go far wrong with either location. Plenty of new schools, lots of new commercial development, plenty of new parks, within 20 minutes of White Tanks Regional Park or Lake Pleasant.

[CodyW]

I believe Surprise is home to more YOUNG families. The combination of safety and affordability will do that. Where as, Peoria, while still being safe, is a little less affordable. So families have older children, and such.

[intmd8r]

I will also suggest taking a look at the Goodyear/Litchfield Park area (and not just because I live there ).

The reason being is the Litchfield Park school district. It is probably the best one on the west side and one of the better ones in the Phoenix area.

We're only about 10 minutes from Camelback in the 101 (that's where I get on the 101 when I use it) and we live in an extremely nice area of northern Goodyear and are in that school district.

[SOON2BNSURPRISE]

Surprise and Peoria are both nice. Commute times may be bad or good depending on what you are used to. I don't see it as such a bad commute to get to that part of the 101. Many will say it is a terrible commute. It just depends on what you are used to.