Gilbert/Chandler vs Scottsdale (shoot staright with me) (Phoenix: sales, apartment complexes)

[senorcat05]

I need some simple advice for a married couple (27,23 still working on becoming financially stable...we are looking to rent not buy...3 grand in the bank will start full time gig...apprx 50-60k a year in sales when moving to arizona have job lined up)...the more posts...the better


I currently live in NJ...moving to AZ in few months...I am very interested in safe living in a nice area with cheap living conditions...My good friend lives in Gilbert...has lived in Chandler too...I have heard from him Gilbert is safer and cheaper to live in scottsdale (which is where my wife wants to live..(is there a high amount of car stereo theft in gilbert community apt complexes??) I have read that...My wife would much rather live in scottsdale....she claims its a nice safer area and can find apartments for the same price...in gilbert that is nicer and safer....if thats true why do i always hear warnings about scottsdale being so expensive...are there other things that make it more expensive?? health insurance...car insurance....gas?......please help!

[observer53]

Gas tends to be higher in Scottsdale, somewhat. Health insurance should be NO different. Car insurance may be, depending on claim history by ZIP code.

Are you coming out here first to look around between the two areas, or not? It would seem that would be a good idea... you will get a feel for where you would like to live that you can't get from asking people here.

Both cities are "safe" as far as personal crimes are concerned. If your main concern is property crime like car stereo theft, I have no idea whether car break-in statistics are kept separate from just general theft statistics, but I doubt it.

I also don't think you can overgeneralize and say there is more theft from cars in Gilbert apartments than Scottsdale. Both are large spread out suburban cities, with lots of such complexes.

There are relatively expensive areas in all the suburbs, Scottsdale has a lot of them, but you don't have to live there. The national reputation for Scottsdale as a whole as being expensive has a lot to do with those areas.

If you are working in Phoenix, it's a long commute from either place, (if you go to the north part of Scottsdale).

[KK85297]

There are some yucky parts of Scottsdale. Not really many yucky parts of Gilbert (a few tiny pockets, nothing obvious). A few yucky parts of Chandler. All three cities are MOSTLY very nice areas with some nice, large apartment complexes to choose from. All three are relatively safe and I agree with the above poster that one really doesn't stand out as being more obviously "crime-ridden" than the others as long as you stay out of the bad parts- but even then, there's no guarantee. Scottsdale probably has more crime statistically simply because it's a bigger city and an older area and does have some kind of run-down neighborhoods (that are still pretty expensive, IMO!).

Anyway, if you don't have small children and aren't really concerned with school districts or family-friendly parks, etc. I probably would just go for whatever is closer and meets your needs best in terms of rent, amenities, distance to shopping, restaurants, etc. Gilbert is mostly appealing for it's school and family atmosphere, Scottsdale has some name-dropping appeal and is considered "upscale" to most around here (though, like I said, I found many of the houses run-down, shabby and overpriced...I think you pay for the zip code, honestly!) and Chandler is probably a good compromise for anyone- not overly family-centered, not overly chic or overpriced.

I think it's kind of a flip of a coin, honestly. Know that each of these cities are pretty large geographically and the commute from one part of any of these cities vs. the opposite end of the same city could be as much as a 20-30 minute difference. Mapquest is your friend Good luck!

[ivanabacowboy]

I will second the recommendation to visit the areas yourselves if at all possible and see where you like the "vibe" the best-regardless what the "name" is. And by all means test out what your commute to work would be. The cost of living will not be that significantly different regardless what the "name" is. It all depends on your lifestyle. If you like shopping at Neiman Marcus-Scottsdale could get very expensive. If you prefer shopping at Target-then it won't. If you like expensive restaurants-there are a lot of them. But if you prefer cooking at home or "chain" restaurants-then wouldn't matter. Also don't leave out NE Phoenix-it borders Scottsdale and is indistinguishable from it as a "very nice" area.

Gasoline can't be that much more-I would suspect the difference is in the "cents" range, not like a dollar a gallon. And your car insurance I suspect would be far more influenced by the type of vehicle you drive and your driving record and credit history than the difference between "Gilbert" and "Scottsdale".

Where is your office located?

[btbartlett]

I think if you like to try to keep up with the Joneses and like being one of the more beautiful people then Scottsdale is the place for you. If you are more of a down to earth, live within your means content with where you are in life type then I would lean towards Gilbert. I love to go to Scottsdale for the people scenery and nice places to eat out but the temptation to spend more than I make keeps me from living there as when you see it every day it become harder to avoid the temptation.

[handiquack]

You need to visit, but I would pick Gilbert over Scottsdale without thinking twice.

[Ponderosa]

I'd pick Gilbert too. Scottsdale is mostly reputation. A lot of Scottsdale is just rundown and trashy IMO. The north has very expensive homes and is very nice, but out of reach for the masses. The southern part is old and ugly and would be considered undesirable in any other part of town. Most of Gilbert is better than most of Scottsdale, if you know what I mean. The places where average income people live are much nicer than in Scottsdale, the schools are better in those areas, and the crime rate in Gilbert is significantly less than Scottsdale overall.

Having said that, the job location is more important than any of this. Don't live in a hole, but be close to work if you can.

[Beena]

Dude asked for "simple advice" and "shoot straight with me" and this turned into a Scottsdale bashing thread. Who woulda thought :0 First lemme explain to him that there is no such thing as "shoot straight with me" and "please leave your biases out of it and just tell me the facts". FUNNY!!! Every newbie asks for that. And no newbie ever gets it.

Having said that. Gilbert kinda smells like a farm and south scottsdale really should be cut loose from north scottsdale and set free to drift south and then call it by a different name. :0

[thegirlinaz]

I can tell you right now, Chandler and Gilbert are going to be more affordable than Scottsdale.

I live in Gilbert and I love it. But, I can't say much about Scottsdale because I really never go over there..

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by Beena

Dude asked for "simple advice" and "shoot straight with me" and this turned into a Scottsdale bashing thread. Who woulda thought :0 First lemme explain to him that there is no such thing as "shoot straight with me" and "please leave your biases out of it and just tell me the facts". FUNNY!!! Every newbie asks for that. And no newbie ever gets it.

Having said that. Gilbert kinda smells like a farm and south scottsdale really should be cut loose from north scottsdale and set free to drift south and then call it by a different name. :0

If one lives next to a dairy farm, it smells like a farm. Not all of Gilbert has the smell. I don't have it, and I live in Gilbert.

I live in Gilbert, and aside from my Gilbert bias, I believe that over Scottsdale it is much more affordable. However, depending on where you work, the commute cost should be computed into the equation.

Do a google search for apartments in each of the cities and do a cost comparison.