Goodyear, Avondale or Buckeye? (Phoenix, Sun City: for sale, renting, crime rate)

[beckyinaz]

Originally Posted by military spouse

Parts of Goodyear are in the Litchfield District. We live in Palm Valley Phase 5 and our daughter's assigned elementary school was Litchfield ES.

Yes, I think typically zip code 85395 is more likely to be zoned for Litchfield schools, but be careful, I have several friends who WERE in Litchfield school district and rezoned (which made their home values go down due to losing the highly desirable school district)... I think there are chances of that happening no matter where you are but if you're in Goodyear in a Litchfield school district, I think you're more likely to get zoned out than if you actually live in Litchfield Park...

[Runemaster]

Originally Posted by military spouse

Parts of Goodyear are in the Litchfield District. We live in Palm Valley Phase 5 and our daughter's assigned elementary school was Litchfield ES.

Which is probably the best ES in the southwest valley.

[Finger Laker]

no one up there got zoned out of the LESD - they may of had a different school assigned within the LESD

here is a link to the current school boundaries in the litchfield district, you can access both middle & elementary schools

Parents

litchfield elementary, palm valley and verrado are probably the stand outs in the district for elementary schools

i however wouldn't be shocked to see some unification in the future - given the budget constraints it's going to force people to sit down and come to a smart conclusion on how to do it instead of these half butted plans that both the community and districts rail against

[foma]

i love verrado and want to move there but if you don't want a "everybody knows everybody" atmosphere, it's probably not for you. i think in buckeye, it's one of the few places that has held up home values (though that's not saying much in the current market).

i hear estrella is nice but it's a little far from the highway.

buckeye is sort of a smalltown feel but i personally would not want to purchase a home in buckeye. the home value has dropped dramatically; it's far from phoenix; and there are pretty shady neighborhoods. then again, buckeye isn't the only one with shady areas.

my suggestion to you: rent first. that's what we did and we looked carefully for a neighborhood and we're taking our time, too. there are definitely deals out there.

as far as "nice areas" go, definitely look into litchfield park, goodyear (though there are good and bad areas), and verrado if you want to live in the "way out west" area.

[bruinsgal]

Hi Jen,

Are you already working with a Realtor here in Arizona? I am a licensed realtor here in the valley and would be happy to help you with your home search and offer guidance and support. I moved here from Vermont so I know exactly what you mean about relocating from a small town. Part of deciding what area you might like best will also depend on what price range you have been pre-approved for. Another town you might want to consider would be Surprise or El Mirage. Anyway, my name is Courtney and I would be glad to assist you. Please reply to this message and I will give you my email and cell phone number. Thanks!

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by Runemaster

Which is probably the best ES in the southwest valley.

Estrella Mountain ES has the highest rating of SW elementary schools according to Greatschools.net. EMES is a 9 and the others are all below that. LPES has an 8 which ties it with Estrella's other school, Westar.

[lollipops]

We're not working with a realtor yet, as we have a few other things to make our decision "final", but I will definitely contact you Courtney when we do.And since you mentioned it, I have looked quite a bit into Surprise and it seems like another lovely town. We have decided that we are not choosing Buckeye or Avondale and are narrowing down between Surprise and Goodyear. Would anyone recommend one over other? Certain parts of each city over the other? Why? There seems to be many houses at good prices to be had in both areas. I realize then that the commute from Surprise to Phoenix for work would just plain suck, but my husband could maybe find employement closer to "home" then(security officer).

[beckyinaz]

Originally Posted by lollipops

We're not working with a realtor yet, as we have a few other things to make our decision "final", but I will definitely contact you Courtney when we do.And since you mentioned it, I have looked quite a bit into Surprise and it seems like another lovely town. We have decided that we are not choosing Buckeye or Avondale and are narrowing down between Surprise and Goodyear. Would anyone recommend one over other? Certain parts of each city over the other? Why? There seems to be many houses at good prices to be had in both areas. I realize then that the commute from Surprise to Phoenix for work would just plain suck, but my husband could maybe find employement closer to "home" then(security officer).

Personally I wouldn't live in Surprise unless you KNEW that you would be working more locally. Goodyear is RIGHT off I-10, which is a straight shot to downtown. Surprise would add a good 15-20 MINIMUM to that commute time. Surprise is a beautiful area, my in-laws live there and love it, but they both work only 15 minutes from home. I feel there is more value to being closer to a main freeway... Have you also ruled out Litchfield Park? Its almost as close to the freeway as Goodyear, has great schools, and is about 10-15 minutes closer to Surprise if you feel you like having lots of shopping and malls nearby?

[heat seekers]

Hi I am fairly new to posting on the forum. I moved to Estrella (EMR) last June from Oregon. I love it here. The community is great and theres mountains with cactus all around. Very pretty with the two lakes/ponds for fishing or boating. The people here are friendly and there isn't really any crime that I have seen. I love the schools (my son goes to Westar). They have sports for the kids and all kinds of activities, plus the residents area with pools and fitness center. Theres a church, gas station and saftey center right here. They are also building a bashas. It's not really that far of a drive into Goodyear or Avondale. Theres a Walmart and safeway plus a bunch of other stores (even a toys r us) only 15-20 mins away and its only about 25-30 min to get to all the other stores like target and such. My husband works in Tempe and drives almost an hour to work but likes where we live so its worth it. It does give you a nice small town feeling being out here and I don't get lost driving around goodyear/avondale! Good luck with your choice

[lollipops]

[quote=beckyinaz;8555856] Surprise would add a good 15-20 MINIMUM to that commute time. quote]
Thank you!! This is why I love this site. Looking at a map and doing the mapquest thing just doesn't give you the real deal when it comes to actual drive times and convenience.
No I haven't "crossed off" Litchfield Park or Estrella for that matter - I just consider both of those Goodyear in my notebook! LOL