Goodyear, Avondale or Buckeye?

[aznativejen]

I would say Goodyear would be your best bet or Litchfield Park. (check out Estrella Mountain) Unfortunately, none of these cities are really rural...just surrounding cities of the Phoenix vincinity. I currently live in Avondale and it's okay, but it's not anything like you're used to (from what you've described).
My best friend lives in Buckeye and loves it! I unfortunately don't think it's anything special..if anything it's a long drive from the city..especially if you're thinking of working closer in town (phoenix, glendale, peoria, tempe)...the I-10 is horrible for commuting in rush hour traffic, so I'd consider that before you look into Buckeye if you or your husband are going to be working.
There are a lot of nice communities in Goodyear, such as Estrella Mountain (that I mentioned before) and Palm Valley. Good schools in both with a good family feel...far enough away from the city but still close enough..good restuarants, shopping. Your best bet would be to take a couple of trips out to the Phx area and get a feel for all of the surrounding cities. Keep in mind that moving from a small town to a metropolis might be a little overwhelming.
Personally, I don't choose to raise my family here. I'm a native and it was fine when I was growing up, but now that so many people are moving here, there's too much crime, crappy schools and a huge illegal problem..none of which sounds appealing anymore. Granted the weather is almost perfect except for the summer months and all of the outdoor activities..it was a nice place to grow up but I don't think I'd choose it for my son.
Trying not to be negative, just giving you an overview of my own personal opinion.
Verrado in Buckeye would be the only place I'd suggest you look in if you are considering Buckeye. Also regarding schools here, everything is districted..meaning you can only go to the school if you live in the district area. I worked in the Glendale Union HS Dist and so many kids were not allowed to attend the school I worked at because they didn't live in our area. This is a huge problem in AZ because there are so many "pockets"...good areas and then bad areas all mixed together. You really have to do a lot of research. Some districts may grant variances but it is strictly up to each school.
I could go on for hours, but I'll stop here...please ask if you need anymore advice and good luck with your move!

[aznativejen]

you posted:
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).


***Good for you for narrowing the area down to Goodyear or Surprise. Surprise is closer to the White Tanks (pretty mountain views, sunsets,etc..) but getting to and out of Surprise will suck! Also stay away from El Mirage..I know the realtor mentioned it, but it is way ghetto!! Surprise is nice and has some good schools ( I have family and friends that live there) but it's not as good as Goodyear. Another thing to keep in mind about Estrella Mountain Ranch...it's a beautiful town surrounded by a lake with a community center and stuff, but it's still a ways out...about a 10 minute drive from the I-10. And if your husband is commuting the drive might take up to an hour or longer each way. I'd stick with Palm Valley or Litchfield Park. And check on renting first...that will give you time to scope out all of the areas.
If you don't mind me asking..what's it about Arizona that has you interested in moving here to raise your family?

[LeprechaunSean]

anybody know anything about the suburbs just east of palm valley, between the agua fria river & n. dysart rd., north of the I-10?

[mablecookie]

We are from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada and are looking for a retirement home in Arizona to get away fromt he cold. Our kids will not go to school her and we will not be commuting to Phoenix except to shop or go to sporting events. We like to hike and golf and our main concern is safety and crime rate. Can anyone give me info on Maricopa, Buckeye or Queen Creek. Or any other neighbourhood

[observer53]

Originally Posted by mablecookie

We are from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada and are looking for a retirement home in Arizona to get away fromt he cold. Our kids will not go to school her and we will not be commuting to Phoenix except to shop or go to sporting events. We like to hike and golf and our main concern is safety and crime rate. Can anyone give me info on Maricopa, Buckeye or Queen Creek. Or any other neighbourhood

It might help you more if you would start a separate thread with your question, since you are asking about places on both the east and west sides of the Valley, and this thread only refers to west side. People who know about Maricopa or Queen Creek may not even see your post. Click on "new thread" in the upper left of the front page of the Phoenix area forum, put the cities/towns you are interested in in the title, and ask your questions about those cities. You will likely get more responses.

You can also use the search function here and find lots of threads already here about all three of those cities/towns, and get a lot of information.

[LagunaLove]

I love living in Buckeye. We have never had an issue with crime and feel completely safe. We actually were burglarized twice when we lived in Goodyear and have lived in Buckeye for 4 years now without incident. Our neighbors are friendly, people actually wave and talk to one another. There is a sense of community here that we haven't experienced anywhere else. In my opinion the development is on a great track and one of the major vision of the town is to keep the small town feel even though it is growing. Personally, I think it is great to smell the fresh alfalfa fields, see green fields, clear skys, and beautiful mountains and at the same time be able to get downtown in 30 minutes.

[starkynuke]

Lollipops, you asked a lot of questions above. I myself moved from Ohio to the Phoenix area about 2.5 years ago. I've lived in Litchfield Park, Avondale, and Laveen.

Traffic: My question to you would be where would you or your husband be working? I just bought a house in Laveen...and work shift work at a power plant about 45 miles west of Phoenix-Metro. The reason I say this is that I drive on the freeway, or parallel streets, nearly every business day. You ask about traffic from the west valley into downtown...it depends on the time of day and day of the week. Rush our, like previous posts, is horrible. Good part about the west valley is that they are aware of this and are trying to fix that...could take a long time though. If your husband stays 3rd shift, remember, living in the west valley will have it's perks for him. He'll be coming out when the rush is going in and he'll be going in when the majority of people are leaving. Half of my shifts are night shift and that's a nice relief on my commute.

Small Town: A big point that I will make though, coming from a town of about 15,000 people myself, is that you will not find anywhere that gives you that small-town feel. Spring Training in Phoenix will remind you that you are in a city every year and the fact that you will have to deal with traffic no matter where you live will refresh your memory every day. That's one reason I turn east and moved to Laveen. Still up and coming. I have two grocery stores, two pharmacies and a Home Depot within 5 minutes drive, however I have to go 15-20 for a Walmart. Our only chain restaurants are Applebee's and Native New Yorker. We still have an annual bbq and if you take the wrong side roads, you'll be lost in cow fields. haha. I look out my windows and see both South Mountain and Estrella Mountains clearly. If I need to go into the city I can avoid the freeway and take large surface streets. For instance: I work 45 miles east of Phoenix and it takes me an hour, and my girlfriend takes only 25 minutes to get downtown through rush hour. This isn't a sales pitch for Laveen...it's just a point that it isn't how far out or in you go...it's about the traffic you'll encounter every day and the community you choose to live in. Where Avondale and Litchfield Park sit now were once chicken farms and such...they were out-zoned and pushed out to Buckeye-Arlington area. No matter where you move, this area is growing so fast that it's no going to be Podunk, Midwest for long.

Stores, etc.: Anywhere you choose will have a grocery store within 10 minutes away. If schools are important to you, and they are to me, that should be your #2 priority behind where your job is. Buckeye is roughly 50 miles by 25 miles in area...you can't take anybody's word for what it's like because every community is different.

Crime: On the whole isn't too bad in the west valley. Yes, that's a very general statement. My community in Laveen is gated and only had 2 police calls last year. If you go to the adjacent community they had hundreds of calls in the same time frame. It'll depend entirely on which housing you choose. As long as you stay away from anywhere with the older homes...you should be alright (opinion). Your homes safety will be based on what YOU do and don't do. I learned the hard way in Litchfield Park that this wasn't Ohio. In the 10 minutes it took me to walk down to my mailbox (in a gated, luxury apartment complex) I had stuff stolen out of my garage...in daylight. Consult your local police website for the statistics.

I love living here...couldn't imagine being anywhere else. There are sooo many nice places to live in the west valley (and south mountain corridor, Laveen). The trade off is this: To find some place with a more rural feel you have to get away from the freeways. If you get too far away (Estrella, Verado, etc.) you're going to have a rather tough commute depending on where you have to work. Come down for a visit and you'll see in a flash that it's all so similar that only opinions separate them.

[starkynuke]

Originally Posted by mablecookie

We are from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada and are looking for a retirement home in Arizona to get away fromt he cold. Our kids will not go to school her and we will not be commuting to Phoenix except to shop or go to sporting events. We like to hike and golf and our main concern is safety and crime rate. Can anyone give me info on Maricopa, Buckeye or Queen Creek. Or any other neighbourhood

Ever look at the Estrella Mountain Ranch area? It's more secluded, has plenty of amenities, and had a really nice course.

[jolinger]

Hello,

If schools is one of your biggest concerns, the Kyrene School District in Tempe and Chandler has been ranked consistenly one of the best school districts in Arizona, and has been ranked nationally as well. If you need help in your home search, you can visit my website www.Urban602.com. I'm a realtor and know the difficulties of moving to a new city. I moved to Gilbert, AZ from Chicago about 6.5 yrs ago. I traded in city living for suburban life! Good luck!

[pezdes]

Anyone know anyhting about the estrella Vista subdivisionin Goodyear? It is located between Yuma and Lower Buckeye Rd and borders estrella rd. I was wondering if I should be worried about crime in this spot or if the local school is OK -it would be desert star. I have a 10 year old son and am thinking of buying a house here.
Thanks!