Goodyear, Avondale or Buckeye? (Phoenix, Peoria: foreclosures, low crime, homes)

[lollipops]

We're making the move to AZ in the next 6 months and I've been doin g a lot of researching. Could you please help me to narrow down my search a little bit more. We're looking at Buckeye, Avondale and Goodyear

Looking for:
Small town, no big city-type life
family friendly - 3 kids under age 6
little to no crime
scenery - like mountains, cactus,blue skies - not pretty buildings

We are from a very small community (6,000 people), but bascially within a city of 40,000. Trying to get away from the "everyone knows everyone" and "everyone here is related" town, but still want to find a closer community where neighbors talk, but still mind their own business. We don't have to worry about our cars sitting in the driveway or locking our doors during the day. Does this exist anywhere in those areas?

Thank you! Jen

[Finger Laker]

litchfield park could be a nice setup

verrado would be good as well although it can be a little cliquish (technically that is buckeye)

buckeye is by far the most remote - problems will be with job commutes, city planning, schools, etc - it does have a fairly small feel to it though

I live in goodyear and I love it - neighbors have been hit or miss as far as socialability - but that is common in AZ in general - goodyear tries with GAIN events and various community programs - but a lot depends on the people and how long they have lived next to each other

you're living in a city so it's wise to keep your doors locked any place in the metro - but you don't really need to "worry" about it in most of the neighborhoods in the area mentioned - avondale will have the most property crime out of the 3

goodyear also has great access to both the estrella mountain regional park and the white tank mountain regional park (you can buy a year pass that gets you into both) - if you end up in the litchfield elementary school district the it will work nicely for 3 kids under 6

you will have to deal with some city elements in all 3 - traffic is a way of life, you will have some hustle during the day, living quarters are tighter, etc ..... however at night it's very quiet, the skies are dark and I can sit in my yard and stare at the stars, take my dog for a walk, etc

basically goodyear is just an extension of the phoenix metro (like most of the cities in the area) and it's a metro that is around 5M people strong ......... it will definitely be a size shock if all you know is a small town of 6k and a metro of 40k

[Ponderosa]

None of those places are small towns or feel anything like a small town. They are just part of the overall Phoenix metro area. Possible exceptions to this would be the developments of Estrella in Goodyear, Verrado in Buckeye and the original Buckeye - not the part that is new. Estrella has something of a small town illusion to it as does Verrado. The older part of Buckeye is actually a small town, but it is kinda run down looking in most places. The new part where the homes are going up is several miles from the "real" Buckeye".

[lollipops]

Thank you both for your responses! I guess my main thing is the family friendly part. But another question - what really is the deal with Buckeye!?! I've seen on some websites that it has a pop. of 6,700 or so then another one that says over 20,000. I've heard people say that there's "nothing" there, but just saw a video on YouTube where they were talking about having a Walmart in town.

As far as Verrado goes - I've heard the name come up a few times, but am not exactly sure where in Buckeye it is - is it near the west side? And Litchfield Park - I'll have to search for that one - thanks!

If we choose Buckeye - and had to travel towards the Phoenix area for work - is traffic awful? I mean, I can see it on a map as so many miles, but is the area and traffic so heavy that it's much longer?

Oh, and we keep our doors locked anyway - but that's the "type" of town we're looking for. One where I don't have to worry when I'm home alone at night with the kids and my husband is working 3rd shift - if that makes sense.

It seems that really all areas reallyare very scenic!
Thanks again!

[Finger Laker]

as far as city living goes all the areas are pretty safe

if you need to commute into phoenix during peak hours your commute will be terrible from buckeye - the I-10 is currently one huge bottleneck from cotton lane through dysart and again from 83rd avenue all in

the construction going on could help lighten the first one - the 2nd one isn't going anywhere - even after they are done with expanding the freeway you'll be looking at close to a 75 minute minimum commute and not one that is any sort of relaxing ............ although I do have a buddy who commutes to tempe in off hours and although not his favorite didn't complain too much

not sure the population on buckeye - there is a lot of land mass in the city - for example, verrado is way in the eastern part, just on the eastern edge of the white tank mountains - it's a pretty isolated community ......... if you jump over to the western side of the white tanks you have another isolated community called tartesso - also technically in buckeye ....... neither are really close to actual buckeye

when you get close to the newer builds in buckeye they focus along miller & watson road - most of your new stores are off watson and yes they do have a variety of big box stores, etc ....... although the selection is far from robust by phoenix standards

the actual old town part of buckeye is well south of there off of the MC 85 - it's not big by any means, a really small main street, a park, a sonic & a couple other restaurants - some older residences, etc ........ this is the small town feeling part of buckeye - i was swung by sonic one night and it happened to be after a football game and you had a bunch of kids sitting in their pickup trucks, etc - place was packed

however, with that said buckeye does have some legit challenges - their leadership never seems to be too solid, they have potential water mgmt issues, the schools aren't that good (unless you are in verrado), my buddy who lives there is concerned that with all the foreclosures and dirt cheap housing that the neighborhoods may attract a seedy element - there are also times it just stinks out there

you have to weigh the good with the bad

it's definitely worth visiting if you get the chance though - all of the areas will give a pretty fair representation on what they have, pace of life, etc

[Daniel414]

Buckeye is Very Remote and takes 45 minutes to reach downtown phoenix. Vistancia in Peoria is a wonderful community with plenty of scenery, and not far from dining and shopping, though it is seperated by areas of desert. Also, there really isn't any place where you can't lock your doors. Many criminals hang out around during the day, and Phoenix is a horrible place to not lock your doors. Traffic is awful. I have been in traffic where half an hour gets you five feet. Rushhour in Phoenix is exactly like rushhour in L.A. or new York City. The west valley is the best side in terms of crime and family living areas, all though fountain hills is a nice area too.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by Daniel414

The west valley is the best side in terms of crime and family living areas, all though fountain hills is a nice area too.

West side best side in terms of crime and family living areas? Well, overgeneralization strikes again. West side vs east side doesn't mean what it meant years ago. (there was another thread about this recently). Now, there are lots of nice areas on BOTH sides of the Valley in terms of family living, low crime, etc., but since the OP is asking about the west side communities. we will stick to that.

And by the way -- "half hour [in traffic] gets you five feet?". Exaggeration is definitely your strong suit. Yes, rush hour traffic is bad in a number of areas. But in the unlikely event that your example was true even ONCE, it's unfair to make it sound like it is at all typical.

To the OP:

The commute to/from Buckeye would be a bear. I'd look at the closer in communities that were mentioned.

[Finger Laker]

i agree EvW is silly, regardless of the side you are on...........

another factor would be style of life - if you are working in the city and must go into the city everyday then you aren't going to be able to live much of a rural life without making a lot of sacrifices ........ even then it will be different than what a normal rural experience is because you have to deal with the city 5x a week

if you are looking to make a change to city living then I think goodyear is a great option - it's not the most urban place out there and definitely isn't in the country, but has a nice overall feel to it

[lollipops]

Thank you all so much - it helps tremendously!
I guess my main concern is to find a good place to raise my children IE; friendly faces, good schools, some conveniences. I would love to be far enough away from the city life, but still close enough (10 mins or so) to a Target, Walmart, grocery store, etc. Maybe I should look closer to the Goodyear area then all the way out to Buckeye. However I am still partial to seeing more "natural" things around me =)
Does Goodyear tend to have decent schools? Would they welcome a nice, friendly and fun family from Wi?! LOL

[HTPR]

Hey lollipops! Go to www.lifeinestrella.com to get a view of this community. I moved here from Buckeye Sundance area. No comparison.

Based on what you want this is the place for you, in my opinion. Out of the hustle and bustle but close enough to everything. There is a new direct road to a Super Target 10 minutes away.

I don't have family and I love it up here and I hear the schools are exceptional here but you should probably check into that more. Tons of community events too. For me this is one of Phoenix metros best kept secrets.

I also looked at Verrado and Vistancia once I figured out Buckeye was a mistake......Verrrado is in Buckeye but on North side of freeway so more it's own area. They were nice but Estrella has more benefits for me and closer to airport and downtown. Good luck and let me know if I can help answer anything!