Your thoughts on PHX's hippest hoods? (Phoenix, Scottsdale: houses, neighborhoods, best schools)

[silverbear]

Originally Posted by kirly83

My husband and I are moving to PHX in summer 2010. We both went to school in Tempe, but I'm looking for a current insider's scoop on where to live, based on the following keywords/profile of our family:

Urban, artistic, professional hipsters. Liberal, vegetarian, global, socially conscious. Vintage jeans, farmers markets, you get the picture. Husband is an architect grad student, wife is a writer, we'll probably never earn more than $70K/year and currently earn much less than that. Prefer public transport to driving. Bilingual. Late 20s/early 30s. Our daughter will be 18 months old when we move out there and a good education for her is extremely important to us. We have one dog. Probably no more kids. Pretty minimalist needs. We will rent or buy based on our income and what makes sense at the time. Wouldn't be averse to buying a crappy house and fixing it up. At all costs, we want to avoid the cookie cutter neighborhoods in places like Chandler and Ahwatukee.

So far I'm looking into the Roosevelt/Garfield districts, Willo, Arcadia, the usual suspects. Also considering Guadalupe. But this is where I need YOUR help: are there any "up and coming" artistic communities with more affordable prices where residents are trying to make a true impact in improving the quality of life? Thanks in advance for your input!!!

Is this a discussion forum post or a personal ad?

Okay, just kidding. In addition to the areas you have named, take a look at Sunnyslope. Right now, Sunnyslope has the early-adopter, phase one of gentrification vibe going on.

[Robert A]

Originally Posted by silverbear

Is this a discussion forum post or a personal ad?

Okay, just kidding. In addition to the areas you have named, take a look at Sunnyslope. Right now, Sunnyslope has the early-adopter, phase one of gentrification vibe going on.

This is a good suggestion. I live near and hang out in Sunnyslope a bit. Some parts are as sketchy as ever but there are some great, great homes and lots of artists and good eats. Not to mention the mountains are so close.

[Valley Native]

* Mill Avenue district of Tempe. It's geared toward the 20 something crowd, and there is actvitity happening nearly 24/7 ... especially on weekends.

* Phoenix's Central Corridor ... stretching along Central Avenue from about Camelback south through downtown Phoenix. A hub for business & popular eateries. A very walkable area, and plenty of transportation options (bus, light rail, taxi, etc.).

* Most anywhere in Scottsdale ... specifically Old Town, downtown, McCormick Ranch, and much of north Scottsdale. You have to have money to live in or "do" these areas!

* Kierland, which is on the Scottsdale/Phoenix border. It's an upscale area complete with high end shopping, loft/condo living, trendy restaurants, and a five star hotel.

* Biltmore, situated between Camelback on the south, Lincoln Drive on the north, 24th Street on the west, and 32nd Street on the east. One of the most expensive sections of Phoenix ... often dubbed Phoenix's Beverly Hills.

* Camelback East, stretching from about the 51 freeway east toward approximately 44th Street. The 24th Street & Camelback intersection is home to upscale shopping & dining, and has become somewhat of a highrise/midrise business hub.

* Arcadia. This stretches from 44th Street in east Phoenix and borders on Scottsdale. It's a very green, well kept area that is within close proximity of most everything without long commutes.

[kirly83]

THANKS EVERYONE for taking the time to post. This does look like a personal ad, doesn't it? But I knew if I posted "Where should I live in Phoenix?" I would get either way too many off-base suggestions or way too many users condemning me for asking such a broad question without clarifying what I want out of a city...

[rogetsthesaurus]

I teach at Sunnyslope HS (one of the most rigorous, college-prep based schools I've taught in around the country) and live in Sunnyslope. Find the right block, and you'll love it. It's just ONE of PHX's best-kept secrets.

Plus you can get street cred for living in a "rough area" (hardly rough at all...I've lived in college towns with more homicides than Sunnyslope sees).

The art vibe is really picking up and your almost equidistant from a lot of good shopping and eating throughout the Valley...not "near" anything within a minute or two, but also not a half hour away, either.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by silverbear

Is this a discussion forum post or a personal ad?

Okay, just kidding. In addition to the areas you have named, take a look at Sunnyslope. Right now, Sunnyslope has the early-adopter, phase one of gentrification vibe going on.

Interesting about the 'slope: I have gotten a very similar vibe as well.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by kirly83

THANKS EVERYONE for taking the time to post. This does look like a personal ad, doesn't it? But I knew if I posted "Where should I live in Phoenix?" I would get either way too many off-base suggestions or way too many users condemning me for asking such a broad question without clarifying what I want out of a city...

You are doing the right thing by asking questions from the 'boots on the ground'

Needless to say: drive around and , if possible----------ride the Light Rail from end to end. I did just that on its very first days and noticed quite a few funky old homes that I would have never seen if behind the wheel.

[azriverfan.]

The problem is you want unique urban sleek and great schools. Sorry but great schools are not located in those areas. The great schools are in cookie cutter neighborhoods like Ahwautukee, Chandler, Gilbert and Scottsdale. Unless you are willing to send your kids to private school, none of those areas that other people have mentioned have great schools.

And in my opinion, the neighborhood has little if anything to do with the vibe of a neighborhood. Yes, Arcadia might be trendy in terms of looks but that doesn't necessarily mean you will live next to hip trendy people. In my experience, a lot of people who live in these supposedly trendy areas have many conservative elderly native Phoenicians who lived there for 30 years.

In my experience, if you want to live near trendy people, you need to see where Asians live. They are educated, liberal and often vegetarian etc. Many Asians live in the west Chandler-Ahwautukee area. I'm not Asian but this is one reason I love this area because unlike most parts of Phoenix, if you go to a Target or a restaurant in this area, you will see diversity and a lot of YOUNG families in their early 30's. Even in terms of shopping and eating, there are many diverse restaurants. It truly reminds me more of LA than other parts of the valley. To me, Scottsdale and Ahwautukee are both trendy and upscale except Ahwautukee is more diverse and liberal.

[Xica_da_Silva]

I love Ahwatukee, too. But I think it's important to point out that there are quite different parts of Ahwatukee...I always divide it mentally into 3 parts:

1) My favorite is: Ahwatukee just North of Elliot(technically it's Phoenix, but whatever) and West of I-10...I believe that's the 85044 zip code. Now those are somewhat older, non-HOA, mostly ranch-style homes built in the 80s...so they don't all have quite the same bold character as what you'll see in Willo (Tudors, Spanish Colonial Revival, etc.), but there are a few that do seem to have character, even if it's in the ranch style. In fact, there's a really odd-looking neighborhood in which most of the homes have this 'feathered' appearance with unusual colors and shapes...hard to describe but those of you have seen it know what I'm talking about. Lovely mountain views...so close to South Mountain park and the entrance to hiking less than a mile away. And you've got not only the convenience of the shopping plaza with the Safeway right there on Elliot, but I-10 and the 60 are pretty darn close. Worse comes to worse, you can take the surface roads. No, I don't see any artist colonies here, but still...it's close enough to downtown to get to the artsy bits.

2) Central Ahwatukee: still close to I-10, but south of Elliot: these consist of a lot of HOA and Adult + 55 communities, with golf course amenities and all that. A bit more cookie-cutter...but well-kept with desert landscapes; maybe nice for your parents.

3) Ahwatukee Foothills: more pricey neighborhoods close to the mountains, but a bit hard to get into the proper city from what I understand. And I believe a bit more cookie-cutter in terms of architecture than what you're looking for. I had some young pharmacist friends who live there and love it. Nothing like walking out your back yard and taking a hike right there in South Mountain Park. Must be nice!

[Robert A]

I spent 24 years in Ahwatukee. I don't even dislike it - but you won't find what you're looking for there.