Can Anyone Suggest a Central Location That is Safe and Has Newer Homes? (Phoenix: transfer)

[canudigit]

We have been looking at homes in Gilbert, under the assumption that my husband's transfer would be to his company's Tempe plant, but now we have found out that he may be transferred to their plant in Glendale, which is west of the 101 and just north of Camelback Rd. We really like the East Valley, but we realize that the commute would be ridiculous from Gilbert, so we have broadened our options. Our realtor has sent us info on properties in Peoria which look just as nice as the homes that we have been looking at in Gilbert, but IDK, we just can't get excited about Peoria (unless someone here can very highly recommend it, tell us of a great high school out there, and fill us in on shopping and dining options that would make it as attractive to us as the East Valley), plus, if my husband ends up ultimately getting transferred to the Tempe plant after working at the Glendale plant for a while, which is what he wants, then Peoria would be a ridiculous commute. Since our son will be attending the downtown campus of ASU and living at home, we also need a reasonable commute for him. Are there any areas in Phoenix itself that would be a reasonable commute to west Glendale or Tempe (the 10 and Elliot Rd.) for my husband and downtown for our son that are safe and have great amenities? We prefer the newer homes such as those in the subdivisions in Gilbert. We are already working with a wonderful realtor, but I also want to get some opinions from other locals on what would be a good area if we don't move to Peoria or Gilbert. I am an RN who can't get a job until August at the earliest, so since I don't know where I'll be working, my commute will have to be the secondary consideration, especially since it appears that I would be working 12 hr. shifts only three times a week and not commuting during peak rush hour time.

Thanks!