Welcome to City-Data.com forum! Make sure to register - it's free and very quick! You have to register before you can post and participate in our discussions with 700,000 other registered members. User profiles and some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your free account you will be able to customize many options, you will have the full access to over 15,000 posts/day about local topics and you will see fewer ads.
Here is what I'm looking for:
-Young, vibrant, friendly, safe, small community feel, cute restaurants/coffee shoppes/a pub or 2 all within short distance
-I would like to be close (15-25min drive) to work Glendale, AZ 85308
What I don't like:
-cookie cutter houses, gated communities, living very close to large shopping malls, the suburbs
I'm from the Bay Area and I'm used to great young communities like Walnut Creek, Pleasanton and Berkeley. I'm looking for a young/vibrant place to live with housing around 250K.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Well, lets see. I'm 29. I moved here from San Bruno (just south of you) and practically lived in the Mission. Now I live in 85306.
No to be a buzzkill (or annoy the natives- I don't mean any of this as a slight)
There's certainly nothing that I can think of that's going to meet your criteria. What of the above preferences would you be willing to compromise on?
Your response is genuine and honest. I agree with you. I'm a big fan of the valley and an ardent supporter but I realize it's not for everyone. I would hate for the OP to move here and then be miserable. Phoenix just doesn't meet what she is seeking in a city. That doesn't speak ill of Phoenix but as mentioned, there is no such thing as a perfect city regardless of what people think. Every city has its problems and is devoid of something.
Tailofdogma thank you and everyone else for the constructive messages. All well taken. I guess I'm willing to compromise on a longer commute time and the cookie cutter housing. The rental suggestions is a great idea to in order to get a few months in Phoenix before I plunge.
I want to learn to appreciate PHX for what PHX has to offer but I'd like to have some sense of community and outdoor enjoyment. Hopefully I can find a little bit of that.
Tailofdogma thank you and everyone else for the constructive messages. All well taken. I guess I'm willing to compromise on a longer commute time and the cookie cutter housing. The rental suggestions is a great idea to in order to get a few months in Phoenix before I plunge.
I want to learn to appreciate PHX for what PHX has to offer but I'd like to have some sense of community and outdoor enjoyment. Hopefully I can find a little bit of that.
Thanks again :0)
Take a look a this post for some ideas...we've been having discussions about cool neighborhoods, population densities, transit options, etc.
silverbear and omle thank you. great points. old town scottsdale is downtown scottsdale?
it looks quaint and might have that outdoorsy community feel at least in the pictures.
thanks for the info.
Yeah, that area might be one to consider. I commute on 101 from 59th ave (Glendale) to 90th St in Scottsdale, and its only 35-40 minutes. Add a few minutes for Old Town, but you would be going against traffic most of the time.
As for the vibrant nightlife there, well, some people like it. All I can think of is
I think I just came up with a Bay Area analogy here.
Think of the Valley as a big version of say, Fremont.
Yeah, there's stuff around, pretty well self contained. Parks, a lake or two, some good hiking around. There is some variety in housing, but lots of it is pretty cookie cutter.
But ultimately, the best stuff is a little bit outside of Fremont (SF, Berkeley, Muir Woods, Monterey, etc). Its a lot like that here. The stuff I tend to like is actually outside of Glendale/Phoenix/Scottsdale.
If you can imagine yourself in Fremont, only with much warmer weather, you'll manage well enough.
Vague, I know, but I hope that helps.
Last edited by Tailofdogma; 06-04-2009 at 11:21 PM..
Reason: Addition
Here is what I'm looking for:
-Young, vibrant, friendly, safe, small community feel, cute restaurants/coffee shoppes/a pub or 2 all within short distance
-I would like to be close (15-25min drive) to work Glendale, AZ 85308
Well, Phoenix isn't safe, and the crime in AZ is higher than CA, and the Phoenix metropolitan area is higher than San Francisco. It's going to be difficult to find what you want in Phoenix because it is incomparable to where you are from. It is a city that relies heavily on driving as well.
Quote:
Originally Posted by r_alex01
What I don't like:
-cookie cutter houses, gated communities, living very close to large shopping malls, the suburbs
There are more cookie-cutter homes and gated communities in Phoenix than I have seen in any other city, and I have been to many cities. If you don't like suburbs, then Phoenix is not the place to move to because it is one big suburb from one end to the other without any urban culture.
Quote:
Originally Posted by r_alex01
I'm from the Bay Area and I'm used to great young communities like Walnut Creek, Pleasanton and Berkeley. I'm looking for a young/vibrant place to live with housing around 250K.
Somehow I get the feeling that you are not going to like Phoenix because there is nothing like those places you mention there. I had the same things in mind as you have when I first lived there, and I couldn't get out quick enough. Many people that move to Phoenix do not like it for a wide range of reasons.
Yeah, that area might be one to consider. I commute on 101 from 59th ave (Glendale) to 90th St in Scottsdale, and its only 35-40 minutes. Add a few minutes for Old Town, but you would be going against traffic most of the time.
As for the vibrant nightlife there, well, some people like it. All I can think of is
LMFAO!!! That is seriously funny, I think I have seen something like that but it was for New Jersey kids. Hey, no one should be offended, there is always some truth to stereotypes.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Welcome to City-Data.com forum! Make sure to register - it's free and very quick! You have to register before you can post and participate in our discussions with 700,000 other registered members. User profiles and some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your free account you will be able to customize many options, you will have the full access to over 15,000 posts/day about local topics and you will see fewer ads. 
Linear Mode
