Relocating to Phx Area for ASU Grad School, need some advice (Phoenix: environment, real estate)

[future_itisnow]

After years of talking about making a move to an area with a better quality of living and climate...we have finally made the choice to move to the Phoenix area sometime in 2008. A bonus reason being that I will be attending ASU's School of Sustainability grad school program (Tempe campus).

What I would like is some advice from fellow residents on where my husband and I should be looking to live while I attend ASU grad school.

Here is my background, so you understand what we are looking for...
- 31 years old
- Married
- 2 children (ages 3 & 5)
- Would like to rent (home/townhome/condo) while I attend ASU.
- Would like to live in an area that is close enough for me to walk/bike to school and be able to walk my kids to school (the ideal being that my family would own only one car while I attend ASU)
- We are very much into urban living (provided it is relatively safe, and family friendly...our days of partying like college kids are done)

So, my husband and I will be visiting the Tempe/Phoenix area in the fall to scope out potential areas...I need to know if a place exists that fits our search criteria?

Where should we be looking when we visit?

Any advice is much appreciated...(even beyond the search for the right area)...where should we avoid, etc.

Thanks for your time and assistance.

[vegaspilgrim]

I think you're going to need to choose what's more important, "urban living" and proximity to campus for yourself, or good schools for your children. The schools in the northern section of Tempe are not good. Even though they are trying to market some of the condos off Mill Ave as "urban living," I don't think they've succeeded yet. The only attraction and nightlife on Mill Ave is bars. Mill Ave is not family friendly at all-- it is full of drunk people, riff raff and homeless. Most of the apartment complexes and neighborhoods right around campus are not good areas for young children. If you live close to campus you could bicycle to ASU, but Tempe is still suburban and car-dependant for everyday life. South of Guadalupe Rd is the Kyrene elementary school district, which is good-- but beyond a reasonable bike commute.

[future_itisnow]

Anybody care to remark? I appreciate the responses.

[vegaspilgrim]

Where are you living now? Does your husband already have a job in the Phoenix area-- do you know where he might be working? That might help give us a frame of reference as to where you're coming from.

I really don't know your situation, so I'm probably not the greatest person to give advice, but I would imagine that if you have kids and you need to rent that renting a house with an enclosed back yard would be a much better scenario than an apartment complex. The dilemma is that the kinds of neighborhoods that are quieter and more kid friendly, less outdoor kegger parties going on, are going to be farther from campus. The other catch-22 is that these nicer neighborhoods in South Tempe, are going to have fewer homes leased out as rentals than the areas closer in. Getting around with only one car in your family will probably be a challenge. One idea is if you could find a place to live in South Tempe or Chandler close to the Rural Rd, 72 Bus line, then you could take the bus straight in to campus. A lot of professors who live in South Tempe take that bus route every day. If you are able to drive to campus or find a setup where your husband could drive you on the way to work, then I would recommend living in Chandler, Gilbert, or East Mesa.

Oh yeah... I go to ASU, and I'm curious, what is the "School of Sustainability" grad school program?

[future_itisnow]

We are both born, raised, and currently living in the suburbs of Detroit.

My husband will be keeping his current job when we relocate, so that is not an area of concern.

I hear you on the pros/cons of living closer to the campus. That is what I expected to hear really. If it were just him and I...I am 99% sure we would live very close to the campus. However, when you factor in the children, and the ages that they are at, the elementary school district that they attend means a lot to us. So, it makes a lot of sense to live a little further away from the campus.

We are not overly concerned about the lack of a yard when living in an apartment/condo/townhouse. The girls can always play in a neighborhood park...and to be honest with you, while checking into the Kyrene District you mentioned in your post, I couldn't help but notice the proximity to the massive South Mountain Park. I am interested in knowing more about that. We both have seen the website already, sounds nice.

We are flexible in our desires regarding the one car, etc...a better environment/schools for the kids is more important than that.

Regarding the Kyrene District...we did a lot of research on it. Sounds to good to be true. Are the online reviews tainted or something?

To be clear, we are very open minded about the area we live in upon our arrival, I was just hoping that a family friendly/professional area for Grad school students existed close to ASU.

Are you from the South Tempe area yourself?

I have an undergrad Environmental Science degree from U of M and have been looking to steer my career in a direction where I feel like I am really making a difference. Programs that specialize in this area are still very tough to find in the US.

http://schoolofsustainability.asu.edu/About/Sustainability_AboutTheSchool.htm (broken link)

Thanks for your time, it is appreciated!

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by future_itisnow

I couldn't help but notice the proximity to the massive South Mountain Park. I am interested in knowing more about that. We both have seen the website already, sounds nice.

Basically, a long, horizontally shaped dirt/rock pile rising up about a 1000ft above the valley floor, with a lot of hiking trails and mountain biking. I go there all the time. It's actually one of the least impressive mountains in the Phoenix area when seen from a distance-- but on the mountain it has great views. The areas just north of the park are in South Phoenix, a somewhat questionable area. Just south of the park is Ahwahtukee, an attractive part of the City of Phoenix.

Regarding the Kyrene District...we did a lot of research on it. Sounds to good to be true. Are the online reviews tainted or something?

To be clear, we are very open minded about the area we live in upon our arrival, I was just hoping that a family friendly/professional area for Grad school students existed close to ASU.

Are you from the South Tempe area yourself?

No, I'm not from the area and I currently live in an apartment complex about 1.5mi from campus. I see what goes on first hand in the area every day... and the drunk people partying and breaking glass every weekend... that's why I would steer you away if you have kids. I am constantly exploring different areas of the valley, shop and eat at restaurants in the south Tempe area all the time, and know a ton of people who graduated from the Kyrene School district and Corona Del Sol High School (Rural and Ray-- elementary school and high school districts are different in PHX) and they all have good things to say about it. It's no secret formula; People can call me racist if they want... but the quality of schools basically is a reflection of demographics-- ethnicity and income. South Tempe is a solid upper-middle class, majority Anglo area, and family friendly. The northern, older parts of Tempe are not a ghetto by any means, especially when compared to most of central Phoenix, the west valley, central mesa, or south Phoenix, but you can notice a major difference the further south you go. You can also see, just driving around, how nicer and newer everything looks once you go south of about Guadalupe Rd. This is reflected in real estate values-- homes in south Tempe neighborhoods, like Camelot Village, the Oasis at Anozira, and Warner Ranch go for a premium.

[silverbear]

There's a lot of good advice in the postings above, but the characterization of Mill Avenue and Downtown Tempe is more unfavorable than my point of view. Sure, there are drunks, panhandlers, and rowdy students in the area, but they hardly overrun the place. In fact, I would almost say that Mill Avenue has become a little too predictable and bland lately. I miss its college town feel, which has diminished lately.

In evaluating Downtown Tempe and the areas near ASU, it's important to distinguish between older student-oriented complexes, which do have some of the issues noted above, and newer condominium developments, which target professional of all ages and are generally more subdued. In fact, I know grandparents who live happily in a Mill Avenue condominium.

The main issues will be price and schools. You can rent a nice upscale condominium in Downtown Tempe, but it will be substantially more expensive than the older student-oriented complexes. As noted above, schools will also be dicier in the area. In the more suburban southern portions of Tempe, there are well-regarded schools in attractive, moderately-priced neighborhoods, but the commute will be longer.

One option to keep in mind is a combined bike-bus commute. Most Valley Metro buses have bike racks on the front. You could ride a mile or so through your neighborhood to the nearest bus stop, put the bike on the bus' bike rack, and then get off the bus in Downtown Tempe. The light rail trains will also accomodate bikes when they start rolling in December 2008.

More info:

http://www.valleymetro.org/bus/Bike_On_Bus/index.htm

[balderdash]

Had to jump in on this one. I live in Tempe at Rural and Baseline just south of ASU. We go up Mill Ave. once in a while to eat lunch but never to shop. I volunteer at Channel 8 (ASU TV) once in a while.

I don't know what it's like in Detroit, but if I had two little girls, I would NEVER let them go to any park alone here. In my zip code, 85282, there are 19 registered sex offenders, and this is not uncommon. Zip 85283 has 18 registered, and the nicest part of Tempe, very south, 85284, has ONE. So money has it's benefits. The zip I think covers the greatest area nearest ASU, 85281, has 28 registered. BE CAREFUL where you live. I'm originally from Peoria, IL area (moved here in 1983) and we have big city problems now.

Kyrene School District has been well known to be one of the best in the valley. That's in the south area. Tempe has the greatest number of public buses, and all buses have bike racks. The weather here will allow you to ride your bike often. I think it's very doable. The area south of Broadway, between Mill and Rural, may be getting free local bus service to ASU by the time you get here in 2008. You can probably find a townhouse to rent for around $1500/mo. If you look really hard, or get here early, you can maybe do better than that. If you come around August to find a place it's almost impossible. Your best bet is to come early, around June, and lock in on whatever you think you want to do.

Congrats on your extended education. Way to go.



City of Tempe has excellent public services. You can get more information about crime in the area, etc. by going to the City's web site... Tempe in Touch

[balderdash]

Eeeks! I'm so sorry for giving unfactual information.
The web site that will give you registered sex offender data by zip code is:
Sex Offender InfoCenter - ZIP Code Search

Please look for yourself as the total includes other zip codes and I didn't notice that at first glance.