detroit---mesa (Phoenix, Scottsdale, Chandler: job, hospital, houses)

[jlynn25]

HI! I have been offered a job in mesa az and would love some advice!!! Currently I reside in metro detroit. I am looking to move to Scottsdale with a friend of mine. I will be commuting to Banner Baywood hospital.
1. How is the commute from Scottsdale to Mesa
2. Where are the progessive, liberal, young, urban, artist, organic communities
3. where do most of the 25 year old professionals live?
4. Any links to outdoor recreational activities, biking, hiking, swimming?
Thanks for any advice and responses!

[silverbear]

Originally Posted by jlynn25

HI! I have been offered a job in mesa az and would love some advice!!! Currently I reside in metro detroit. I am looking to move to Scottsdale with a friend of mine. I will be commuting to Banner Baywood hospital.
1. How is the commute from Scottsdale to Mesa
2. Where are the progessive, liberal, young, urban, artist, organic communities
3. where do most of the 25 year old professionals live?
4. Any links to outdoor recreational activities, biking, hiking, swimming?
Thanks for any advice and responses!

#1. It depends on the part of Scottsdale involved and the part of Mesa involved. Both are huge, so the commute could be as little as 15 minutes or as much as an hour depending on where you live and where you work. For the shortest commute, stick to the southern or central portions of Scottsdale. Tempe, another Phoenix suburb situated between Scottsdale and Mesa, would offer many of the traits you seek with the added bonus of a shorter commute.

#2 Mesa would generally not be described with those adjectives. You are more likely to find these characteristics in Central Phoenix or Tempe. The young and urban part also applies to Old Town Scottsdale, but Scottsdale is generally more Republican-leaning than Central Phoenix and Tempe.

#3 All over the metro area depending on their desired lifestyles. Those who are married and want to own houses sometimes buy in the outer suburbs where they can get a lot of house at a lower cost. The tradeoff is often bland communities and long commutes. Those who work in the high-tech sector often choose Tempe, Ahwatukee (a Phoenix neighborhood), and Chandler. Those who desire a more urban experience typically choose Central Phoenix, Arcadia and Biltmore (both Phoenix neighborhoods), Central Scottsale, and Tempe

#4 Hiking and mountain biking are two of the most popular activities here. The City of Phoenix has excellent mountain preserves suited for these purposes:

http://phoenix.gov/PARKS/hikemain.html

[vegaspilgrim]

The only part of Mesa that is nice, IMHO is the far east part, say, east of Val Vista Rd. That part of Mesa is great for families, I don't know about young singles (I'm assuming). Most of central and west mesa, even though there are a couple of stores and restaurants there that I routinely go to (some unique Asian food), is not a place I would go out of my way to live in. It's a declining area. I would reccomend Tempe if you are renting and want to keep costs low (just as long as you're not in the immediate proximity of ASU), Chandler or Gilbert if you want to buy a house, or Central Scottsdale if you have the $$.

[sablebaby]

Why not live in Mesa?? What is it about Scottsdale that you want to live there and commute to work?