Need info on NW Phoenix suburbs (Surprise, Wickenburg: relocate, work, crime)

[ejk]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

Plus, everytime I've been to Surprise, visiting my grandma who lives right next door in SCW, I can't help noticing how trashy the people in Surprise are! There are a lot of young people, but they are low life rednecks and gang members! I've been flipped off walking in the Target parking lot (doing absolutely noticing) by a car that looked like it was full of Hispanic gang members. I was just there on Sunday night, filling up at a QT station on Bell Rd, and overhearing the most trashy conversation I've ever heard from some girl in her early 20s and her guy friends (or were they "clients")? Every other word from her mouth was the f-word, screaming loud. Even in Tempe, where I live, people don't act like that! These are just two of the most recent anecdotal examples-- and I have many more.

Wow, that has not been my experience at all! That is bad. I go there at least once a week (for not quite 2 yrs) and have yet to run into anybody like that.

[nicholeraynae]

Thanks everyone for your input. You have helped me narrow my search at this point. Next weekend I am going out there and will be spending a few days just checking out neighborhoods, so thanks for helping me focus on where to look. After my visit, I am sure I will have more questions. Thank you!

[nitram]

Surprise is not that trashy or bad. Surprise is spread out all over and is one of the fastest growing areas in the far NW metropolitan area. Surprise is more expensive and it's city government is in politcal throes right now.
Grand Ave, the main road through Surprise, is going to be widened to eliminate traffic woes starting next year.
Sun City, Sun City West, Sun City Grand are retirement communities that you probably would want to stay away from.
Mike has the right idea if you want to live closer to Phoenix. I would check out the North Peoria area from Sun City to Lake Pleasant area. That way you avoid I-17 altogether. No. Peoria is another rapid growing more modern area and you could go to Wickenburg on the more scenic Hwy 74 without restricted traffic rahter than Grand Ave.

[diggitydot]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

Plus, everytime I've been to Surprise, visiting my grandma who lives right next door in SCW, I can't help noticing how trashy the people in Surprise are! There are a lot of young people, but they are low life rednecks and gang members! I've been flipped off walking in the Target parking lot (doing absolutely noticing) by a car that looked like it was full of Hispanic gang members. I was just there on Sunday night, filling up at a QT station on Bell Rd, and overhearing the most trashy conversation I've ever heard from some girl in her early 20s and her guy friends (or were they "clients")? Every other word from her mouth was the f-word, screaming loud. Even in Tempe, where I live, people don't act like that! These are just two of the most recent anecdotal examples-- and I have many more.

Um, wow. I've lived in Surprise for three years now and have never experienced ANYTHING even remotely similar to what you've described. And I regularly patronize all the businesses you mentioned. Let's face it...there are degenerates everywhere. We just tend to notice them more when they're not in our own backyard.

Taking the 60 to Wickenburg isn't that bad, at all. I've done that trek several times and only had what I would consider "traffic" once...and that was during normal "rush hour" times in the morning heading towards Wickenburg from Surprise. It still only took about 30-35 minutes to get there. It didn't seem so bad, to me. (But that might have been because I was on my way to Kingman to pick up my husband from his rotation up there. 30 minutes doesn't seem like much when you've got a couple more hours ahead of you.)

As for Surprise, there's a TON to do...it just depends on what you like. I'm not a huge fan of Arizona and will be moving out of here in another year, but Surprise makes living here bearable. There's a great library, community pool, spring training complex for MLB, and lots of shopping & restaurants.

[azjack]

While Surprise is far from perfect, vegaspilgrim's depiction of our suburb as a haven for gang members and other "trashy" elements is not reality-based.

VP, be sure to tip off the local PD on that QT gas station prostitution ring.

[nicholeraynae]

I just wanted to say thanks once again to everyone here for their input. I just got back from visiting Arizona, and I fell in love with the place!!! As soon as the plane was landing I was impressed by how pretty it is there. Granted, most of the time I was there I spent in the northwest area (my hotel was in Peoria - Arrowhead area), and I spent some time in Surprise and of course drove up to Wickenburg to check out the school I will be working in.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand, I took the job and decided on Surprise for my apartment. I am moving to a brand new complex that is on Litchfield Rd., which I noticed I can take right to US-60/Grand Ave. without ever getting on Bell Rd., which seems to be the main source of "bad" traffic in Surprise, from what I have read on here and from what I experienced while I was there. So my commute to Wickenburg really shouldn't be bad at all.

I also want to say that part of why I fell in love with Arizona was that the people seemed so very nice, but in a real way, not in a fakey kind of way, or the "I'm pretending to be nice but really trying to get up in your business" kind of way. Trust me, the people there are much friendlier than they are here in Ohio. I have to say, though, one thing that surprised me was the amount of traffic on I-10 at 4:30 in the morning!!! I mean, it wasn't stop and go or anything, but definitely on the heavy side (I was driving to the airport). I was thinking, "Where are these people going at 4:30 in the morning"!?!?!?

[sablebaby]

That's so awesome!!! There's nothing like checking out the places in person.

[HX_Guy]

Yea, about the traffic, I've noticed that too. It used to be that the freeways were heavy during the rush hour and the rest of the day they would be a breeze, but now I've noticed that just about anytime during the day it's heavy traffic. You can still travel 70 mph, but it's heavy.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by nicholeraynae

I have to say, though, one thing that surprised me was the amount of traffic on I-10 at 4:30 in the morning!!! I mean, it wasn't stop and go or anything, but definitely on the heavy side (I was driving to the airport). I was thinking, "Where are these people going at 4:30 in the morning"!?!?!?

Construction workers. They start work at 5am or earlier here in the summer.

[diggitydot]

We noticed the same thing when we relocated to the west valley, too. I totally see wanting to get in and get done with your work if you have to do it outside, but YIKES. There's no way my morning hating self would EVER be up at 4AM unless someone was bleeding, barfing, or dying.

(Did I mention I hate mornings?)