Husband transferred to Eloy, Az, where to live? (Phoenix, Tucson: waterpark, how much)

[kellyl2012]

I haven't listed any interests, we are fairly boring people. Hahahaha. We have dogs and would like a dog friendly community. A dog park would be nice but not a requirement. We do like to ride our bikes and check out hiking trails and nature walks. We like to take in a movie every once in awhile. I would say out biggest extracurricular activity would be dining out. We love delish food of all types.

As far as monsoons that sounds kind of scary I have never been In a monsoon. But we would obviously deal with them. I looked up the weather and it seems like marana is about the same as the Phoenix suburbs, so i don't see that playing a part.

As for the commute I would love for him to be as close as safety allows. Right now we deal with a solid 75-90 min commute. It sucks. The traffic sucks. Not as bad in SD as LA was but still don't like that he is on the road up to 3 hrs a day. Yuck!

Maui thank you for your ratings on the cities. I am hoping that the farthest north we live is QC or STV. CG seems ideal but hubby has to be happy too.

Thx

[sh9730]

Ok - last one for the night from me. CG does have a dog park and hiking trails on CG mountain that were just improved recently. There is more hiking up in the South Mountain area of Phoenix but you would need to drive to that.

As far as the monsoon - no need to worry most of the time - they are just thunderstorms - although I can totally relate that coming from So Cal it is a new experience! Even 4 years later I still really like them. They can occassionally do some damage, but its very very hit and miss...not like everywhere gets damage. Mostly we love them as it is a great break from the heat, if only for a few hours!

And again, from an LE safety standpoint I really see zero difference between CG and STV or QC...and Im not just saying that as a fan of CG. Any of the areas you would be considering in CG are going to look just like STV - SCV - or Temecula - lots of tract homes under 10 years old. Only in the "core" area of CG is there anything older. You would be living, doing your shopping, walking the dog (the dog park itself is only 2 years old), going to the movies, etc. in areas that look EXACTLY as where you are living now.

OK - Im done unless you have specific questions later.

Oh, one thing - PLEASE let us know here on C-D when you arrive, and your impressions. It helps those that come after you!

[amatrine]

Arizona City is rite up the road 4 miles. There are homes here for rent.
There is a nice one behind me for &750. VERY SPACIOUS ARIZONA CITY HOME

Its a HUGE house.

[sh9730]

Amatrine,

Although I am not an AZ City hater by any means, and for those with real budget concerns it is absolutely a great option. But I tend to think retirees might enjoy themselves more there since they have more time on a daily basis to go into CG for shopping etc. As you know, there just is no infrastructure in AZ City yet, and my feeling is it is worth the little bit of extra money to be closer to services.

But that is a nice house for 750 a month!

[CheyDee]

Gilbert and Queen Creek are lovely, but they're about about an hour's drive to Eloy. San Tan Valley is a little closer to Eloy, but not by much. Casa Grande is approx. 25 min. away, according to Mapquest. Marana is about the same distance away per Mapquest, but could be quite a bit longer, depending upon where in Marana.

There has been a lot of develpment in Marana and it now offers plenty of shopping, movies, restaurants, etc. It's also just a few minutes to Tucson, which is a big city with amenities, but has a small city feel.

I never worked in LE, but I never particularly enjoyed bumping into people I worked with when I was out shopping, dining, etc., and always kept my professional life and personal life very separate. (I used past tense because I am now retired.) I would guess in LE your husband would feel the same way.

For this reason my choices, in order, would be:

1) Marana
2) Gilbert or Queen Creek
3) San Tan Valley
4) Casa Grande

Good luck where ever you land and welcome to Arizona!

[CheyDee]

Here is a link to look up places in Marana. Under "Property Type", make sure you highlight "Rental". In the large search box, try entering Continental Ranch, which is one development in Marana, and then try Dove Mountain, which is another. (There are others too, I just wanted to give you starting points.) I like this house in Dove Mountain. You can further customize your search by using the other features.

The link will not work for Gilbert, Queen Creek, San Tan Valley or Casa Grande because it is a Tucson MLS search.

If you look over at the Phoenix forum here on C-D, a couple of the real estate agents/brokers who frequently post have a great Phoenix-area MLS search on their websites, which you can get to by viewing their information. (Click on their names.) C-D's TOU prohibits realtor advertising, so I can't give you a direct link to them. You can search Gilbert, Queen Creek, STV and Casa Grande on the Phoenix MLS.

[kellyl2012]

Sh,
Thanks for all the information. I do really like the idea of the dog park being so close.
I do like the idea of living in the same town we can shop etc in.

[kellyl2012]

Ama,
Thanks for the info on arizona city. I will have to check it out. I did see that house listed on Craigslist. But for some reason it has a ton of listings for the same house. So I stayed away from it thinking it could be a scam. Here in Los Angeles areas there are tons and tons of scams on Craigslist.
I will keep that on a list on a city to do some research about.

[Grannysroost]

Kelly, I have lived in CG for going on 3 years now coming from AK right before and MN. I have no desire to leave town here unless going to the airport or an event in Phoenix. It has been mentioned by others what is in town, I quilt and sew so the addition of JoAnn Fabrics sewed it up for me (no pun ) last year. I am on the north end, so less than 2 miles from my house I am at a Fry's Marketplace to shop, a nice clean store and everyone that works there is polite, at first seemed overly so, but now I am just used to it and recognize people that work there. If you live a low-profile lifestyle, I am sure CG would be a good fit, plus close to work for your hubby, and close to wherever you want to go down here. We are on the outskirts of town, but I can get to the other end in about 20 minutes, most speed limits are at least 45 on the "back roads."

[kellyl2012]

Chey

I am sure most people don't want to run into people outside of work, I totally agree with you.
I don't like the idea of him driving a hr again to work from Gilbert or queen creek. Yuck. I think the homes in marana seem nice too.
There are a few things I need in the local area Walmart or target, Starbucks (of course). Hiking and nature trails would be great and a dog park would be helpful.

I check out the information you gave me and I really appreciate it. The house is very cute too and it seems like we have similar tastes.
I will look into finding realtors with mls links in Phoenix areas as well. Thank you thank you thank you.
This whole moving out of state is a stressful thing.

What was the reason casa grande was last in your opinion?

Granny,

We for sure live a low profile lifestyle. As long as I have the basics in the local area I am truly ok. We have no problem traveling with in reason for a delish dinner on the days off. I normally cook on work days. I will be looking for a job when we get settled. I have come from the medical background (office support). But honestly I am flexible in what I do I have applied for Starbucks out here but no luck. Which probably worked out for the best especially since we are moving again.

I know people probably think since we are coming from la areas its not a fit, but hubby and I do like the low key areas that have all the amenities. We lived in west la (near lax) for 3 years and it was nice being close to anything. But it was horrible that you had to valet almost everywhere and the traffic oh the traffic was HORRIBLE! It could take you 25-30 to travel 5 miles and that was on most days ugh!

Ok everyone here's a few questions, some cities I already know but for those that haven't mentioned, please let me know

Like I said we do live a low key lifestyle, but I do need a location where the local area has all the amenities needed to survive. I don't want to drive 20 mins for milk if you know what I mean.

What's the scorpion and rattlesnake threats in your recommended cities? If they are in the area I don't mind as long as I can do something to prevent them. I have small dogs under 20 lbs. my boy dog was bite by a rattler a few years ago. It was not good. He survived but only because my father was quick to act and had him to the vet within 20 mins.
Is there a dog park?
Nature trails and hiking?
Good restaurants? We love all kinds. My least fave is sushi but hubby loves it.
Oh big thing! Korean restaurants?
I know there is cracker barrels and I loved them when hubby was in training in Georgia but none in california!
Target Walmart?
Any SAMs clubs or Costco or something like it?


Thanks everyone