Thinking about going to ASU (Phoenix, Tempe: rent, crime, school)

[jmorgan88]

Hello everyone!

I am thinking of going to ASU for their engineering program.
Its located in Tempe. I just had a few questions about the area.

I am a 22 year old African American Male, I have been watching the reports of the immigration battle, I have been getting concerned of with the number of "radical groups, and possible hate groups."

I'm not latino but, I was wondering if Tempe a very African American friendly town? I'm not looking a very "NAACP happy place". Thats kind of the reason why I want to relocate from where I live now. I just dont want to feel too isolated..

Also I have read about Phoenix being the "kidnapping capital of the US" has that been overhyped? Is that something I really need to be concerned about?

Also is a car needed in Tempe? I'm kinda of a walker, jogger, biker and public transportation type.
Is it safe around the school area? I will be living offcampus
I hope to visit soon I just want to get input from the residents.
Thanks for any replies.

I am Bilingual (french) sorry for any bad grammar.

[Finger Laker]

Phoenix has a relatively small black population - however, it's probably one of the most racially tolerant places I've ever lived (including places like Philadelphia)

Speaking of which I was living in Philly during the 2000 RNC - now that was a nice collection of extreme groups from all side .... if you only watched the coverage of that event and used that to paint the people of the city you would be doing yourself a disservice

the same with this ..... live your own experiences and form your own decisions

You don't need to be concerned about kidnapping unless you are into trafficking people or drugs

The area around the campus is not unsafe - If you had a car I think that would be your biggest concern - auto thefts, property damage, etc

You could survive in Tempe without a car - light rail will provide a link to downtown phoenix through mesa .... plus the tempe circulator service is pretty good .... the phoenix metro as a whole is not very public transport friendly, however a student should be able to get by

[JH6]

Spend a week in tempe and check the city out. I'm in my late 20's, I really like the area. There is a lot to do, and plenty of cool people.

I'm not sure if I would LIVE in the area right near the campus, its a bit rowdy at times. There are areas of Tempe a little further away from the campus that are very quiet and suburban.

Phoenix in general doesn't have a lot of blacks, but on campus there are people from all backgrounds.

You don't "need" a car due to the lightrail, but if you can afford one it would be nice..

Spend a week there, rent a car and drive around.

[LocoAZnative]

You won't have any problems due to your race the one thing you will have a problem with is not having a car. If you live around ASU it can be a long hall to the nearest grocery store. Dowtown Tempe is pedestrian friendly and you can jog, run, bike are Tempe Town lake(its empty right now) and Papago Park. Tempe isn't a hi crime area, but does have property crime.

[lola8822]

Originally Posted by JustinH

Spend a week in tempe and check the city out. I'm in my late 20's, I really like the area. There is a lot to do, and plenty of cool people.

I'm not sure if I would LIVE in the area right near the campus, its a bit rowdy at times. There are areas of Tempe a little further away from the campus that are very quiet and suburban.

Phoenix in general doesn't have a lot of blacks, but on campus there are people from all backgrounds.

You don't "need" a car due to the lightrail, but if you can afford one it would be nice..

Spend a week there, rent a car and drive around.

Good Advice........

I graduated from ASU a few years ago and I loved it! The people are great and it's totally diverse. I love the ASU "burbs" as we used to call them...everything is geared towards college students, it's almost like it's own little town. I agree with Justin though, visit for a week or so and see how you feel about it.....i'm sure you'll like it. Besides all of that, it's a really great school....really full of school spirit especially when it comes to the Devils

[Ritchie_az]

I have been getting concerned of with the number of "radical groups, and possible hate groups."

Yeah, don't concern yourself over that, it has been grossly exaggerated. There is very little racism in Phoenix (although, sadly, racism to some extent exists everywhere).