Verrado vs. Vistancia vs. Eagle Mountain Ranch (Phoenix, Goodyear: buying a house, neighborhoods)

[13sara23]

We have four small children and like the idea of a master-planned community, so we are looking at all of these places. From computer research only it seems like we're possibly leaning toward Vistancia.

We like Estrella Mountain a lot, but worry about the remoteness of it. Does it feel like you're in the middle of nowhere? We like the downtown area and all the grass in Verrado, but it seems like their amenities don't measure up to Estrella and Vistancia (who both have waterslides and more pools, I think?).

Schools are very important. We need somewhere that will challenge our kids. Just to give an idea of what our needs are...my 6-year-old is fluidly reading in Spanish and English and doing much higher level math than he should be. He is also very active and easily distracted. So he needs challenging curriculum and teachers who know how to manage children well. Right now we're in California and are accustomed to really great schools. Is bullying an issue there?

Also, we would like to know how sports for children are in any of these areas. Where we are in California the parents can get a little crazy (screaming at 4-year-olds while they're playing soccer/hiring professionals to help out with a 5-year-old's baseball swing). How are parents at sporting events? Which sports are most important out there? (ie, is it a football-focused place or are all sports given attention)?

What are people like in general? We like friendly neighbors

I welcome any and all responses to give us information on all 3 of these communities...the more information the better.

Thanks so much!

[13sara23]

...I meant Estrella Mountain Ranch

[Ritchie_az]

First, if you posted this in the Phoenix forum you'll likely get more replies.

All three are very nice communities... and different from each other. I'd recommend visiting each one to get a feel for 'em.
I live in Estrella, and the "remoteness" actually equates into quietness and low-crime. With Safeway and other business open or soon to be open within the community, plus Super Target, Fry's, etc, 10 minutes down the hill, and just about everything else 15-20 minutes down the hill, it's not as far "out there" as it once was.
Verrado might feel more like California (maybe Redlands?) than any of the other places.
Anyway, good luck!

[Ponderosa]

Safeway is opening in Estrella on Friday. There is a community party marking the event tonite at the lake including fireworks. This has to be the first time ever that a grocery store opening was marked by a fireworks bash - at least in PHX where there is a supermarket on every other block. Gives you an idea how desperate this community was for some convenient amenities. Of course, it also marks the end of an era for us Estrella old-timers who have enjoyed the many years of being away from the city trappings yet close enough to use them when we needed to.

[OurNextAdventure]

Lol, your question reminds me of this song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONEYGU_7EqU

[VerradoAmy]

All three are beautiful communities. I have worked at and sell homes in both Estrella and Verrado, currenlty working at Verrado Realty. If you like the water slides then Estrella and Vistancia are definately one up on Verrado but Verrado has over 50 parks spread through out the community. Although I am biased because I live in Verrado I believe it is the easiest community to meet your neighbors. As far as the schools, have you visited their web pages or physically gone to any of the locations? If you go to www.verrado.net there is a link to the schools in Verrado and you can get some great information. Also, you might want to check out a new charter school in Buckeye called Odyssey The Odyssey Preparatory Academy | Where the adventure is learning Many parents from Estrella and Verrado have children at the school. I would also recommend that you check out these facebook pages to get a better idea of life in Verrado and Estrella
Login | Facebook
Estrella | Facebook
Good luck with your search and if you visit Verrado stop by the Welcome Center and I will be glad to help you with any questions. Both Estrella and Vistancia also have information centers where you can get many of your questions answered.

[foma]

You should definitely visit all three areas. We looked at Estrella Mountain, too, and decided it was just too dang far from the highway for either of our jobs. Both are nicely landscaped and family oriented. Verrado is probably a 10-15 minute drive from a full-size Bashas but there's also a mini-Bashas on Main ST that's a five minute drive for most in the neighborhood. I think Verrado is a great community and they put on a lot of activities for everyone to come out and get to know each other. We have our annual 4 July celebration with fireworks (which we can see from the master bedroom of our house), Boo Bash, Christmas celebration and a whole bunch of stuff in between like live music performances and neighborhood yard sales. Every house is within walking distance to a community park (like literally a few blocks away at the most!)

We don't have any school age children yet but there is an elementary, middle and high school all within the Verrado area. I have a coworker who's daughter is in volleyball and loves it. She also does club volleyball outside of the usual school year. He also loves their middle school and thinks they've got a good program for kids. We know someone else who decided to homeschool their middle school-aged kid. The kids a little quirky so that was part of the reason but the school wasn't giving them the support he needed either. He seems happier now. His older sister who is in high school seems to be adjusting well where there's no lockers for their books, which I think is a little weird but they've got a alternative way of doing things there besides your traditional walled in classrooms. I think they only have dividers between classrooms and not walls. You're a parent, I'm sure you know to do your research and pick what's best for your kids but overall, we LOVE it here at V!

The only complaint I have is after school is over, a lot of kids like to hang around Main St and act annoying. I know they are just being teenagers but it's dangerous for them to pop wheelies on their bikes in the middle of the street and have complete disregard for vehicles. It's like, they see a car and still don't move out of the way. I'M A CAR! I NEED TO BE ON THE STREET! I can't even move around you when you are bicycling the width of the street! It has definitely gotten better this year but it was pretty annoying last year.

Okay, I don't want to end on a negative note. Every neighborhoods going to have pros and cons. We looked for over a year before deciding to choose V and it was a great choice for us. We've met good folks and hope to meet even more!

[OneWayStreet]

I live in Vistancia and love it. However, I never visited those other communities, although I have visited others.

Anyway, not sure how young your children are, but there are two elementary schools in Vistancia, Vistancia Elementary School and Lake Pleasant Elementary School.

My son attends high school at Liberty High. It is a new school located outside of Vistancia. Liberty High has a GREAT football team that is doing very well!

There is a small shopping center at the entrance to Vistancia with a Safeway, Great Clips, Grande Pizza, Walgreens, and a few other stores. Four large shopping centers are a short drive away.

As far as swimmin, there are 3 community pools here. I think as a resident, you are welcome to use at least two of them. Sunrise park has the water slide. And you may end up buying a house with a pool already! If you enjoy hiking, there's a great hiking trail that takes you through Vistancia. The community center also hosts many activities, including a jazz festival, wine tasting, Oktoberfest, and lots more.

I guess I shouldn't be too surprised at how many of my neighbors are from other states, as most everyone is a transplant, I have found almost everyone to be very friendly here!

I'm new here and am still discovering new things. If you end up in Vistancia, be sure to attend one of the new residents meetings, as they are extremely helpful!

[beckyinaz]

Originally Posted by VerradoAmy

All three are beautiful communities. I have worked at and sell homes in both Estrella and Verrado, currenlty working at Verrado Realty. If you like the water slides then Estrella and Vistancia are definately one up on Verrado but Verrado has over 50 parks spread through out the community. Although I am biased because I live in Verrado I believe it is the easiest community to meet your neighbors. As far as the schools, have you visited their web pages or physically gone to any of the locations? If you go to www.verrado.net there is a link to the schools in Verrado and you can get some great information. Also, you might want to check out a new charter school in Buckeye called Odyssey The Odyssey Preparatory Academy | Where the adventure is learning Many parents from Estrella and Verrado have children at the school. I would also recommend that you check out these facebook pages to get a better idea of life in Verrado and Estrella
Login | Facebook
Estrella | Facebook
Good luck with your search and if you visit Verrado stop by the Welcome Center and I will be glad to help you with any questions. Both Estrella and Vistancia also have information centers where you can get many of your questions answered.

Amy, I hate to hijack, but have you heard much from parents of children who go to Odyssey? I can't find much of anything as far as parental feedback or ratings and am considering the school for my daughter for next year...

[VerradoAmy]

Becky, almost all of the feedback that I have heard about Odyssey has been great. I heard some comments initially when they opened that it was a little disorganized, also it can get very congested with traffice when dropping off and picking up the kids. They now have bus transportation at a small cost, which has helped with the congestion of parents picking the kids up from school. They seem to have worked through the bumps that would be expected when a new school opens. The people I know that send their kids there seem to be very satisfied. Everyone that I have talked to say they would recomend the school.