Honest opinions from those who live in Litchfield Park (Avondale: violent crime, homes)

[lucygirl1]

Litchfield Park is an area of high interest for my family and I. We have been there and found it to be incredibly nice, but some of the information I read doesn't seem as flattering as it was visually. Here is a link, Litchfield Park Dysart Ranch Demographics - Neighborhood Demographics that states that murder is very high in this area - specifically speaking the Dysart Ranch Community, which is considered Litchfield Park. I'd like to hear from people who actually live in the Litchfield area on what you see going on there on a regular basis. The looks of the area are fantastic, but does it seem to be going downhill? Are there gangs in the area or nearby? Because the murder rate is way beyond the national average, I would think there must be some sort of gang problem.

I understand there is an area that is considered "in the walls" which is supposed to be the real Litchfield, but the newer areas that are called Litchfield, "outside the walls" are the areas I'm interested in. Wigwam, Dreaming Summit, Dysart Ranch.

Please no sugar coating things, I really need to here the truth about the area. I'm hoping it's not as bad as the report states because I really like it there!

[Ponderosa]

Never heard of anyone being murdered in Litchfield Park. It has to be one of the safest communities going. Anyhow, murder is rarely random. It's often a spouse of someone killing off their wife/husband or family or a drug related thing or something. A single incident can make small statistical area look bad. Violent crime is about the last thing you need to worry about in Litchfield Park.

[Java Jolt]

I don't live in Litchfield Park, but the true city of Litchfield Park encompasses a small area, and it's not gang-infested by any stretch.

The negative reports you are receiving could very well be some of the unincorporated areas or other suburbs surrounding Litchfield Park. They might have a Litchfield Park address but they are not part of the town itself.

The best way to find out is actually go into Litchfield Park and observe the community, the homes, and the types of people who live there. Don't base your decision on speculation, rumors, or reports that are not always up to par.

[observer53]

I agree with both the above posts, in all respects. Good luck to you!

[mistyriver]

I lived in the real Litchfield Park for 10 years and if I moved back to AZ, I'd go right back there. It's an incredible place to live and raise a family if you don;t need a McMansion to be happy.

[Finger Laker]

Dysart Ranch is Avondale - not L.P.

However, I would have zero issues living in Dysart Ranch and know quite a few people who do. The H.S. is Millenium and the ESD is the litchfield ESD. I believe it's zoned to Rancho Santa Fe, which isn't the best in the LESD - but it's not all that bad either. The people I know have variances to either Palm Valley or Litchfield Elementary. Not positive on the middle school, but I think it's Western Sky.

from this map you will be able to see the Maricopa County Sheriffs Office weekly & monthly incident maps - you'll get not only the type of incident, but a dot where the location is .... for example, you'll see in August there were 7 shoplifting calls - all at the shopping plaza on the NE of Indian School & Dysart

places like Dreaming Summit carry a LP address - but aren't LP proper .... they are unincorporated county islands

here is more info on this

Litchfield Park, AZ

I'd also be real curious about where they are pulling the data ... I saw the basic demographic chart that has LP being 68% more risky for murder than the national average ...... i think the data would be a little more difficult to compile as they would normally report under the MCSO ..... you could also get some serious skews with small #s so the raw data would be beneficial

[lucygirl1]

Finger Laker - Thanks for your post. You've give me a lot of great information. I was wondering if Dysart Ranch was in Avondale because it appeared that way on the zillow website. I'm glad you cleared that up for me.

I may contact you in the future if I have questions, if that's ok.

[Finger Laker]

Not a problem - I'm in goodyear, but am fairly familiar with the area and we have a lot of friends who've lived in those various subdivisions (dreaming summit, rancho santa fe, dysart ranch, LP inside the walls, various palm valley stages, etc)

I've always found LP and it's surrounding area to be pretty nice and am excited about Colangelos involvement with the Wigwam Resort - even though that downtown portion of old LP is still a nice spot

[mistyriver]

Originally Posted by Finger Laker

I've always found LP and it's surrounding area to be pretty nice and am excited about Colangelos involvement with the Wigwam Resort - even though that downtown portion of old LP is still a nice spot

I've always loved the Wigwam. My family belonged to the Wigwam Country Club and we've spent many happy times there. Hopefully the new ownership will restore it to it's former glory.
I miss LP. Not many places around that you can live in a small town atmosphere and walk to a (formerly)5 star restaurant.

[EnicAZ]

Would stay away from the West Valley, as the economic base is very underdeveloped and there are many years of housing problems there. There is also a problem with ground water contamination, which is difficult to clean up, even with the EPA. Also, there is a nuclear power plant not far away from the West Valley, including Litchfield Park.