Best place to raise a family in AZ? (Glendale, Scottsdale: real estate, rent)

[mrs.carnett]

I grew up in Maricopa in the 90s, then had to move to Arkansas with my family. It has been 10 years and I still miss AZ- so much that I am planning to move back later this year.
What I am looking for is a town/city with a low crime rate. One with excellent daycare/schools as well as several choices in extra-curricular activities. I also need to be within 30 minutes of a good college. We can afford about 200k for our house and we'd like to live close to the open desert to ride quads. Once we buy, we plan on staying for at least 20 years.
We will be coming out for a visit to look at different places in mid-April, but we will have limited time so I am asking for suggested places to check out.
Thanks in advance for your input!!

[hank c.]

Ocotillo in south chandler fits all of your criteria. With the rising fuel costs I would no longer recommend Maricopa.

[azriverfan.]

Honestly, there are a lot of places that fit your criteria. You should rent here and learn about the area before targeting one area based on what people said on the internet. No area is directly adjacent to areas that you can ride quads AND is close to a major university. However, every area in the Valley is close enough to drive to an area where you can drive quads. If you are concerned about a safe area with good schools and has low crime, Chandler, Glibert, Ahwatukee, South Tempe, Arrowhead in Glendale...lots of areas

[mrs.carnett]

Thanks for the advice! I'm definitely going to check out the places suggested. What about North Scottsdale and Fountain Hills?

[observer53]

Originally Posted by mrs.carnett

Thanks for the advice! I'm definitely going to check out the places suggested. What about North Scottsdale and Fountain Hills?

Those are nice areas too, north Scottsdale is going to be outside your price range, pretty much. With gas prices, I think FH is too far out. There are people here who will give you way overly optimistic figures on how long it takes to get to downtown Scottsdale or to someplace in Tempe, etc., from there. I just don't see the point in living out there if you have any need at all to go somewhere else in the Valley on a regular basis.

[Down]

Originally Posted by mrs.carnett

Thanks for the advice! I'm definitely going to check out the places suggested. What about North Scottsdale and Fountain Hills?

In my opinion, some real deals can be had in N Scottsdale right now but $200K would still be on the low end for something decent. I think you'd get much better bang for your buck down south, Chandler, Gilbert, etc. I considered buying out in Fountain Hills as some of the views are GORGEOUS but it's just too far away from much to do for my tastes.

[mrs.carnett]

Thanks for the info! I was being conservative when I mentioned a budget of 200k for a house...we can go up to 400k if it puts us in a place with top notch schools...I have been checking out the real estate in Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek, and Scottsdale. I am pretty picky- we are first time home buyers- and so far I have found some real winners in Chandler. It seems as if we are going to have to give up having the open desert in our back yard though

[hts]

Anthem? Is that too far out/north for you?

::dunno::

[mrs.carnett]

I've never heard of Anthem, but I checked out its location and it doesn't look too far. I'll look further into it! Thanks!

[greendesert]

>It seems as if we are going to have to give up having the open desert in our back yard though
Personally I really wish I hadn't given up on that idea when I bought my house. That is the one thing I miss the most... proximity to something like a wash or open desert area. Unfortunatelly, we bought 3 years ago. Had we waited, we could be looking at some really nice places right now for a lot less.