Downsides to Ahwatukee?--besides the traffic issue (Phoenix, Tucson: rentals, lofts)

[GBStargazer]

This thread has been useful to me. Thank you to all who have contributed. To summarize:

Basically I see no big red flags to Ahwatukee. What I have learned:

1. Traffic may or may not be an issue depending on location and needs (i.e. commute timing).
2. Scorpions may or may not be issue depending on your exact location.
3. The less-desirable parts of Ahwatukee are nearer to I-10.
4. Walkability is less than average, but South Mountain Park is right there with hiking trails. (I did notice sidewalks along all streets, but also a lot of cul-de-sacs.)
5. Housing prices are somewhat inflated compared to other parts of the east valley.
6. Racial diversity is somewhat less than average when compared to the Phoenix metro.

Unless I have missed something important, I will continue to pursue my relocation to Ahwatukee. I am willing to hear more about this topic. House hunting begins next week! Thanks again to all who have helped!

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by GBStargazer

This thread has been useful to me. Thank you to all who have contributed. To summarize:

Basically I see no big red flags to Ahwatukee. What I have learned:

1. Traffic may or may not be an issue depending on location and needs (i.e. commute timing).
2. Scorpions may or may not be issue depending on your exact location.
3. The less-desirable parts of Ahwatukee are nearer to I-10.
4. Walkability is less than average, but South Mountain Park is right there with hiking trails. (I did notice sidewalks along all streets, but also a lot of cul-de-sacs.)
5. Housing prices are somewhat inflated compared to other parts of the east valley.
6. Racial diversity is somewhat less than average when compared to the Phoenix metro.

Unless I have missed something important, I will continue to pursue my relocation to Ahwatukee. I am willing to hear more about this topic. House hunting begins next week! Thanks again to all who have helped!

Look in the Foothills Country Club/Sanctuary AREA not necessarily the the Sanctuary itself

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by GBStargazer

This thread has been useful to me. Thank you to all who have contributed. To summarize:

Basically I see no big red flags to Ahwatukee. What I have learned:

1. Traffic may or may not be an issue depending on location and needs (i.e. commute timing).
2. Scorpions may or may not be issue depending on your exact location.
3. The less-desirable parts of Ahwatukee are nearer to I-10.
4. Walkability is less than average, but South Mountain Park is right there with hiking trails. (I did notice sidewalks along all streets, but also a lot of cul-de-sacs.)
5. Housing prices are somewhat inflated compared to other parts of the east valley.
6. Racial diversity is somewhat less than average when compared to the Phoenix metro.

Unless I have missed something important, I will continue to pursue my relocation to Ahwatukee. I am willing to hear more about this topic. House hunting begins next week! Thanks again to all who have helped!

Ahwatukee has always been a nice area to live, but there are problems with traffic. There are lots of streets that are cul de sacs, but Ahwatukee is known as the world's largest cul de sac because the only way in & out is on the major streets that connect to I10.

Housing prices might be a little more expensive in Ahwautukee, but that might not be such a bad thing. Remember that you usually get what you pay for. Even many of the older homes are better constructed, and they are in more established neighborhoods. I find those things to be a plus when looking to buy a home.

[ccapla]

I love ahwatukee... Just moved here 2 weeks ago... I think it's just as diverse as any other city. I have nit seen one scorpion and we are in Sonoran apartments right off foothills shopping center and very near the 10. No riff raff either. I feel very comfortable raising my 3 children here and glad we picked ahwatukee for our relocation from Milwaukee wi!!

[1bie792]

We are done with child-rearing so that is not an issue for us. I find those older houses, with low ceilings (a plus in the heat) to be really interesting, so tired of the high ceiling look of the newer stuff. We lived in Chandler in the 90's and have decided to return to the area. What is the deal with those older houses in the Ahwutukee, are the neighborhoods nice? Is traffic that much more difficult than in Chandler? 85044 or 85226?

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by 1bie792

We are done with child-rearing so that is not an issue for us. I find those older houses, with low ceilings (a plus in the heat) to be really interesting, so tired of the high ceiling look of the newer stuff. We lived in Chandler in the 90's and have decided to return to the area. What is the deal with those older houses in the Ahwutukee, are the neighborhoods nice? Is traffic that much more difficult than in Chandler? 85044 or 85226?

The "older" section of Ahwatukee is the part along & near the Warner/Elliott Loop & the 10. I haven't really been through there much, but most of the residences in that area were built in the 1970s & '80s (old by Phoenix standards I suppose), but the neighborhoods in general still look fairly decent.

Ahwatukee & Chandler both have traffic issues. Ahwatukee is known for traffic problems because the main streets feed into I10. There really isn't any way out of there except the 10, and 48th Street. Those who live in the "newer" section (Ahwatukee Foothills) have an even worse commute to downtown & the rest of the Valley.

[NotQuiteNative]

There's nothing too wrong with Awhatukee, but it really depends on who you are. I lived there for about 6 months and was bored stiff and saddened by it. I was also -- as a single guy in a rented house -- looked upon kinda suspiciously. It's a great place to raise kids but doesn't have much to entice a single person.

There are more and more African-Americans and Hispanics moving in, especially in apartments along the 48th St. corridor. Is this a bad thing?

It's pretty car-dependent regardless of what others say. I can't imagine anyone living there and being happy without a car. The place I was renting was about mid-point on the Warner-Elliot loop (to which snooty people in the Foothills will smarmily say "ooooh. . . yeah . . . that . . . . uh. . . . well, that's niiice . . "), which put me a bit too far from either Bashas' or Safeway to to just walk over for a pound of coffee.

Traffic on Ray and Chandler getting across the freeway during rush hours can be ridiculous by Arizona standards. People from Chicago, New York, Seattle, and LA will be nonplussed. If you work in downtown Phoenix you still have only one way of getting to work. When someone's fan belt breaks thousands of people are late for work. This, again, depends on your personal situation.

So it depends on what one calls "living". You can have a nice place with good a/c and cable and not be pestered there. There are malls and places to spend your money nearby. Most people in America today call that "living".

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by 1bie792

We are done with child-rearing so that is not an issue for us. I find those older houses, with low ceilings (a plus in the heat) to be really interesting, so tired of the high ceiling look of the newer stuff. We lived in Chandler in the 90's and have decided to return to the area. What is the deal with those older houses in the Ahwutukee, are the neighborhoods nice? Is traffic that much more difficult than in Chandler? 85044 or 85226?

Traffic was the big red flag with Ahwatukee and that has been more or less relieved with the creation of Pecos/202 and the extension of the 101 all the way south. In the late 90's and early 2000, the traffic was horrible because the only way out was through side streets like Elliott, Warner, Ray and Chandler so it used to be really congested. And to top it off, the only way north was through I-10 because the 101 didn't extend all the way south. Since that time, Pecos/202 was created which nearly eliminated the morning traffic and I-10 isn't as busy as it was because many are taking the 101 north too. You don't have that long wait and traffic cluster on Ray and 48th in the morning any longer.

There are a lot of good deals there right now particularly if you aren't seeking the newer custom vaulted ceiling homes. There are a lot of early to mid-90's homes with the low ceilings that are in great condition and can't sell because people are wanting the newer custom homes. If you are done with child rearing and aren't having to take kids to school in the morning then location shouldn't be too much of an issue with you and there are a lot of good deals in the Foothills right now.

If you asked me this question 10 years ago, I would have told you not to consider Ahwatukee but now it's not an issue at all. We have friends that live in Summerhill, Eagleridge and Canyon Verde and they have no trouble commuting to other parts of the Valley due to Pecos.

[Xica_da_Silva]

I'm not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but another thing you may want to consider is HOA versus non-HOA. Before I ended up buying my house in Central Phoenix, I was very interested in Ahwatukee. But all the newer divisions seem to have HOA, which to me was a big turn-off. I understand the advantages of having an HOA (keeping certain aesthetic standards can be good, especially for those concerned about retaining property value), but as someone who has gardening ambitions beyond the ubiquitous oleander, lantana, and bougainvillea, it would drive me nuts to have to run to the HOA for approval every time I saw a gorgeous plant I wanted to display on my porch. That's why I was primarily interested in the older, non-HOA areas of Ahwatukee...but then that does limit the number of homes to choose from(that's one of the reasons why I ended up downtown).

Also, beyond my own personal reasons, I've heard HOAs vary greatly in quality and usefulness. Some charge a lot and you don't get much in return, so I would research that aspect before purchasing a home.

As for diversity, I still believe the best way is to judge people based on actual behavior, rather than the color of skin, or income level. Maybe some people are still of the old-fashioned mindset that if they see any people with darker skin, or people who don't have the fanciest cars or clothes, that automatically means it's a 'bad' or dangerous neighborhood. Just because a person is working class or even poor, does not mean he/she is a person of poor character. I live in a culturally diverse neighborhood and have the most wonderful neighbors in the world. I think it's the rife materialism and worship of money above all else that makes our culture assume that poor/working class people are always unethical.

[Howard Roark]

Interesting from "NotQuiteNative" about renting a house as a single guy in Ahwatukee. Been there, don that (different area, and I was a mortgage payer). I was looked on with suspicion by my neighbors too, since I had no visitors. I was hoping at the beginning that I would be accepted for who I am, just a guy who wanted to be alone and enjoy having a single family home, and minding my own business, not disturbing anyone else...Oh well.