young family tired of the MN winters

[acrylic]

Originally Posted by mn55110

A large factor in your decision on where to live should be where you will be working. Commuting in the Valley during rush hour is far more difficult than you are used to in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul, so you will not want to create a horrendous commute for yourself.

I will disagree with that. I remember on many occasions where I've dealt with traffic in the Cities was a lot more difficult than here in the Valley. Like 694W. Uggghhhhh. Plus you don't have to deal with snow here so that doesn't cause extra delays.

[nlesthought]

Originally Posted by mn55110

A large factor in your decision on where to live should be where you will be working. Commuting in the Valley during rush hour is far more difficult than you are used to in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul, so you will not want to create a horrendous commute for yourself.

Another thing to consider is the type of work or profession both you and your fiancee are in. In Phoenix, The East Valley is the more white collar professional side of the metro area whereas the west valley is the more blue collar warehouse industrial side of the metro.

This is a very similar comparrison to Minneapolis in that the southern suburbs like: Bloomington, Edina, Eden Prairie,St. Louis Park are your white collar office clientel whereas the northern suburbs such as: Brooklyn Park, Brooklyn Center, Coon Rapids, Blaine are your blue collar, factory, industrial parts of the Twin Cities.

Check out the Arizona Department of Education website for school test scores for each district. Keep in mind that in many area's the elementary school districts are totally separate from the high school districts unlike Minnesota where all schools elementary through high school are in the same district. That in Arizona is called a Unified School District, which there are a few of here in the Valley.

One other thing you may want to consider are hoobies you like to partake in during free time. If you like the boutiques and shops of Scottsdale you may not want to live on the outskirts such as Apache Junction or Buckeye. On the other hand if being close to recreation opportunities along the Apache Trail, the Salt River or the High Country, your housing choises will probably be different.

I would recommend you rent first for one year first ,so you can determine your prefferenced prior to making a commitment. If you graduated from a college in Minnesota, get in touch with your alumni association; your school most likely has many, many alumni members in Phoenix and throughout Arizona.

Feel free to let us know what you find on your visit. It is good to visit now so you can experience the heat just like I recommend anyone considering a Twin Cities move or anywhere in Minnesota to visit in January or February and determine whether they can handle the cold.

Best of luck!

thanks for the comparison at least I have a better understanding now...I live south of the river now (Burnsville) and the schools here have taken a hit (like everywhere I'm sure) but for the money spent on housing you would at least want to see that your money is well spent.

We are traveling there next week and we'll be looking at rentals out there. I did contact one former alum who lives in Glendale but she's without kids so her lifestyle is a little different from mine.

As far as hobbies go, I'm a sports guy/artist and my fiancee is as well. I looked as far as schools and it seemed the East Valley had more options. Does anyone know if its possible to take my kids anywhere within the district/metro for school or am I regulated in the district I stay?

[mn55110]

I'm not sure if Arizona schools allow open enrollment or not. I think you're doing the right thing to fly down to the valley and check everything out.

Get information from the convention and visitors bureau which each individual community has, drive around and check out the main features each city and suburb has (shopping, athletic complexes, housing schools, places of employment.

Drive the freeway system both during rush hour and off-peak times. Comming from the Twin Cities you'll like the pothole free streets and no clover leaf interchanges freeways all have fly-over entrance and exit ramps. The entire valley is on a grid pattern ,so all the main boulevards run straight through and are one-mile apart.

Pick-up the free apartments for rent guides and houses for sale guides which are at most grocery stores such as Fry's and Basha's to help in your search.

You may really like the Arrowhead Town Center area or Westgate City Center? Univ of Phoenix Stadium area in Glendale and the Peoria Sports Complex all in the West Valley.

Chandler, Tempe, Gilbert, and Mesa may all appeal to your family for East Vally locations.

Since you like art, Scottsdale has several art galleries, along with the Roosevelt Row on the northern edge of downtown near the Light Rail station (Central Ave. and Roosevelt). Some suburban downtowns such as Tempe, Chandler, Mesa, Glendale, Casa Grande all have nice artist areas as well.

One thing which may surprise you comming from the cities, is that you can be in one neighborhood or block of exclusive homes and just one block over is an absolute slum. Just traveling block-by-block or street-by-street in the Valley, you will run the full gammet of housing options.

Have an enjoyable educational week!

[PoppySead]

As far as I know most school districts have open enrollment. Might be a list though.

[ArizonaColor]

I can only comment on East Valley of Phoenix

GILBERT - great school system - the best (in my opinion0
EAST MESA - consider a town house for 6 month lease(?)/good charter school
HOWEVER, I am moving to SAN TAN VALLEY this week

SCHOOLS: Whether East valley or West, Arizona has good charter and private schools. Dont be fooled by simply looking at greatschools.com Sorry, but its not always the best resource. I would use the charter schools - they are free and good education if you research them properly.

REALTOR: Your realtor will help you. Moderator cut: snip This is just my experience. I moved here one year ago from Ohio, stayed at an Extended STay in Gilbert until I found a nice rental in Mesa - placed my kids in charter school . Now, I am moving to SAn Tan Valley (which is probably far for what you want) but well worth it if you dont work in downtown Phoenix.

AGAIN- just MY opinion and experience as a mother of mildly autistic child and advanced child with husband that works in East Mesa. We came here by faith - no plans or agenda - and we have flourished greatly - life is good!

[makeitagreatday]

I don't know why but it seems that alot of folks from MN, WI and Canada have settled into Fountain Hills. I've yet to meet a fellow FH resident that does not love the schools, small town environment, beautiful scenery and close proximity to Scottsdale and Phoenix. I think renting first is a good idea to get to know the areas. It sounds like you will be coming in the heat season so keep in mind that it will get better....much better than those frigid northern winters.

[tancee]

I relocated here from Minnesota almost a year ago. It is a lot diffrent from Minnesota. You have to take in account what your willing to work with along with your budget when finding housing. The setup here will not be what you may be use to with neighbrhoods. You can have a nice area within a bad area and vice versa. My family settled in Mesa. We live on a nice block that more than half the people have grown up or lived on for years. Which makes the block nice. Their are a few other blocks surrounding us thats the same. My area is still considered a bit sketchy and does have its down falls. I've never had anyone bother me or my family. The crime seems to settle on certain blocks. People still go out for walks and runs with their family. My neighbors some are friendly while, others keep to themselves. If you, want communities that have a lot less crime it will cost. I chose Mesa because the rent is cheaper and closer to ammnities. The houses are smaller and closer together but, great to start off. We didn't want to move too far away for job commutes and I use open enrollment for schools.