Moving to Phoenix, seeking nice, safe NorthWest Valley & maybe Goodyear. (Glendale: crime, houses)

[ZuZu68]

Hi, My husband & I are looking to move to AZ in the next year from IL. We cannot stand the cold winters & high humidity. We are looking at homes in the north part of Phoenix, Peoria, Surprise, Glendale and also considering Goodyear too. we like Anthem too but I like to see some trees too. We are in our 40's & no kids so schools are not an issue. I'm not sure but I think I would like to be north of the 101 cause I don't want to hear hwy traffic. Is this an issue? I check crimemapping.com and it looks like a lot of crime in middle of 101 loop & along Bell in Surprise but thins out as you go north. We both like homes with a tile roof, not shingle. Yes we like the typical stucco home. If I'm going to live in the southwest, I want my house to look like it belongs there. ha ha. When I look online at homes in the north phoenix area on satellite, Ill see old & some junky (like mini junkyards) properties around a tile roof subdivision. It seems that "around" east of I-17 & east of 101 it changes to older homes but newer subdivisions are dotted in there. I would like to be able to walk in my neighborhood as we are active walkers for exercise and want to feel safe. I need all opinions good and bad. Also concerned about Luke AFB in Surprise and living with F-16's flying over me. Any thoughts on that as well?
Thank you all in advance

[gettingoutofAZ]

Try Anthem, or Estrella in Goodyear, or the Desert Ridge area close to Scottsdale. Look for a master planned community vs. a neighborhood. Estrella and Anthem are both very walkable, and friendly/safe places.

[MN-Born-n-Raised]

I think it was about 2 years ago when I was trying to do research through satellite images.
Someone said that I needed to come out and take a look for myself. They were absolutely right. You will fry up all kinds of hours trying to figure out the ideal location. It's best to flyout and see what it "feel" like to you.

I was out about 5 times before I could narrow my search. In summary, it unfortunately cannot be done with images and asking questions on a forum.

[pandaundercover]

I went through considering 6 cities, narrowing it down to what cities and neighborhoods felt the most "homey" to me by house viewing. You really can't just choose a city or even a neighborhood (sometimes) and look for a house there because every neighborhood feels different and home options will probably be sporadic, (all over the city) and limited (depending on your budget and what is available). I personally recommend Litchfield Park if you can afford it. Although the jets may be an issue for you. Most people out here seriously adapt to the jets and don't care. Otherwise, west Surprise is really nice too. Marley Park is a division that many people like and recommend, but it's one of the more expensive communities in Surprise. Otherwise, Most of the communities west of Litchfield Road and north of greenway, are pretty desirable, affordable, and friendly. It'll just come down to scoping out houses available and seeing what you like, and what specific neighborhoods you like. They're not all equal. Hope this helps. Oh, and unless you RIGHT near the highways, they are not a noise problem at all. We lived in Goodyear in an apt complex that bordered the 10 and THAT was loud, but tolerable. Any further than that, it's really not a noise issue.

[PeoriaMom]

If you are looking for areas that are newer and masterplanned then Anthem, Estrella and Vistancia are all nice. They are close knit communities with lots of activities. Surprise is also nice and has a lot to offer. Of course all those areas are farther out from the city and traffic getting to them can be bad. If you want to stay closer into the city then Desert Ridge, Stetson Valley, Fletcher Heights and Arrowhead areas are great. Lots of close by shopping, dining, movies etc. Also search from Beardsley/Loop 101 north to Happy Vally and from 55th Ave to 107th Ave (Stetson Valley and Fletcher Heights are in this area). This is a newer area with many nice communities. Home prices are beginning to go up here in the Phoenix area. Nice homes are receiving multiple offers and inventory is low right now. I know most of the country housing is still declining, but the home market here is in recovery and going back up.

[jimj]

Take a look at the hidden,unknown area called Waddell. There are several newer subdivisions out here and houses are still a bargain. As for Luke, well I don't know that there's any area on this side of the valley that you don't hear the jets BUT for the most part it's easy to ignore and it's cool to watch them. I've never heard of any safety concerns from them flying around btw.
As for safety and walking, we walk all the time and feel safer out here than we would living closer in besides, we like living around all the farms and close to the park. At least we know we'll not have much more (if any) building to the west of us.

[pr0zac]

I moved to Goodyear (McDowell/Dysart area) a couple years ago from Texas and it's great there. Borders on Avondale and Lichfield Park, and everything is within walking distance (within 2 city blocks). Need a haircut? Walking distance. Need to get a prescription filled? Walking distance. Need to go to the hospital? Walking distance! Chuck E Cheese? Walking distance! Need a car wash? Walking distance! Ok that last one made absotively no sense, but you get the picture.

And it's SAFE too. When you see a white girl walking alone at night who isn't "working", you know it's a safe area