Questions about Arcadia area (also question about Chaparral, Horizon, and Pinnacle HS)

[Paige65]

Originally Posted by Skywayy2001

Sort of a mystifying comment to say you want to avoid one of the best high schools in the state. Good luck with that.

I don't mean to be mystifying. I'm aware of Brophy's very good reputation and I didn't mean it as a veiled insult. I just don't want to have to pay for private school for two high schoolers if it's not necessary. We would, but I'm trying to avoid living in an area where a good public school isn't an option.

[Paige65]

Originally Posted by Skywayy2001

It's almost impossible to generalize Arcadia and that section of Phoenix. One block has homes priced in the 200-500k range and the next block..everything over a million. Your price range would determine a lot and it will almost certainly be more expensive in 2 years given the demand for this area. Roof rats are everywhere...don't have fruit trees if possible. There is no sbd in Arcadia and for that matter..almost anywhere unless you want to say downtown phoenix, old town scottsdale and other suburbs smaller central areas. There are not a lack of small locally owned restaurants and shops in arcadia in strip malls that be driven, walked or biked to depending upon where you live. One last word of advice, the word "arcadia" is thrown around a lot by realtors when the actually area is quite small and prices can drop off dramatically outside of this area.

Thank you for the information. I do appreciate it. Not a big fan of the roof rats but I guess if other people deal with it I could as well. My price range is somewhere between the two ranges you mentioned. I'm concerned, but not super concerned, about prices increasing, but I expect my own home value to increase as well.

Thanks for your insight!

[Paige65]

Originally Posted by pbenjamin

Within walking distance of the neighborhoods mentioned is Arizona School for the Arts - Phoenix, AZ. ASA has small class sizes and is an excellent college prep environment, placing graduates into top universities. It is a (free) charter school.

I saw that. I don't know much about charter schools, but they seem very popular and some perform very, very well. There are several pros to the charters, however, one of the cons is that my one son, who plays an instrument and is in the choir, has another love. His primary love is football, and he'll never give it up if he doesn't have to. Just a guess, but I'm thinking they don't have a football team at Arizona School for the Arts!

[Paige65]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeBoyDJ

All 3 of those high schools are excellent choice. They are all ranked excelling and ranked a "10" on greatschools.org. Pinnacle is the newest of the 3 in far North Phoenix. Very nice area and very close to Desert Ridge Marketplace where there's plenty of shopping. It is in the Paradise Valley School District which has a good reputation. Horizon is also in the Paradise Valley District. It straddles the Phoenix/Scottsdale border in Northeast Phoenix. Great academics and I hear great things about their AP and honors classes. Chaparral is in the Scottsdale Unified School District. The school is well known for great academics and good athletics. A good number of National Merit Semi Finalists come from Chaparral. You can't go wrong with either school. All three rank well academically. Arcadia is a great school as well thats excelling but it doesn't rank quite as high as the other 3. Greatschools.org gives it a "9". Good luck to you guys!

Thank you. I saw that Chaparral had a good number of National Merit Semi-finalists. Thankfully, we have plenty of time to figure out whether or not this is the right move for us at this time, or to wait until they finish high school. Thanks for the information about Pinnacle and Horizon. I know less about them.

[Paige65]

Originally Posted by observer53

The area inside the boundaries you've given is all "nice"- indeed there is wide variation in the prices of the homes, some are smaller and may or may not have been remodeled extensively, others are McMansions which were built after the original homes were torn down. I grew up in Arcadia, and still love it. There is no business district within Arcadia as it's usually proscribed-- there is commercial development with shops and some restaurants along Indian School, just south of Arcadia

Thanks observer. Looking at street views of some of the homes seems exactly as you described, nicer homes next to ones that look like they might need a little work, but hard to really tell from the outside. I'm definitely not looking at a McMansion - not really my style or my budget.

[Skywayy2001]

Originally Posted by Paige65

I don't mean to be mystifying. I'm aware of Brophy's very good reputation and I didn't mean it as a veiled insult. I just don't want to have to pay for private school for two high schoolers if it's not necessary. We would, but I'm trying to avoid living in an area where a good public school isn't an option.

That is more than understandable; private schools cost too much these days.

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by Paige65

I saw that. I don't know much about charter schools, but they seem very popular and some perform very, very well. There are several pros to the charters, however, one of the cons is that my one son, who plays an instrument and is in the choir, has another love. His primary love is football, and he'll never give it up if he doesn't have to. Just a guess, but I'm thinking they don't have a football team at Arizona School for the Arts!

You are right. No football at ASA. I have seen, though, that Tempe Prep, another excellent academic-oriented charter school, does have football, basketball, etc. teams.

[VOC1]

Roof rats in Arcadia are on overstated problem.

I had a bunch of old orange trees (along with a grapefruit and a lemon tree) and never once saw a roof rat in my yard. Or even in the neighborhood for that matter, all of which was old orange orchards.

However, people in our area took very good care of their trees, pruning, picking the fruit, etc. In areas where the trees get overgrown, and there is fruit and yard debris left lying around, I can imagine roof rats being a problem. But that's not all of Arcadia just because there are orange trees around.

One thing that you will run into in Arcadia are massive sewer roaches if you have irrigation. They live in the irrigation pipes and can come up with the water. Or when the city sprays the pipes down...oh god. At least you won't see the big bastards in your house though.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by Paige65

I know Arcadia has a general overall reputation for being nice, but there appears to be a wide range of prices. I've driven through the Arcadia neighborhood in the past but never paid much attention as we weren't contemplating moving there. Many years ago, my DH's dad jokingly but truthfully (I think) said that Arcadia was "where all the rats are". Is that still a problem? If so, what does one do about it? I'm a bit rodent averse.

They're called "roof rats" ... and yes, they have been a problem in the Arcadia area because (from what I heard) of the many citrus trees which a lot of homes have through there. They like to feed off the fruit that drops on the ground, and they nest in places like sheds and attics. But these rats have shown up in many other parts of Phoenix, not just Arcadia.

I really like Arcadia overall. It's like a throwback to how Phoenix was back in the '50s & '60s with the large custom homes, lush green lawns, and a sense of community. Very different (and nicer) than the cookie cutter slabs of stucco and the tiny shadeless rock yards which many of the newer developments have.