Where should I live in Phoenix (Good Neighborhoods)

[Guitarmaan]

From our own recent travels exporing, I'll add the following...

Northern Glendale seemed very nice, as did Northern/central Phoenix. Chandler is mostly very nice, and has a safe feel to it. Tempe seems more urban to me, and has the lake and some things going on.

Our biggest surprise was Apache Junction, which is really beautiful and unspoilt. A few trailer homes, but no biggie. The mountain views are awesome there.

And finally our biggest disappointment.... Mesa. I can imagine living peacefully in Mesa, and it's not unsimilar to some places in the UK. But the overall vibe we got was negative. It just seemed run down. Unkept yards and houses, peeling paintwork, & not much English spoken. It reminded me of Slough in the England. Google Slough and read the opinions on it!

[observer53]

Originally Posted by stasi_crystals

Personally I wouldn't live anywhere west of Central ave and south of McDowell rd. Those are the bad areas IMO.

This is a VERY broad overgeneralization and should be taken with a grain of salt. There are perfectly fine areas in the metro Phoenix area that are west of Central and south of McDowell.

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by stasi_crystals

Personally I wouldn't live anywhere west of Central ave and south of McDowell rd. Those are the bad areas IMO.

The Roosevelt and FQ Story Historic Districts are just south of McDowell and west of Central and they are great places to live.

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by pbenjamin

The Roosevelt and FQ Story Historic Districts are just south of McDowell and west of Central and they are great places to live.

Very true. Generally speaking, the west & south sides of Phoenix aren't going to be all that great ... but that's mostly Maryvale, South Phoenix, and Alhambra (to a certain point). The districts you mentioned, as well as Encanto, Palmcroft, Willo, and a few others are west of Central Avenue, and they are some of the most pristine historic areas around.

[Afterburn]

There are some beautiful old neighborhoods here as other posters have pointed out, but because you have young children, I'd stay out of the historic districts for now - too expensive and do not cater to young children as far as areas to play in, etc. Plus, I don't know how many rentals are in the historic areas.

I'd first move to a family-oriented subdivision that has parks, bike/jogging trails. I live in an area called Arrowhead (it is Northwest Glendale in zip 85308). Many of the schools here are rated A+, the commute to downtown is about 35 minutes (depending on many factors daily), there is a good mall here, lots of restaurants, plenty of daycares, the crime rate is not that high, and there are a few decent hospitals close by. There used to be only a few rentals in this area for years, but since the recession, that has changed.

As others have said, this really is a HUGE, spread out place. And you need to know that people are very biased when it comes to their own areas. Some people who live in the East Valley wouldn't be caught dead in the West Valley, and vice versa. I raised two girls in the Northwest Valley, they got a good education, we felt safe in our neighborhood, they had plenty of places to shop and hang out- it really is a matter of what makes you feel safe and comfortable.

[RJAZ17]

There are nice areas scattered all around the valley. Downtown is not too far as long as you are somewhat close to a freeway. I've heard great things about Gilbert, Chandler (south of the 202), Paradise Valley. Also don't count out the west valley as it has nice and cheaper areas. I love Goodyear and Litchfield Park. I've lived all over the valley and am in Goodyear now. It's great for young families, just as I've heard Gilbert is also. North Peoria is nice too, but it's probably more of a drive for your husband and not worth it. Good luck!

[ShampooBanana]

Originally Posted by liz451

Ahwatukee, Central Phoenix (7th ave to 20th st, camelback to northern), Arcadia (26th st east to Scottsdale, stay north of Indian School), western Chandler. Also look at Moon Valley, PV Mall area (85028, 85254, 85032) are all nice area too, just stay east of the 51 freeway.

These are very general areas and there's still pockets that aren't so great in each but that will be very obvious to you. There are A LOT more areas that fulfill your requirements but these might be the easiest neighborhoods to start. None of these should be more than 30 minutes to downtown except maybe Chandler/Ahwatukee. Chandler and Ahwatukee are the most family friendly places in this list however, in my opinion.

Keep in mind Arcadia and Phoenix were built out longer ago than the other areas so homes will be older but it it doesn't necessarily mean the neighborhoods are worse.

Depends on what parts of Ahwatukee or Chandler you live in. North Ahwatukee/Chandler is 20-25 minutes to downtown. Far SE Chandler or SW Ahwatukee obviously much more. If you are looking in the $150k range you are going to be hard pressed to find a house in Arcadia or Central Phoenix (in the areas stated) for that. You can find a few of the "older" homes (built in the 70's or even 80's) for that in some pockets of Ahwatukee or Chandler. Other areas to consider in the price range would north Tempe, south Scottsdale, Lithcfield Park, and nicer parts of Avondale/Goodyear. Even the newer parts of Buckeye (like Sundance and other new developments off of Watson Rd) would be within 30 minutes of downtown on I-10 and you can get a lot of house for your money there.