Cities moving in right direction or wrong direction (Phoenix, Mesa: best neighborhoods, for sale)

[mikeanajessse]

Current residents of Phoenix area looking for some opinions on which cities in the Phoenix area they feel are headed in the right direction as far as quality of life for residents.Infrastructure including shopping,parks, access to highways,crime,jobs,schools,home values etc.Vice versa cities headed in not such a great direction.

[Noregrets11]

Well, I live in Queen Creek and couldn't be happier!

Infrastructure: We have lots of newer roads, and/or roads being widened. An on-ramp to the 202 at Ray Rd & Ellsworth is near completion. (I believe this is technically Mesa, but it will be a huge convenience for QC citizens.)

LOTS of new housing going up- 6 new subdivisions were just approved in addition to what's already under construction.

Shopping: We have the standard Vestar shopping center- Super Target, Ross, Pet Smart, Cost Plus World Market, yada, yada. Also a Walmart-anchored shopping center with Staples, PetSmart, etc. Basha's, Fry's (and a new Banner hospital) is right over the town "line". Nothing sophisticated, but Sprouts and San Tan Mall is 10-25 minutes away, depending on where you live. Harkins Theaters just broke ground.

Parks: Desert Mountain and Founders Park are the two big ones. A small puppy park is under construction, and a splash pad is being added to Founders Park. We also have 5 new large park plans ready....just waiting for the funding to get them started. (I'm hoping fees from the new housing developments will help!) The town has a trails system for walking/biking/horse riding along our washes. They are working on expanding the trails.

School: The school district is rated the #1 district in all of Maricopa County. Several charter schools. Our budget override did not pass, though, and that was a huge disappointment. But that is also the case for several districts in the county.

Crime: I feel very safe. Haven't heard of anything scary happening in the year I've been here.

Jobs: that's the downer. Unless you work in retail/dining/healthcare. Not a lot of professional office-type jobs to be had. But if you're willing to cross the town line, the Apple/Mesa building will be very convenient (about 10-20 min drive), as will the Chandler/Intel building (15-30min) if they ever actually use it.

You can find a lot of this information on the town's website and/or their Facebook page. They do a good job of keeping their residents informed.

QC gets a bad rap from people who have outdated information. But I live here and see how amazing this town is for families. As long as hubby's job holds out, I can see us being here for a very long time!

Hope this helps.....

[mikeanajessse]

Queen Creak is relatively new compared to some of the other cities.Everybody loves something new instead of old per say.Correct me if i am wrong about some of the other cities but it seems like the older areas seem to fall by the wayside because of the newness of other areas.One thing i took notice to where some beautiful developments throughout the valley are established they are sitting next to a trailer park whether trailer park safe or unsafe old or new it becomes a major eyesore to potential buyers.Just seems like some areas are just lost in time.Hence being run down.

[asufan]

Originally Posted by Noregrets11

the Chandler/Intel building (15-30min) if they ever actually use it.

They already have several thousands of employees at the Intel Ocotillo campus, what you're referring to is the new $5 Billion Fab which is completed however not yet in use.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by mikeanajessse

Queen Creak is relatively new compared to some of the other cities.Everybody loves something new instead of old per say.Correct me if i am wrong about some of the other cities but it seems like the older areas seem to fall by the wayside because of the newness of other areas.One thing i took notice to where some beautiful developments throughout the valley are established they are sitting next to a trailer park whether trailer park safe or unsafe old or new it becomes a major eyesore to potential buyers.Just seems like some areas are just lost in time.Hence being run down.

Actually, the old part of Queen Creek is not at all unlike the old part of Chandler or Gilbert in terms of its apparent age, though it's smaller and more rural. Like other suburbs on the west side, they all exploded during the boom, and imploded to varying degrees during the bust.

I can't think of any beautiful new developments right next to run down trailer parks anywhere, so I'll take your word for it, wihout specifics. In some cities, the older core does take longer to redevelop/improve, but the newer subdivisions are outside that core.

I think Tempe's 2040 plan and the neighborhood meetings that go with it are a sign that Tempe is heading in the right direction, still, as they have been for some time. Yes, we pay a higher sales tax than other places, but there are amenities as a result that, especially for the size of the city, are excellent.

[Noregrets11]

Originally Posted by mikeanajessse

Queen Creak is relatively new compared to some of the other cities.Everybody loves something new instead of old per say.Correct me if i am wrong about some of the other cities but it seems like the older areas seem to fall by the wayside because of the newness of other areas.One thing i took notice to where some beautiful developments throughout the valley are established they are sitting next to a trailer park whether trailer park safe or unsafe old or new it becomes a major eyesore to potential buyers.Just seems like some areas are just lost in time.Hence being run down.

So....are you looking for an older area of a city with nice developments that aren't next to trailer parks or that look run down? My intention isn't to be rude, but I can't see the connection between this comment and your original query. Are you trying to find a place to live or maybe open a business? I'm sure there are plenty of places in the Valley that fit what you're looking for, but I/we need to narrow in on what exactly your ideal place might look like.

[cacto]

Tempe is a well run city that's actually always trying to improve life there. Kind of an AZ anomaly.

[azriverfan.]

Tempe deserves it's own thread. It is so overlooked and it has honestly made the most progress and best moves lately. It's adding the State Farm campus which will create many jobs. It's politics are progressive; it just recently passed legislation to ban discrimination against gays. It's one of the few Blue cities in the state.

The city is aggressive about building high rises and developing their urban core. Unlike other cities in the Valley that have height restrictions and are trying to ban high rise development, Tempe has gone in the opposite direction.

I think you will see that Tempe will be THE talked about city in Arizona in the next 10 years. You really can't argue that another city in the Valley has a better location. Tempe borders Phoenix, Scottsdale and Chandler. It's close to the airport, Old Town Scottsdale and downtown Phoenix. It's home to ASU. It has nice yet affordable homes and South Tempe has some of the best neighborhoods in the Valley. They are tree lined with lawns. U.S.A. Basketball is establishing it's headquarters in Tempe.

Tempe is experiencing a resurrection. During the 2000's, the focus was on Chandler, Gilbert and Queen Creek among East Valley cities. In the last 4 years, it seems like Tempe (and to some degree Mesa too) has been making a comeback. Mill Avenue is alive again.

Tempe is trying to model themselves after Austin and is becoming like a mini-Austin, TX.

I would not all be surprised if Google Fiber picked Tempe to expand to.

[timtemtym]

What's up with Glendale? It's ETJ goes way way out west very far from its core and heavily populated areas. Peoria does that too to the North. Are they trying to beat Phoenix to the punch? Every few months when I get tired of rent in LA County, I look up for sale places in Glendale, west valley areas. Mortgages for half my rent on beautiful places... shaking my head.

[Jukesgrrl]

I think the City of Phoenix has made a lot of positive strides recently with some excellent programs that are having an impact on quality of life. Some examples:

-The Phoenix Sky Train is functioning at Sky Harbor, connecting the airport to the light rail.
-Phoenix now has a Bike Share Program.
-A program called PHX Renews is dedicated to restoring vacant lots to productive use such as places of business, gardens. playgrounds, and public art projects.

-Phoenix was a finalist in Bloomberg Philanthropies' Mayor's Challenge for its submission of a plan to make Phoenix "the smartest energy city in the world."
-Phoenix was the first city in Arizona to establish a program designed to stabilize its hospitals financially to ensure patient care and to keep them providing jobs for the community.
-City government is strengthening ties with Mexico and has made it a priority to attract tech businesses.
-There's now an official program to prioritize the city procuring goods and services from local businesses.
-School administrations are now working better with the city police to increase school safety.

-The city has established the H.E.R.O. Initiative to address unemployment among veteran.
-The city has also established a veteran's court to give assistance and priority to veterans in contact with the criminal justice system, with the goal of restoring them as contributing members of society.

-Councilman Daniel Valenzuela's Read On, Phoenix program, a strong effort to improve literacy.
-Continued creative development of the central corridor.
-The Big Brain Awards program, sponsored by the Phoenix New Times, calls attention to the people in Phoenix making creative and innovative achievements in cultural activities.
-The Phoenix Film Office has improved the number of film projects being done here, providing employment and bringing income to the entire metro.

-The Phoenix Suns ... surprise success of the NBA for the 2014 season! Hornacek's scrappy Suns a big NBA surprise | NBA.com