Leaving Las Vegas! Please help decide between Chandler & Gilbert Arizona (Phoenix: renting, houses)

[AVA1]

Please help! I currently live in Las Vegas, and I cannot wait to get out of here! I have a husband and 3 children, ages 14, 11, and 7. We are looking at relocating to Chandler or Gilbert, Arizona. Schools are very important, as are being semi close to grocery stores and restaurants, parks, etc. We will be renting for the first year and I would like a newer house with a pool or a community pool. ANY help or opinions, suggestions would be so appreciated!

[observer53]

The first thing you need to do is use the search function and read the DOZENS of threads about these two places; you can include terms like "rent" and "schools" to get that info. Since they border one another, along that border you wouldn't know (or care) which you were living in, in many respects. Both are fairly large in terms of area, both have lots of really nice areas for families. If you do a search on "Gilbert schools" you will find a recent thread about some issues in that district. Parts of Gilbert to the east are served by at least one other district, though, as I recall.

Where your husband is working should also factor in to the equation. This is a very spread out metro area, and keeping commuting distance in mind is important.

Go read the other threads, and come back here if you have more focused questions.

[DetroitN8V]

Gilbert schools seem to have some problems that I would want to steer clear of: https://www.city-data.com/forum/phoen...t-schools.html

[KurtAZ]

Pretty much the same...I like Chandler more but for a while we were leaning towards Gilbert. Chandler schools are rated a bit higher than Gilbert but there are great schools in Gilbert as well.

[BuckeyeBoyDJ]

Both Chandler and Gilbert look just like surburban Las Vegas (Henderson, North Las Vegas like around Durango&215) you'll be hard pressed to tell the difference once you're here. Same houses, landscaping, etc. Like the above said both Chandler and Gilbert are really one in the same. I personally like Chandler more because it's more central to the rest of the metro area and I prefer the amenities of the city more such as Wild Horse Pass Casino, Chandler Fashion Center and Phoenix Premium Outlets to name a couple. Both are wonderful places to raise a family though and I wouldn't hesitate to move to either one. I think Chandler has a slight slight slight edge as far as schools go but all the schools for the most part in both cities are excelling. And being near grocery stores, parks, and restaurants will be the least of your worries. Every subdivision has a gazillion parks to roam around and there's literally a grocery store at every major intersection and a TGI Fridays and Red Robin every 5 miles so you won't go hungry.

[goolsbyjazz]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeBoyDJ

Both Chandler and Gilbert look just like surburban Las Vegas (Henderson, North Las Vegas like around Durango&215) you'll be hard pressed to tell the difference once you're here. Same houses, landscaping, etc. Like the above said both Chandler and Gilbert are really one in the same. I personally like Chandler more because it's more central to the rest of the metro area and I prefer the amenities of the city more such as Wild Horse Pass Casino, Chandler Fashion Center and Phoenix Premium Outlets to name a couple. Both are wonderful places to raise a family though and I wouldn't hesitate to move to either one. I think Chandler has a slight slight slight edge as far as schools go but all the schools for the most part in both cities are excelling. And being near grocery stores, parks, and restaurants will be the least of your worries. Every subdivision has a gazillion parks to roam around and there's literally a grocery store at every major intersection and a TGI Fridays and Red Robin every 5 miles so you won't go hungry.

Both cities are nice and offer similar amenities, but if schools are important I would go with Chandler. The Gilbert school system is going through some changes with significant numbers of teachers and administrators leaving right now. Puzzling.