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Take away west Phoenix, south Glendale, South Peoria, El Mirage, laveen, youngtown, half of avondale, tolleson and parts of buckeye and you have a pretty solid area! Now take away all the distribution centers along I-10 and the suffocating big rig traffic goes away. replace the warehouses with class a offices and corporate headquarters like the east valley. next get rid of the huge ugly prison on I-10 and replace it with a mall that has an aquarium and I max.
Get rid of Luke AFB so that we don't have to hear sonic booms every 5-10 minutes. Move ASU and it's walkable downtown setting, town lake and regional headquarters to the former maryvale area, that would be nice. Move fashion square to surprise and fashion center to Goodyear, that'll give folks a nice close area to get all their shopping done and enjoy the surrounding restaurants. Move vee quiva casino up to the freeway so it's not out in the boonies and make it much nicer, add 3 more like this like the East valley has as well. hell bring Arizona's only 5 diamond restaurant out of Chandler and put it in Lichfield. Now we're getting somewhere.
I like Luke AFB right where it is...i like listening to the sound of Freedom, and the commute isn't bad when I need to venture to base.
They aren't allowed to sonic boom near civilization
LOL I'm on track to meet my retirement savings goals by 48 but don't plan to retire until 52-55 so I'm not worried about spending an extra hundred grand to live my youth in a far superior part of town, it's more enjoyable to me. That's off topic though. I'm not trying to convince you my side of town is better, I'm informing the reader of the differences. If the things I posted are important to the OP or the reader, that will be good info for them. If they share your affinity for lack of amenities for a lower cost, your info will be helpful. No one is trying to convince you to move and no one compared East Vs West or La Jolla or Dallas, etc.
if you wanna talk about far superior...chandler aint it...North Scottsdale is the upper end of homes and money in the valley. (not feeding in to the east vs west, just stating) i'm sorry to burst a bubble...Chandler is just another ol burb in the valley nice place, yes...but its no atlantis. You can come over to Norterra, Stetson, Arrowhead, Vistancia, Desert Ridge, litchfield park,etc etc etc and find the same property values and market swings that you see in your current hood.
the most agreeable statement is that "you enjoy it" that's the important part. You enjoy where you live. That's what we should strive for. I enjoy where I live...I think my neighborhood is fantastic.. But i'm not out there blowing smoke about how much more "epic" my street is than someone elses, all because of personal taste
Last edited by enigmadsm; 06-23-2014 at 08:44 PM..
I created an account just because this is such a great question and an important one when making the move from another state to Az.. I'm a native Californian (L.A.) and have been here for 20 years this summer. I've only lived in the east valley (North East Mesa,Gilbert) so I can't really say much about the west other than it's just so different.. It's a different vibe. I know it's a touchy subject because no one wants their hometown to be considered unfavorable. You have to come out and stay a few nights..I live in Chandler and although I miss California at times..I feel it's closer to the feel of Orange County without the snootiness and ocean lol!! We vacation every summer in San Diego and Laguna beach so you can always take a quick trip to California when you need to. Arizona is what you make of it, east, west, north or south.. It's all about your attitude. Good luck!
Last edited by Dancingbarefoot13; 06-23-2014 at 10:28 PM..
I created an account just because this is such a great question and an important one when making the move from another state to Az.. I'm a native Californian (L.A.) and have been here for 20 years this summer. I've only lived in the east valley (North East Mesa,Gilbert) so I can't really say much about the west other than it's just so different.. It's a different vibe. I know it's a touchy subject because no one wants their hometown to be considered unfavorable. You have to come out and stay a few nights..I live in Chandler and although I miss California at times..I feel it's closer to the feel of Orange County without the snootiness and ocean lol!! We vacation every summer in San Diego and Laguna beach so you can always take a quick trip to California when you need to. Arizona is what you make of it, east, west, north or south.. It's all about your attitude. Good luck!
I agree with you. In fact, there is a different vibe in several areas around the Valley. For that matter, I feel and see differences inside of the same town. How an area makes their living shows up in their attitude which may tie into their education levels. Additionally if people move to a frugal area of town, that says a lot about their priorities and it shows up in their image (how they dress, what they drive etc). It is easy to spot. A person making the same $$'s in Surprise (blue collar business owner) is going to look different than an engineer from Intel even if they may make the same amount of money. The farmer in Chandler (who probably makes a lot more than the $200K executive) will be driving a dirty Ford F150 while the executive feels the pressure to drive a $50K import.
It seems that a person who strives for the better image (car, watch, and home) will subconsciously look down at others who don't have the same values. It's a common theme on C-D. It's an image thing because marketing works. Cool widgets are fun until you turn shallow. Since I have always lived in a frugal part of town all of my life, I will too have a different vibe. Externally I buy my clothes from Kohl's and Costco. I'll wear a 20 year old ski jacket and a $100 watch. I've never spent above $25 on a pair of jeans. It's not in my DNA. I just don't care. Others have the need to stretch and lease a 200 series BMW's and wear Hugo Boss to pretend. IMHO, they are falling for the marketing.
Back to azriverfans point of view. He says the West Valley should strive for more luxury car dealers etc. The millionaire next door (Sun City West and Sun City Grand) don't care to drive a BMW. The rich small business owner who has been frugal his whole life doesn't buy into the marketing. It's a difference in culture.
Now in fairness, frugal locations also attract the working class. They work hard and it shows in their voice and face. Many don't sound professional when they speak. I will strike up a conversation with anyone. But I find successful people more interesting to spend time with. There is no shortage of successful people in the West Valley. But they may not carry themselves the same way as folks from the East Valley. So back to your point. I do feel and see a difference. I simply feel more at home in Surprise with people having a similar mentality. But there is factually a different vibe.
I agree with you. In fact, there is a different vibe in several areas around the Valley. For that matter, I feel and see differences inside of the same town. How an area makes their living shows up in their attitude which may tie into their education levels. Additionally if people move to a frugal area of town, that says a lot about their priorities and it shows up in their image (how they dress, what they drive etc). It is easy to spot. A person making the same $$'s in Surprise (blue collar business owner) is going to look different than an engineer from Intel even if they may make the same amount of money. The farmer in Chandler (who probably makes a lot more than the $200K executive) will be driving a dirty Ford F150 while the executive feels the pressure to drive a $50K import.
It seems that a person who strives for the better image (car, watch, and home) will subconsciously look down at others who don't have the same values. It's a common theme on C-D. It's an image thing because marketing works. Cool widgets are fun until you turn shallow. Since I have always lived in a frugal part of town all of my life, I will too have a different vibe. Externally I buy my clothes from Kohl's and Costco. I'll wear a 20 year old ski jacket and a $100 watch. I've never spent above $25 on a pair of jeans. It's not in my DNA. I just don't care. Others have the need to stretch and lease a 200 series BMW's and wear Hugo Boss to pretend. IMHO, they are falling for the marketing.
Back to azriverfans point of view. He says the West Valley should strive for more luxury car dealers etc. The millionaire next door (Sun City West and Sun City Grand) don't care to drive a BMW. The rich small business owner who has been frugal his whole life doesn't buy into the marketing. It's a difference in culture.
Now in fairness, frugal locations also attract the working class. They work hard and it shows in their voice and face. Many don't sound professional when they speak. I will strike up a conversation with anyone. But I find successful people more interesting to spend time with. There is no shortage of successful people in the West Valley. But they may not carry themselves the same way as folks from the East Valley. So back to your point. I do feel and see a difference. I simply feel more at home in Surprise with people having a similar mentality. But there is factually a different vibe.
A good read, thanks for posting I know this thread is on East/West, but am curious to hear your view on North Valley and its' vibe ... or should we start a diff thread for that?
It is funny how people think one area is nasty or undesirable because it isn't what they are looking for in a place to live. We all have different needs and wants. They east and west valley's are different areas and one person may enjoy one side over the other. The places are different, simple as that. That is what the discussion should be about, the differences.
The east valley is nice but not somewhere I would want to live. Too crowded and too much hustle and bustle for me and my family. I much prefer Goodyear or Surprise.
I for one hope the west valley does not become a mirror of the east valley.
A good read, thanks for posting I know this thread is on East/West, but am curious to hear your view on North Valley and its' vibe ... or should we start a diff thread for that?
I am not familiar with many people in the northern burbs. Most of the people that I have met outside of my cocoon live in Chandler, Mesa, Scottsdale, Fountain Hills and Gilbert. I've only been here winters for three years. But what I described above happens in MN. Swap the words north and south for the Twin City metro area with West and East Valley. The Northern burbs MN are frugal and the southern burbs having the small rim glasses and dream of owning the european cars. Beer and brats versus wine and cheese. What was classic about all of this is the town I use to live called Andover had more wealth than Edina which was considered the wealthiest town. No one would believe it but the averages are listed on C-D. It's easy to make six figures as a lineman or a hardworking plumber. It's even easier to make bigger $$'s when you own a heating and air company with 50 employees. But it was common for a subset of people to look down at the northern burbs as "inferior" even when others prefered the look and feel.
I am not familiar with many people in the northern burbs. Most of the people that I have met outside of my cocoon live in Chandler, Mesa, Scottsdale, Fountain Hills and Gilbert. I've only been here winters for three years. But what I described above happens in MN. Swap the words north and south for the Twin City metro area with West and East Valley. The Northern burbs MN are frugal and the southern burbs having the small rim glasses and dream of owning the european cars. Beer and brats versus wine and cheese. What was classic about all of this is the town I use to live called Andover had more wealth than Edina which was considered the wealthiest town. No one would believe it but the averages are listed on C-D. It's easy to make six figures as a lineman or a hardworking plumber. It's even easier to make bigger $$'s when you own a heating and air company with 50 employees. But it was common for a subset of people to look down at the northern burbs as "inferior" even when others prefered the look and feel.
It is all image. Gilbert has a higher median income than Scottsdale.
It is all image. Gilbert has a higher median income than Scottsdale.
Household income, not per capita income. Per capita income between Gilbert and Scottsdale isn't even close. Gilbert's household income is artificially inflated because the Mormons have a ton kids who don't move out until they marry, after they're already in the workforce. The "image" is accurate in this case.
Look at Utah's stats. They have the 13th highest household income but only the 43rd highest per capita income. Household income doesn't mean too much.
And now we know why certain areas of the East Valley has the 30K millionaire stereotype
Not directed at DetroitN8V, just the overall attitude of this thread. And misconception that the westside is a ghetto. Yes, people choose to live in the West Valley even when they can afford to live in the East Valley
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