Fountain Hills, AZ Community Info (Phoenix, Scottsdale: fit in, condos, high crime)

[AZ TRD]

Hello all,

My wife and I currently live in Cave Creek, AZ and are considering moving to Fountain Hills. I have read various posts pertaining to its distance from downtown (commute time, access to shopping, entertainment, etc.) and I understand the pros and cons of the location from that aspect. What I am really hoping to find is the thoughts and opinions of those living in Fountain Hills as to life within the town itself.

I know it is a beautiful town with its own unique feel and is fairly safe and low in crime, but has anyone living there for any period of time noticed an increase in crime over the years? Have people been either moving to or moving away from the town due to crime, budget, education or any number of other miscellaneous issues? We also have two small children and the elementary schools seem to have good ratings/reviews overall, but has the quality of education and funding at these schools either increased or decreased over time? Cave Creek is also low in crime and has great schools, so we want to ensure we are educated in all respects before we decide to make the move.

Thanks in advance for any insights and/or information!

[outsideliving]

I can answer some of these questions, I have only been here for a couple of years but I knew about the town for quite a while and visited a couple times. I am relatively young, and married (both in our early 30's) and no kids yet but soon.

Everybody in my neighborhood is very friendly (but not annoyingly friendly) and social, it's unusual compared to other parts of the valley that I lived in (as in I know who my neighbors are, when I lived in Sdale, I had no idea)

As far as neighborhoods go, the neighborhood near the boys and girls club is a little rough (only by fountain hills standards BTW! ) But it would be laughable if I would say that it is a high crime area, and would be considered a safe neighborhood by almost all standards. This is the far eastern part of FH. I have read online about drugs in the high schools but haven't seen anything or heard anything. For reference, when I was in school in Scottsdale there were some drug problems. Personally I think this comes with any high end area where the kids have some money. I have not heard that crime has been getting worse, what little crime there was. I think as far as the crime situation goes, it will be much like Cave creek.

Many professionals live here, I know of multiple engineers/lawyers/doctors/nurses/Managers that live in my neighborhood, and as both My Significant other and I fit into those categories. We appreciate the comradery that comes along with this. However we are Democrats and I would describe my neighbors as fiscally conservative and socially liberal, some differences but I never bring it up (esp Obama). Not many retires near me but I think as you get closer to the fountain the number of Snowbirds/retires increases as there are many condos near the fountain.

All of my neighbors are active in the schools and appreciate a good education, I haven't heard any complaints, and one of the reasons I moved here was because of the education and involved parents. I feel like the best areas are places where the parents appreciate education and are very involved. Kids I have ran into seem respectful.

Most of my neighbors have been in FH for a Decade or more and seem to want to retire here. So no exodus from my POV. I have actually convinced a couple of my friends to move out here as it offers quite a bit more than the house prices suggest (Houses are not what I would consider cheap, but I feel like for the community and the beauty you get a very good value for your $) But I don't feel like there is a massive amount of people moving here either, it just feels like it's a very stable community. Although in the winter time you do feel the weight of the snowbirds (probably not too much more than the rest of the valley though)

I have no idea about the town budgets or school budgets. I know that they have some projects to refresh some of the areas around the fountain, but that's about it.

One of the biggest surprises is how much live music they have in FH, many restaurants have live music weekly (esp in the winter), There is much more that I could write about this town but I have already rambled way past your questions

[AZ TRD]

Thank you so much for your detailed response, outsideliving! I appreciate the extra information as well and do not consider it to be rambling by any means. The more details and insights offered, the better!

I agree that most people I have come into contact within FH seem to be quite friendly and the neighborly-type, without going overboard. I know what you mean about not knowing your neighbors in other parts of the valley. We have experienced that at our home in Cave Creek and our previous home in North Phoenix as well.

Regarding the retirees/snow birds and professional population you refer to in the town, is there a decent balance between the retirees and young adults that you have noticed, or does one outnumber the other? I have been told that historically FH was a town of older folks, but at one point there were many younger families moving to the area. I do not have a preference one way or the other, and I actually like the idea of being surrounded by an older median age population, but I was just curious.

Another point I wanted to mention is that driving around in the main business areas of the town, there seemed to be many empty commercial buildings or closed businesses. Do most residents not conduct their shopping within the town, and opt for Scottsdale and other areas, where businesses within the town can't keep their doors open?

It's good to hear that the education system there is higher quality and that parents are involved. That is a very important point for us as well with our children and we want to ensure that the school system is highly rated and regarding no matter where we chose to live. Overall, it definitely seems like a great place to live, despite the comparative price of homes and distance from downtown Phoenix, factoring in all the small yet important asepcts!

Thank you again for offering your thoughts.