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Are there particular parts of Anthem that are better to live in than any other? Maybe because they are closer to schools, parks, community features, stores, restaurants, etc? Or is it a small enough suburb where everything is easily accessible and close by? Any area to avoid for whatever reason?
I wouldn't say there are any areas to avoid at all.
I've heard that Country Club is a little less kid-friendly (it's a gated golf community) but have no actual experience with that.
The west side, which is the part of Anthem west of I-17, is actually part of Phoenix, and gets its services (water, trash, police) from the city. Those utilities are thus way less expensive there, the rates Epcor charges on the east side are obscene. At least half of the west side is retail/commercial, as that is where the Outlets, Wal-Mart, the hotel, and a number of other businesses are, but the residential section is pretty well separated from that. All of the amenities are on the east side, though. There are also pockets of businesses and retail throughout the east side, which is much larger, mostly all off the main roads (Anthem Way, Gavilan Peak, Daisy Mountain). Traffic generally isn't a problem anywhere, except maybe around the high school in the mornings and afternoons, and if there is a big event at the park, like the fireworks for the 4th of July.
Anthem is a large community of about 20,000 people. It is comprised of the original planned community by Del Webb and some newer adjacent developments Anthem West, and the Arroyo Norte/Arroyo Grande (which are not technically Anthem) just to the north. Anthem is a very nice community. The original Del Webb (east of I-17) section has the most amenities like parks, Community Center, shopping and dining, schools etc. But as John P mentioned slightly hire costs to live there. It is a trade off of amenities for cost. For most people Anthem is a great place to live. Some people do not like the HOA, others the location because it is a long commute to the city, but most of the people I know that have moved to Anthem love it. In general I would say that there are no areas to avoid in Anthem but just be aware of what the differences between the different sections are and which meets your needs best. If you feel you will use the amenities of the Anthem Country Club, go for it. If you think you will never use the facilities in the Del Webb side, look at the adjacent developments.
One other option is the area around Anthem called Desert Hills which is comprised of large parcel homes and horse properties, typically 1 acre or larger. There are many new custom homes in this area. So if you have no need of amenities like the planned community, but enjoy open spaces and room for toys like cars, trucks, boats, RVs, dirt bikes, etc. This area may be worth a look.
Thanks for input! I'm prepping for future plans so I'm trying to get as much info as possible. I know I'm very early in my stages of planning, but every piece of info helps and I'll be curious to see if any suggestions change over the years.
AZJoeD, the part you mentioned about "being aware of what the differences between the different sections are and which meets your needs best." That's exactly what I'm interested in. How many sections would you say make up Anthem? Is it literally just the section west of I-17, east of I-17 and the Country Club section JohnP mentioned?
I live in Chicago now and not that I'm even trying to compare the 2, but Chicago is broken down by neighborhoods that each have their positives/negatives. The northwest side is the better/safer portion of the city and even though its the most desirable part of the city as a whole, some people prefer certain parts within the NW side for various reasons. So its like there are the desirable neighborhoods and then sections within each desirable neighborhood. That's were my questions came into play as far as me wondering if Anthem is similar in that Anthem as a whole is a great place to live, but then within Anthem, is the southern part more desirable than the northern for reason X, Y, Z?
As far as the commute, I've heard both sides in that people say it isn't bad and people say it is. I'm sure most of that is based upon individual experience of traffic jams/commute times to and from work, etc. Coming from Chicago where it takes 30 minutes to drive 5 miles at the best time of day, I'm hoping to be on the side that says traffic in AZ isn't bad at all. Google maps says its about 35 minutes from Anthem to Phoenix. Is that pretty accurate? What would be the average time at different parts of the day?
The needs I'd be looking for at that time are to be close to schools, parks, easy access to expressway, grocery stores. Or is Anthem constructed in a way where no matter what part you live in, everything is easily accessible? And my definition of easily accessible is a 5-10 minute drive to the expressway. 10 minute drive to the store. Few minute drive or walk to the school/park.
There are "subdivisions" within Anthem. As they developed Anthem each new area was named. But there is no "bad" area. All are well kept. The only difference is the price/size/age/lot size of the house. The country club has multiple gates, some are guard attended. You can go on the Deer Valley Unified School District website and there is a map with boundary lines. All homes within Anthem are close their K-8 school, and there is one high school- Boulder Creek High. If you aren't interested in the "amenities" of Anthem, there are some newer areas that aren't considered part Anthem. Arroyo Norte, is on the east side of I-17, just North of Anthem, there are a couple of builders in there, and they are getting ready to start building a Lennar subdivision on the West side of Anthem, north of the post office, to be called Circle Mountain Ranch. Neither will have access to the amenities, but they will have their own HOA, parks, etc.
In regards to commute....it depends on where you are going and what part of Anthem you are living? Our first address in the country club, all the way to the NE corner, it was 10 minutes just to get out of the country club section. If you are working off Happy Valley Road/USAA area...about 15-20 minutes. Going to the airport- 45 to an hour. North Scottsdale/Kierland 35-40 minutes, but south Scottsdale/Old Town 45 min to hour. There are so many lanes now that getting to the 101 is generally no back up, beyond that you never know, especially rush hour.
Parks, schools, grocery stores, Walmart, outlet mall, Starbucks, CVS/Walgreens, a some local restaurants, banks, doctors...all right in Anthem. Very easy on/off to i-17.
10 minutes south to Carefree Hwy and the Tramonto area- Kohls, grocery store, bed bath and beyond, Home Depot, etc.
15 minutes south from Anthem- Shops of Norterra (outdoor mall), across the street from that is Happy Valley Town Center.
We love it here and don't mind the drive to where we need or want to go. Some people prefer to be in the "city" not in suburbia. We like suburbia. Also....while we were gathering our info and trying to decide where to move we took advantage of VRBO. Each year we would rent a house in a different area and go on vacation in Anthem to make sure it was right for us. It really helped us make the decision and after several years doing that at different times of year...mostly summer, we were ready to jump in and it already felt like home. Good luck.
Not to be redundant to what dezrtlover said, but the different sections or phases within the main community may have different floor plans, lot sizes and other features.
It is hard to compare Phoenix, and Anthem in particular, to the Chicago area because Chicago, even the suburbs were built up years ago. You have to go pretty far outside the Chicago metro to find a planned community like Anthem. The best example I can give is a community that I used to live in called Green Trails in Lisle, IL. It was comprised of about 7 or 8 "sections" (mine was called Surrey Ridge) that were built up with different characteristics. Some homes were larger high end homes, while another section had smaller patio homes, while another had condominiums, etc. It was one community, with little communities inside.
dezrtlover also mentioned Tramonto which is the next community south of Anthem and has similar characteristics. It is worth consideration as well.
As for the commute, I commuted to downtown Chicago from the western suburbs for years, so I can tell you that the commute here will be much better than the Eisenhower or Kennedy at rush hour. The biggest difference here is not time as much as distance. You can go along distance here in a short time, but you will rack up miles on your car very quickly. 3 months ago I would have mentioned the cost of gas ($3 a gallon), but right now we are paying about $1.70 for gas so that argument is gone, for now.
If you haven't visited the area, it is hard to explain to Chicagoans, just like it is hard to explain that 90 degrees is not too bad. I highly recommend you come on out and visit the area, see for yourself. I think you will like what you see, but not everyone feel that way.
I don't consider anthem suburbia. Suburbia, in my mind, is miles and miles, town after town, of strip malls, houses, and drug stores. Anthem has a couple of gas stations, a couple of drug stores, a couple of grocery stores. Just enough. There is no traffic. You can't get anywhere by going through Anthem so there is no through traffic between say, 17 and Cave Creek. The different parts of anthem are really just different subdivisions. There may be no house that is more than a 10 minute walk to a park. And now Uber is here...so I can check out some of the bars/restaurants and have a few drinks.
Thanks again for the great info!! Some of the stuff I'm asking about is pretty particular, but sometimes its those small things that make the difference. I definitely agree with those who said I should visit. Its funny that was suggested because I was just telling my wife how I want to rent a house for a week either this summer or next spring to see Anthem for ourselves. She has family in different parts of AZ so we'll be visiting a few times before things get serious and we make the move. I also agree with AZJoe in that 90 degrees really isn't too bad. I'm so sick of highs of 20 and lows of -20 coupled with a foot of snow and no sunshine for weeks at a time that no heat can appear bad. My feeling is that your body will eventually acclimate to the 90 to 100 degree days. Its like that first day of 50 degree weather in Chicago after a stretch of 20 degree days. People are out in t-shirts and shorts, but if it were to drop to 50 in September after a few 80 degree days, everyone would be wearing jackets and knit hats. I'm sure the first few 90 degree days in the spring are hot but after a week or 2, I'm sure its the norm.
AZJoe...do you ever miss anything about IL or are you finding everything is just as good, if not better in AZ?
I have been living in Anthem for 1.5 years, at the Anthem Way complex, at 42424 N. Gavilan Peak Pkwy.
This complex has been the worst living experience in dealing with inconsiderate neighbors, who do whatever they want to do, at any time during the day or night. I have live in 7 different states and moved 17 times, over the past 25 years. Here in Anthem, I have NEVER experienced the vulgar disrespect of neighbors in this community. I assumed and was told Anthem is a far northern suburb community, that is quiet and very comfortable to live, like my prior residence of Gilbert. WRONG!!!
The "local Realtor" also told me, the Anthem Way complex is quiet, Anthem is quiet, and a comfortable great place to live. WRONG!!!
I will give you an example of living in Anthem. It was about one month ago, and the neighbor was revving his 3 wheeler at 9:30 pm. I ask him to be considerate of his neighbors, especially since it is a week night. His response, “hey dud, it is only 9:30 pm, so go “F” yourself”. This is one of many negative experiences, I have had with the people that live in Anthem.
I have talk to many people considering moving to Anthem. My question to them is, if you do not care about your neighbors, and you are going to do what you want to do at any time of the day or night, then move to Anthem. If this does not fit your life style, RUN IMMEDIATELY, from Anthem.
Unfortunate resident of Anthem
James Jacob
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Living in Anthem, AZ. 1/31/15
