Johnson Ranch subdivision of Queen Creek (Phoenix, Mesa: hair salon, HOA, house)

[Scottygirl]

Hi...I'm still trying to get an answer from anyone who can give me some feedback on this area. We are thinking of moving to Queen Creek in the Johnson Ranch area. Is anyone familiar with this area and what it is like? The homes look lovely, but I don't see anything with regards to shopping, etc.

Any feedback be it good or bad will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

[Greatday]

Originally Posted by Scottygirl

Hi...I'm still trying to get an answer from anyone who can give me some feedback on this area. We are thinking of moving to Queen Creek in the Johnson Ranch area. Is anyone familiar with this area and what it is like? The homes look lovely, but I don't see anything with regards to shopping, etc.

Any feedback be it good or bad will be greatly appreciated.

Johnson Ranch: Nice homes. Good prices.

There is no closeby shopping at the moment - but, in the very near future, there will be some shopping south in Anthem. And, there is more shopping to come in Florence in the next few years.

The potential downside is the lack of easy road access. There is one way in, and one way out. AND, if there is an accident or some other problem, you are essentially locked in. Oh, you can go through Florence then out to I-10 and around but ....

Traffic is a NIGHTMARE for the time being. There are some plans to expand the road way (Hunt Highway) and add addition east west routes but, they are a ways in coming.

Hope this helps.

[aj661]

Have you considered Anthem at Merrill Ranch? They have great homes, and it's a master planned community. It's a little southeast of Johnson Ranch but that can be a plus for "escape routes" to the valley. You can still take the snails pace up Hunt Hwy, but you'd have easy access to US60 via SR79 by way of Hunt eastbound or up Felix to Arizona Farms and then east to SR79. You've also got the option of taking Attaway northbound through farm country and hooking up with Vineyard/Ironwood northbound to US60 in Apache Jct. Vineyard/Ironwood is coming along pretty well on it's transition to a four lane-the miles long backups are a thing of the past. If you would be traveling to Chandler, Phoenix, Gilbert or Casa Grande, you would also have much easier access to them via SR287/SR87 which skirts around the south side. You're going to have a long drive for shopping other than groceries and gas for a while, but the drive to Casa Grande from there is an easy one and they have all the shopping (malls, outlet stores) you could want. Good luck.

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by Scottygirl

Hi...I'm still trying to get an answer from anyone who can give me some feedback on this area. We are thinking of moving to Queen Creek in the Johnson Ranch area. Is anyone familiar with this area and what it is like? The homes look lovely, but I don't see anything with regards to shopping, etc.

Any feedback be it good or bad will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

• Scottygirl, where will your job(s) be located?
• What are you looking for? New builds, resale, price range, etc.?
• How far are you willing to drive to a good shopping mall?
• Can you expect to stay in the home for at least 6 years?

Queen Creek is way out there, and it will be way out there for a long time.

There are fissure issues that you need to be aware of.

There are many homes on the market out there that will affect your ability if you end up having to sell soon. (That is true anywhere now, but in an area that is inundated with new housing it can be worse.)

Queen Creek may be perfect for you, but then again it may be a nightmare if you have to commute far, and like to go shopping at the big malls.

[ILuvAZ]

I have a negative opinion of the area. Little shopping, nightmare roads, bad schools, lack of services, no movies or entertainment outlets. Pinal county is decades behind Maricopa county. I have read articles that say they are 10 years from having any major mall, freeway, hospital.... I would not move out there if I was given a house and I think as far as resale they are going to be a long way behind Maricopa county in recovering.

Have you visited the area? I would and I would visit the school if you'll have children there. I would go to the local grocery store and get a feel for the people in the area and then I would drive back and forth a couple times to an area that you'd be driving to for your shopping and entertainment. You might not mind it out there but I'd really do your research first. You have to be OK with driving 40 minutes to watch a movie, most people that move out there talk themselves into thinking it won't be so bad but it gets old fast for them and it is NOT going to grow as fast as people have made it out here.

[ILuvAZ]

Have you checked the Queen Creek area that is in Maricopa county or SE Gilbert?? It's still on the outskirts but MILES away as far as having shopping, medical and entertainment (movies, etc) nearby. I have never checked prices out in Pinal County but even if it's a little more out this way I think it's worth it.

[mikec34]

Originally Posted by Scottygirl

Hi...I'm still trying to get an answer from anyone who can give me some feedback on this area. We are thinking of moving to Queen Creek in the Johnson Ranch area. Is anyone familiar with this area and what it is like? The homes look lovely, but I don't see anything with regards to shopping, etc.

Any feedback be it good or bad will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

it's way out in the middle of effin' nowhere! seriously, if it's for retirement, it's good, otherwise don't put yourself through the misery of driving down seemingly endless desert in a two lane road just to get to the 60 where the traffic is packed for another 25 miles to phoenix.

housing is nice and new. in fact, seen a 2200sqft home there for 125,000 on craiglist a couple days ago. it's not worth the ugly climate, scenery, and most of all, the drive.

just depends on the person of course. next to the johnson ranch area they have a new shopping center, with a american-chinese restaruant, mexican, jack in the box, fry's grocery, well fargo, a wal mart just down the road, and some other stuff. it's really isolated.

in AZ queen creek and maricopa town have similar housing projects, and both are very far.

also, i suggest you research fissures:
Story and video: Giant fissure opens up in Queen Creek | www.azstarnet.com ® (http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/88255.php - broken link)

they are real. i contacted the AZ geology scientist in charge of the area a couple years ago, and they told me they have no idea where the next one will come up, just that one will. this is due to the ground water being sucked dry i guess. AZ is a desert, but people live here and want their front lawn green and pool like they live in St. Louis or something. not only that, two agents and an INS company have told me that your property is not covered by fissures. if true, and one opens up near you (or worse, on your property), kiss your equity goodbye and stand in the bankruptcy line if you lose your job and have to sell. also, you will have more scorpions out that way as it's less developed and of course the usual lovely black widow that is so common to AZ's Valley.

cheers!

[Xcali]

I live in Johnson Ranch and I like it!
We have a nice homes, very reasonable HOA (under $60 a month) which covers basic cable and trash collection, three pools, tennis courts, soccer fields and baseball fields for the kids, lots of nicely maintained landscaping, play grounds, and so on. We are right by the Johnson Ranch Golf course, which is a public course, so residents don't have to join, but its available. This is a clean, safe community.
There is a large Fry's grocery close by, Mc Donald's, Jack in the Box, Pizza places, Blockbuster video, urgent care Dr, vet, dentist, hair salon, UPS store, and so on. A few miles down Hunt Highway is the new, huge Anthem at Merrill Ranch master plan community. A beautiful Safeway store just opened there, as well as a Mc donald's, a Radio Shack, bank, gas and so forth.
Yes, Pinal county and Queen Creek is further "out" than some areas, but things are changing very quickly.
I think some of the responses here are based on the Pinal County/Johnson Ranch area and the Town of Queen Creek as they were a couple of years ago... not now.
For example, there are currently TWO hospitals to be built (Banner Ironwood and a CHW hospital). There THREE new high schools currently set for construction, SRP (utility company) has broken ground for new regional customer service center, to be open at the end of the year. There is a shopping center being built right across the road from the close by Super Walmart, which will have a Target, Home Depot, and numerous other stores and restaurants. Alongside Walmart, there will be several more retail stores. A few miles down the road, in the Town of Queen Creek, there is a HUGE shopping area set to open in a just a few months...places like Circuit City, Lowes, Staples, Super Target, Cost Plus, Ross, Kohls, etc.
An additional 30-40 minute drive will get you to loads of shopping, movie theaters and the like.
Queen Creek also has a new library under construction and will eventually be the site of a new Post office.
If you are into horses, there's a large equestrian park under construction right now.
Major road improvements are happening everywhere.
Not far away. The Phoenix-Mesa Gateway airport is adding flights and is projected to become a major hub for employment in the East Valley and a reliever airport for Sky harbor.
That being said, it is still a very tough commute if you need to drive into Phoenix, Chandler, etc for work everyday. But, homes in Pinal county are a real bargain right now. so it's a matter of weighing your options and how you feel about becoming a pioneer!

[ems-lady]

Johnson Ranch is a wonderful community, filled with a variety of families, most of them newlyweds and very young families. There is a fairly strong sense of community here. It is very quiet and some what isolated. The homes are lovely, and as far as the shopping goes, at the moment it is limited to Walmart, Fry's and some smaller shops in the area. However, things are constantly growing out here! A Target and Home Depot are in the works for this area right now! And there are shopping malls only 10-15 min away. It is a very nice area. We love it!

[boutner]

If Johnson Ranch is more families and young adults, what area would be the best for a couple without children, retired early 50's?