Maricopa area safe? Looking for a house $1100-$1200

[Tall Traveler]

Maricopa is safe. It comes down if you are willing to give up some conveniences for more house. As far as the isolation, some people like it and some don't. the services there are growing but more is needed to become a real city.

[tlvancouver]

We love Maricopa, but don't need to commute every day into Phoenix for work. That being said, if there's no accident we find the traffic from Maricopa to Phoenix far less stressful at any time of day than from many many other suburbs that are closer on the map. If there's an accident though, you're screwed...

[PoppySead]

Originally Posted by elcajones

To each there own. I like what most dread about Maricopa most. The perceived isolation. Really it's not all that isolated. It's just separated by like 15 miles of open desert and has it's own city identity instead of being just another block of linked sprawl. Casa Grande has that going for it too. I prefer Maricopa as of now but that's likely namely because I haven't spent any time in Casa Grande except doing work related stuff. I think CG would be a good place to start out out here for a transplant though due to the fact you can realistically look for work in both the Phoenix and Tucson Metros. It amazing to me how far out people perceive Maricopa to be. And if it keeps the cost of living down there at San Tan Valley Levels I can't complain. Just gonna toss out my google maps play here.

Driving toward Downtown Phoenix, a good central location of town for an example, from where google maps drops the pin (347 and Honeycutt) it will take 34.6 miles and 40 minutes to reach Downtown PHX (Not factoring in a rush hour commute on any of these by the way) and if for some reason you need to head to the West Side of town during rush hour, theres a pretty useful backway to avoid all the gridlock and pop out in SW Phoenix on 51st ave.

Lets do the same from the dropped pin for Chandler.Google drops it in Downtown Chandler off Arizona Ave and Chandler Blvd. 22.3 Miles and 30 Minutes to Phoenix. 10 minutes closer than Maricopa.

AJ - Downtown Phoenix. Very similar to Maricopa distance-wise, as AJ is 35.7 Miles with a 40 minute time estimation. There we go I figured out the best distance comparison. Pretty much the same deal. I know Aj is not the most desirable area but the 85209 and 85212 zips of East Mesa bordering AJ absolutely are as in Gold Canyon even a little further East.

San Tan Valleys Pin gets dropped by google on Hunt Hwy just southeast of Gary (Where the QT is). STV is 45.4 miles from downtown and 53 minutes with a lot of surface streeting into AJ or East Mesa. I'm not harshing STV just trying to understand why it seems more desirable than the Copa to so many?

One big reason is because there are more routes home to San Tan than Maricopa like tlvancouver said. If you get an accident during rush hour you wait a long time to get through. If you hit one on the way home to San Tan you just take another route. There are a few other reasons but this is the main one I hear. One way in and one way out.

[azdr0710]

did the last three posters even read post #30???!!!....(I realize they could be considered just general comments, of course)

glad the OP found a place that seems to be working out.....

[elcajones]

Originally Posted by PoppySead

One big reason is because there are more routes home to San Tan than Maricopa like tlvancouver said. If you get an accident during rush hour you wait a long time to get through. If you hit one on the way home to San Tan you just take another route. There are a few other reasons but this is the main one I hear. One way in and one way out.

This is a fair point. That being said Hunt Hwy (Been under construction for how many year now?) is terrible during commute times entering town via Ellsworth to Hunt. There are other options though and Ironwood/ Ganzel is not bad at all. That is one thing STV has over Maricopa. Another big one through my own research is Maricopa's power company charges more where in STV SRP seems to be the company. SRP is the only giant utility company I have ever dealt with that I really do like. The customer service is astonishingly great and they seem to charge the fairest rates in AZ from what I've read. I've learned quite abit about pro's and cons of both in the past several months. I don't think either is a bad place to live if your looking for a nice house in a good area but, they both have their own pro's and cons. Being not totally connected to sprawl hell is a pro for both IMO.

[FitnessPower]

Originally Posted by DetroitN8V

All of your distance/time estimates are off. For one, Avondale is about half the distance to Phoenix that Maricopa is. I'm glad you've found it to be a good home for you but let's not paint it as something that it's not. It's somewhere people go for cheap housing and little else.

I live in Maricopa(rancho el dorado) and used to commute into the phx metro 5-6 days a week... His commute times are are pretty accurate.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by elcajones

And for what it's worth I used to feel Maricopa was on the outskirts and made an effort to ensure it will be a good move for me. As of the last month I commute to Maricopa to do all my grocery shopping at bashas in Maricopa from here at Dobson/Guadalupe to see if I can see myself commuting daily. I did a grocery run today out there. I consider it my Maricopa "stress test" it took me 25 minutes to get to Maricopa and another 25 back home, from my home on the tempe /mesa border. It's nothing.

Hope the price of gas stays low. And wait until you see your electric and water bills. If you can afford the difference, go for it. I know lots of people down there, but most are not regularly commuting. I would not live there if I were still working and had to drive into the Valley daily. I'll bet you didn't do your little grocery drive during commuting hours. And just wait till there's a wreck on the 347. 25 minutes from Dobson/Guadalupe? Under ideal conditions, making every light, maybe. That's not every day real life commuting, though. Good luck.

[elcajones]

Originally Posted by observer53

Hope the price of gas stays low. And wait until you see your electric and water bills. If you can afford the difference, go for it. I know lots of people down there, but most are not regularly commuting. I would not live there if I were still working and had to drive into the Valley daily. I'll bet you didn't do your little grocery drive during commuting hours. And just wait till there's a wreck on the 347. 25 minutes from Dobson/Guadalupe? Under ideal conditions, making every light, maybe. That's not every day real life commuting, though. Good luck.

I got a fleet card that covers all my work gas. I decided to hold off on renting a house. I'm going to do the apartment thing for longer while setting aside money to BUY a house instead.