Relocating to the Valley - Shea/Cactus Corridor, Kierland/Paradise Valley Village (Phoenix: crime, home)

[kell490]

Your going to find in Scottsdale even without HOA's homes still are kept up I find any home over 350k+ range should not be an issue. Usually the kind of people that can afford those prices keep up the properties. I would also consider the Desert Ridge area North of the 101 freeway along Tatum into Tatum Ranch. Those areas are nice as well not far from Scottsdale.

[ABQSunseeker]

Originally Posted by Mister-A

This is great news. There is a lot to choose from in that area and we really like the look of it, especially how the neighborhood "thins out" to the desert near Frank Lloyd Wright. Seems like it's very convenient to shopping on the near side of the airport, and 15-20 minutes to everything else.

One question: does the airport (Scottsdale) present a noise issue for those particular Corridor neighborhoods, or is it pretty negligible from there? It seems like most of the fuss in the articles I was just looking at come from neighborhoods to the immediate north and south of the runway, not really east/southeast.

yes, I agree with ScottsdaleMark. There is some airport noise, though the further east you go it lessens.
I remember that it was mostly daytime and mostly heard outdoors. But I never found it bothersome.

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by Mister-A

Thanks for this. I gathered that the neighborhood changes character in that area, and took a look at the horse ranches on the other side of 96th in Street View, but that's kind of a perk for us. (...I think...) If Fountain Hills were ten minutes closer to Scottsdale and the median age was 10 years younger, it might actually be our preference for just that reason. Of course, I hope a good block wall can generally deter rattlesnakes.

It's my understanding that there's a great variety of monsoon season weather in the Valley and humidity comes and goes, and we can live with a little snow on New Year's Eve for old times sake. (We also like to travel and figure we can structure trips away and weekends north around the hottest part of the year.)

To offer some contrast, where we live, we have four and a half months where the average low is below freezing, with 80"+ of snow which doesn't all melt until May. For a couple of months, it is too cold for road salt to work. On top of this, we get frequent rain the rest of the year, and summers can be uncomfortably hot and humid enough to interfere with outdoor activities.

What I'm trying to say is that while it's obviously not "milder" or one of those places that "doesn't have seasons", I think we have realistic expectations about being able to enjoy a larger percentage of our year. We're very aware we won't be hiking in the desert on summer days or swimming in an unheated pool all winter, but that's OK with us.

With that in mind, I grew up where the summers were routinely 100+ and jungle-like humidity kept it in the 90s at night, but she didn't and "real heat" might be more of a surprise to her. We do have some other options to explore, too, and we definitely plan several scouting trips, including a summer visit, before we commit to anything, but right now it's looking pretty good to us.

Don't listen to those that say it is humid here. You won't even feel it compared to what you are used to! You may also find the high temps in the summer with the dry air to be easier to take than you expect. You just adjust, drink lots of water, park in the shade every chance you get, and spend lots of time in the pool You can still hike and enjoy the outdoors in the hot months, you just go in the early hours when it is a little cooler. (meaning 88 instead of 108 and no direct sun)

[cherrylimeade]

Originally Posted by Mister-A

To offer some contrast, where we live, we have four and a half months where the average low is below freezing, with 80"+ of snow which doesn't all melt until May. For a couple of months, it is too cold for road salt to work. On top of this, we get frequent rain the rest of the year, and summers can be uncomfortably hot and humid enough to interfere with outdoor activities.

What I'm trying to say is that while it's obviously not "milder" or one of those places that "doesn't have seasons", I think we have realistic expectations about being able to enjoy a larger percentage of our year. We're very aware we won't be hiking in the desert on summer days or swimming in an unheated pool all winter, but that's OK with us.

Well said. I can relate to what you described after growing up in upstate NY and then moving to Minneapolis for two decades. Brutal long winters and sweaty muggy summers, with brief wisps of lovely spring and fall weather in between. We came to the same conclusion you did: even if we're stuck indoors from June thru August (which we aren't! we do various jaunts and brief hikes every weekend) it beats having 8 months of nasty weather!

We too are DINKs over 35 and we're renting in Chandler; considering buying here once we've had ample time to assess the commute to our jobs in Scottsdale. I'll be interested in seeing what feedback you get. We looked at northeast Phx (Scottsdale is out of our budget range) but Chandler seemed to have good amenities and less crime. We'll see how it goes.

[smoochaz]

We were one of those that lived here in the 90s and just got bored and left in 2000 (dinks) - it took us 13 years, a couple kids, and a few freezing winters in NJ including 2 hurricanes that knocked our lights out for days to pack up and move back to AZ in 2013. We live in East Shea Corridor area and I love love love my house, kids love their school and activities, my husband loves the quiet, safe, suburban life. If I had to buy again I may have bought closer to the 101 - I have to drive lots for work each day so the trip to 101 (7miles) gets old mulltiple times a day - so I would say look at Desert Ridge like someone said above, Kierland area they're building like crazy, Paradise Valley also you can probably get a condo for your price point which I'm assuming is around $350k. But like someone said come here, rent a furnished home (abundant selection) month to month and figure it out slowly ----- the valley is H-U-G-E so your activities and work will dictate where you want to live - all homes are beautiful here so you'll have no problem finding a nice home for your family you just have to figure all the other stuff first and then look for a home! Good luck!!

Maha

[Mister-A]

Originally Posted by cherrylimeade

Well said. I can relate to what you described after growing up in upstate NY and then moving to Minneapolis for two decades. Brutal long winters and sweaty muggy summers, with brief wisps of lovely spring and fall weather in between. We came to the same conclusion you did: even if we're stuck indoors from June thru August (which we aren't! we do various jaunts and brief hikes every weekend) it beats having 8 months of nasty weather!

We too are DINKs over 35 and we're renting in Chandler; considering buying here once we've had ample time to assess the commute to our jobs in Scottsdale. I'll be interested in seeing what feedback you get. We looked at northeast Phx (Scottsdale is out of our budget range) but Chandler seemed to have good amenities and less crime. We'll see how it goes.

We are also in upstate NY, and we had a headline in the local news recently that two of the snow drifts in Buffalo had still not melted, standing ten feet tall as of July 28th. We love the scenery here and sometimes stop and consider how much we could get for our money, but we're dreading the next winter already.

I'd love your thoughts on Chandler and the local amenities. We both think Scottsdale nightlife and dining options are more our speed, but it's hard to get a feel for what's available in Chandler (or Gilbert) and what it would be like to spontaneously drive to Scottsdale and back on a Saturday night. It does seem like our housing dollar would go a lot further, and that area also seems very clean and safe, so we'd consider it. We have some concerns about fitting into a neighborhood where the social scene and amenities are heavily oriented to families with young children, though.

[cherrylimeade]

Originally Posted by Mister-A

I'd love your thoughts on Chandler and the local amenities. We both think Scottsdale nightlife and dining options are more our speed, but it's hard to get a feel for what's available in Chandler (or Gilbert) and what it would be like to spontaneously drive to Scottsdale and back on a Saturday night. It does seem like our housing dollar would go a lot further, and that area also seems very clean and safe, so we'd consider it. We have some concerns about fitting into a neighborhood where the social scene and amenities are heavily oriented to families with young children, though.

Scottsdale is about a 20 minute drive outside of rush hour, not bad. We don't really have any insights on the social scene in either place; we tend to grab takeout and watch Netflix. I love the takeout options in Chandler - lots of reasonably priced Asian and Mexican places. I don't get the feeling Chandler is heavily kid-oriented (I hear Gilbert is more family-oriented) but again, we don't get out enough to be reliable sources on this. Apart from downtown Chandler and the areas within about a mile radius, it seems like Chandler has very low crime, based on the research we did. If we buy in Chandler (as looks likely), I'd be trying to stay close to the 101 and south of Elliott.

[Prickly Pear]

I have family out near 100th street and Via Linda. Homes are expensive in their neighborhood and are older (~80s). It's a very good location in Scottsdale I would say. It's pretty easy to get to the "happenings" of Scottsdale from there, to Scottsdale Quarter or to Old Town, it's not a long drive. I'd say the longest it has ever taken me from their house to the Quarter or to Old Town was ten minutes. Even though it's an older neighborhood I believe they have an HOA. If you are looking for no HOA you are going to be limited I think to neighborhoods built in the 70s and earlier, but someone can correct me. There is an interactive map of HOAs in the Phoenix metro online, I can't remember the link though.

The only downside I can say to this area is that traffic on Shea is terrible about all the time since it's the only way in to Fountain Hills, which isn't all that bad. I would live in Scottsdale if I could, whatever you do do not pick west valley!

[azdr0710]

Originally Posted by :-D

whatever you do do not pick west valley!

and why is that, :-D?.....

[Prickly Pear]

Originally Posted by azdr0710

and why is that, :-D?.....

West Valley is filled with chain restaurants and with that being said I wouldn't recommend it to the OP. West Valley is good for people who don't care to be near the hustle and bustle but want a decent commute to Downtown while having cheap housing. I find myself driving to Scottsdale all the time to get to events or shopping. This side has been improving but it won't be anything like what Scottsdale has in the near future. So in other words if you like to go out and do stuff in the town than stay at home there is so much more to living in East Valley, whether it be Scottsdale, Tempe, or Mesa, etc. It's very sleepy out here.

From my house in Glendale it takes me about 25-30 minutes to get to Old Town and less for the Quarter since I have the option to take the freeway for that one.