Plan on Moving to Gilbert,Az (Phoenix, Scottsdale: to rent, crime, neighborhoods) - Arizona (AZ) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

azsundevil99 · 01-31-2008, 04:16 PM

I concur with everyone who said Gilbert is great for people with families. If you don't have kids however, it can be Dullsville. You'll have to do a lot of driving to other-than-family-oriented activities in Phoenix, Tempe & Scottsdale. Just my two cents

Captain Bill · 01-31-2008, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by azsundevil99

I concur with everyone who said Gilbert is great for people with families. If you don't have kids however, it can be Dullsville. You'll have to do a lot of driving to other-than-family-oriented activities in Phoenix, Tempe & Scottsdale. Just my two cents

Actually, there are a lot of people in Gilbert who don't have children, or don't have children living with them. There are tons of restaurants, taverns, theaters all very close to wherever one is in Gilbert. The Mesa Arts Center is within a 15 minute drive from my house.

It's around 30 minutes to ASU Grammage, 20 minutes to Tempe Town Lake, and just a few minutes more to almost any thing in Phoenix and Scottsdale.
If one is looking for the Scottsdale type night life every night, then Gilbert wouldn't work, but for going to theaters, etc occasionally, it's really good to live here, go there for entertainment, and return home.

azsundevil99 · 02-01-2008, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Captain Bill

Actually, there are a lot of people in Gilbert who don't have children, or don't have children living with them. There are tons of restaurants, taverns, theaters all very close to wherever one is in Gilbert. The Mesa Arts Center is within a 15 minute drive from my house.

It's around 30 minutes to ASU Grammage, 20 minutes to Tempe Town Lake, and just a few minutes more to almost any thing in Phoenix and Scottsdale.
If one is looking for the Scottsdale type night life every night, then Gilbert wouldn't work, but for going to theaters, etc occasionally, it's really good to live here, go there for entertainment, and return home.

I agree Bill. I see you live in Val Vista Lakes which is right off the 60 . But if you live in southern Gilbert (like Power Ranch where I used to live) you can expect to tack on at least 10-15 minutes to those drive times.

Captain Bill · 02-01-2008, 08:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by azsundevil99

I agree Bill. I see you live in Val Vista Lakes which is right off the 60 . But if you live in southern Gilbert (like Power Ranch where I used to live) you can expect to tack on at least 10-15 minutes to those drive times.

My daughter used to live in Power Ranch and it took me 20 minutes to her house. She probably got to our house faster because she has a heavier foot than I have.

Prior to the roads being improved it took me 25 minutes.

mikur · 01-18-2009, 05:27 PM

i am moving from slc, ut... my job is relocating.. i am single (42 yr old) and would like to know of gilbert, mesa, or chandler is the best place.

natman · 01-19-2009, 11:39 AM

Are there alot of family parks/activities in Gilbert? Like water parks, dog parks, ball parks indoor play areas or horseback riding. What can a family do outside of the house on a weekend?

ronsalvo · 01-19-2009, 03:13 PM

I am relocating to AZ in a couple of months. looking at either Gilbert or Chandler. We have 3 kids age 6, 4 and 2 and I also have a Harley. My question is; how do the neighbors feel about Harley guys?? I'm not an outlaw biker or anything but my bike isn't exactly quiet! The neighborhood I live in now is mostly blue collar middle class hard working people just tryin to raise a family in a good crime free area just like me. Does that also describe Gilbert? Or is it a stuffy, higher middle class look down on people area?

thanks for the input,

Ron

wng · 01-19-2009, 05:16 PM

ronsalvo,

Like any area, Gilbert has subdivisions that vary in restrictiveness on personal freedoms, so best to double check the HOA CC&Rs before buying a property. And to try to talk to the residents of a subdivision for their opinions.
When looking for a house for my family, it was paramount to me that my lifestyle wasn't going to be negatively impacted by some HOA. They seem to be a way of life in Phoenix. Not something I'm used to back East. I settled on a property with a less dictatorial HOA. I'm a motorcyclist too, and I wasn't about to give up riding. Neither was my wife.

R_Cowgirl · 01-19-2009, 05:38 PM

I would tell everyone moving anywhere to spend the money and take the time to live for a week in the area they are considering. As I mentioned somewhere else on this forum, when I moved to Phoenix, i stayed in several different hotels around the valley over a 10-day period. I went out during peak traffic, i tried to find all the types of stores and entertainment I would like. I paid attention to the demographics, the cleanliness, and the HOA's. I listened to morning radio about traffic that would impact me. I drove around and looked at places I might want to buy at different times of the day and night to get a feel for the neighborhoods.

I also went to this site to check crime stats:
Phoenix Crime Statistics

The best way to determine a good place for you is to sit down and list out your needs / wants / likes in that order. What you NEED is non-negotiable. (ie. if you have kids, you NEED to have good schools within an easy distance). I NEED a garage and storage. What you WANT is the second level down. I WANT to have good health food stores nearby. I WANT to be near a good place to go country dancing ;-D. What you would LIKE to have are little perks that you could probably live without, but would rather not: I would LIKE to be able to grow a little garden if it works out.

Once you know the non-negotiables for you and your circumstances, then you can say: "I am looking for x, y, and z. If you can also have a,b, and c, that would be nice, too." People can always give better advice when they know what your parameters are.

Personally, I think Gilbert and Mesa are pretty, but I wouldn't move there. It's all new development, and I like older houses and more established neighborhoods. It's getting pretty crowded, and even though there are a lot of freeways in the South East Valley, it just feels so far away from everything.

That being said, no matter what you read, coming from a place with small, narrow roads- I think the freeways in Phoenix ROCK. They are wide, they are clean, they are well-maintained, and they are numerous. If one FWY is messed up, you can usually either get on surface streets easily, or take another freeway. Unless you find yourself in a traffic jam, you can make from one side of the valley to the other in under 40 minutes. So that's not too bad.

ronsalvo · 01-19-2009, 05:41 PM

Thanks wng, I've heard that HOA's can be a real pain in the but! My friend lives in FL and his HOA doesn't allow him to park his pickup in the driveway - even tho it doesnt even have a company name on it or anything. It's too big to fit in his garage so he had to sell it.

I also have a big Dodge Ram Quad cab...and I'm not gonna get rid of it just bcz some hoa tells me too. The last thing I want is more restrictions on my life.

Do all the newer neighborhoods have HOA's? We will probably rent a house first but dont want to move out of the school district we pick so we will most likely be buying in a yr or two within that same area.

I'm sure it will take some time to learn what areas are biker friendly and which are not. I've heard the Carefree has noise ordinances that they actually inforce! We have them here too but most towns don't enforce it unless you're being a jerk and racing around town or causing some sought of trouble. Other towns here do enforce it bcz they don't want us in their precise little towns!