Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Ocotillo and Fulton Ranch are the best communities in Chandler IMO, so I would try searching in those communities or within 1-2 miles of that area (prices in ocotillo and Fulton Ranch probably exceed your budget).
I would not consider North Phoenix. The only thing N Phoenix has over Chandler is little brown dirthills that aren't even pretty IMO. Chandler beats N Phoenix in every other category including proximity to shopping and dining, high quality employment, school rankings, youth sports and its just prettier IMO with more grass, trees and water than North Phoenix. Coming here from So Cal myself I favor grass trees and water over little brown dirthills and desert Landscaping but opinions vary.
I wouldn't call the McDowells or some of the mountains in and around Fountain Hills and Carefree/Cave Creek "little brown dirt hills." North Phoenix is a "foothill" region with the larger mountains nearby. Those "little brown dirt hills" in North Phoenix are covered with the majestic Saguaro cacti which most people find beautiful.
I disagree about the proximity to quality employment as well, i give it a tie. Chandler/Gilbert is closer to the high tech employment of the Price corridor but North Phoenix is closer to the Scottsdale Airpark which employs 60,000 people. The I-17/101 interchange area in N Phoenix also has many employment centers like USAA, American Express, Discover Card and Pets-mart's corporate headquarters.
The better school rankings for Chandler/Gilbert is poppycock. GreatSchools.org gives the assigned elementary school in Desert Ridge, Desert Trails, a nine. The middle school (Explorer) and the high school (Pinnacle) receive a perfect ten score. Chandler and Gilbert have some fine schools, but the schools in Scottsdale and parts of N Phoenix are just as good if not better.
I disagree with the shopping and dining big time, North Scottsdale and the Desert Ridge Marketplace hold their own if not exceed what Chandler has. Chandler mall and San Tan village in Gilbert are nice, i'll give them there due. The better "youth sports" is highly subjective, I see no evidence of that.
I wouldn't call the McDowells or some of the mountains in and around Fountain Hills and Carefree/Cave Creek "little brown dirt hills." North Phoenix is a "foothill" region with the larger mountains nearby. Those "little brown dirt hills" in North Phoenix are covered with the majestic Saguaro cacti which most people find beautiful.
I disagree about the proximity to quality employment as well, i give it a tie. Chandler/Gilbert is closer to the high tech employment of the Price corridor but North Phoenix is closer to the Scottsdale Airpark which employs 60,000 people. The I-17/101 interchange area in N Phoenix also has many employment centers like USAA, American Express, Discover Card and Pets-mart's corporate headquarters.
The better school rankings for Chandler/Gilbert is poppycock. GreatSchools.org gives the assigned elementary school in Desert Ridge, Desert Trails, a nine. The middle school (Explorer) and the high school (Pinnacle) receive a perfect ten score. Chandler and Gilbert have some fine schools, but the schools in Scottsdale and parts of N Phoenix are just as good if not better.
I disagree with the shopping and dining big time, North Scottsdale and the Desert Ridge Marketplace hold their own if not exceed what Chandler has. Chandler mall and San Tan village in Gilbert are nice, i'll give them there due. The better "youth sports" is highly subjective, I see no evidence of that.
Scottsdale has mountains, North Phoenix has little brown dirthills. their budget cannot afford Scottsdale or Desert Ridge so that leaves the Norterra area from your recommendation. North Phoenix has a handful of decent employers but pales in comparison to Chandlers proximity to quality employment. not a "tie", not close. Norterra is not near the Scottsdale airport, about as close drive wise as Chandler is.
While schools in North Phoenix are " good enough" (I agree), Chandler schools rank higher. Youth sports in Chandler leads the valley consistently as well from little league baseball to high school football.
Disagree with shopping/dining "big time" all you want, Norterra shops or whatever that center across from the prison and dump is called (lol) does not compare to Chandler fashion center, casa Paloma, Chandler crossroads and Tempe Marketplace/San tan village which are as close to Chandler as Norterra is to desert ridge.
So while I agree north Phoenix is nice and a great place to live, unless you're really into the desert landscape there's no advantage. For myself and many others coming from so cal, being around grass and water and palm trees is more desired. Remember, I was talking about the Norterra area specifically because desert ridge and north Scottsdale are out of the budget. Desert ridge and north Scottsdale would have a better argument IMO because Norterra is nothing special and suffers from poor planning with the proximity to the jail and enormous landfill as well as only a handful of employers within 10 miles.
Isn't it funny how perceptions vary? I come from MT (somewhat obviously) and am used to pretty spectacular scenery. I find the "little brown dirthills", which to me are red-rock desert rock formations, to be very beautiful. Whenever we're in the east valley we comment on how flat it is and how much more we like the scenery in Phoenix proper, north, and west valley. Not a slam on Gilbert/Chandler at all--as asufan notes there is more greenery around there, but sometimes I do think those are the only two city names people have heard when moving to the valley. When we bought our place, we had never heard of Goodyear--for example. I know that is probably too far west for OP.
Any case, it's best to have a starting point, as the valley is geographically huge with MANY family-friendly choices in your price range. You really need to make a few visits to get a sense for what your tolerance is for the commute.
Knowing where your husband will work would help too. I don't know that commute times from the east valley would be appreciably shorter than many locations in the west valley if he's in downtown Pheonix (although, the 10 every day during rush hour would NOT be my choice), and you can certainly still get more house for your money in the west valley. But coming from San Diego, I think you won't believe what your money will buy.
And coming from San Diego, I would suggest you buy a house with a pool and a nice green back yard.
Estrella has actual mountains, not those little brown hills that exist North of the Deer Valley airport, so Estrella is different . East valley has hills in ahwatukee and Mesa, but I agree if that's something someone really desires, Chandler/Gilbert may not be a good choice. Gilbert definitely has more of that "Midwestern" feel Rico discussed - by design (thinking Morrison Ranch, Agritopia, Higley Groves). they really embraced the agricultural roots for whatever reason.
FYI from Chandler I can see the estrellas, South mountain and Santan mountain crystal clear - no brown cloud whatsoever
Scottsdale has mountains, North Phoenix has little brown dirthills. their budget cannot afford Scottsdale or Desert Ridge so that leaves the Norterra area from your recommendation. North Phoenix has a handful of decent employers but pales in comparison to Chandlers proximity to quality employment. not a "tie", not close. Norterra is not near the Scottsdale airport, about as close drive wise as Chandler is.
While schools in North Phoenix are " good enough" (I agree), Chandler schools rank higher. Youth sports in Chandler leads the valley consistently as well from little league baseball to high school football.
Disagree with shopping/dining "big time" all you want, Norterra shops or whatever that center across from the prison and dump is called (lol) does not compare to Chandler fashion center, casa Paloma, Chandler crossroads and Tempe Marketplace/San tan village which are as close to Chandler as Norterra is to desert ridge.
So while I agree north Phoenix is nice and a great place to live, unless you're really into the desert landscape there's no advantage. For myself and many others coming from so cal, being around grass and water and palm trees is more desired. Remember, I was talking about the Norterra area specifically because desert ridge and north Scottsdale are out of the budget. Desert ridge and north Scottsdale would have a better argument IMO because Norterra is nothing special and suffers from poor planning with the proximity to the jail and enormous landfill as well as only a handful of employers within 10 miles.
You can get a townhouse or even a small SFH in Desert Ridge and even North Scottsdale on the specified budget. The OP never indicated what their preference was as far as house size, only that they wanted a safe, nice neighborhood with good schools.
That "enormous landfill" you speak of, the old Skunk Creek landfill has been shutdown for well over a decade, you wouldn't even know it existed, LOL. That scary jail you mention is actually a juvi detention center so if you're scared of sixteen year old teenie bobbers who are being held for marijuana possession I suppose you may be scared of your own shadow, LOL. The I-17 separates Norterra from those entities anyways so it really is a moot point. Norterra holds its own to Chandler in both school rankings and median income. You clearly have an irrational bias towards the SE Valley which is fine, I suppose.
You can get a townhouse or even a small SFH in Desert Ridge and even North Scottsdale on the specified budget. The OP never indicated what their preference was as far as house size, only that they wanted a safe, nice neighborhood with good schools.
That "enormous landfill" you speak of, the old Skunk Creek landfill has been shutdown for well over a decade, you wouldn't even know it existed, LOL. That scary jail you mention is actually a juvi detention center so if you're scared of sixteen year old teenie bobbers who are being held for marijuana possession I suppose you may be scared of your own shadow, LOL. The I-17 separates Norterra from those entities anyways so it really is a moot point. Norterra holds its own to Chandler in both school rankings and median income. You clearly have an irrational bias towards the SE Valley which is fine, I suppose.
SOMEONE has a bias, that's for sure lol. it may be the person that popped into a thread about Chandler/Gilbert to bring up how much better it is where they live Never understood why people do that.
Hi everyone! Looking for some feedback from Chandler/Gilbert residents regarding the area, schools, best neighborhoods to buy in, etc. My family is considering making the move from San Diego....we have two young kids in elementary and preschool. My husband is an engineer and would be working in either Tempe or downtown Phoenix. We are open to public school but also considering private. We are moving due to insanely high cost of living/housing out here and are looking for a house around 300-350k in a nice neighborhood with other kids. Thanks in advance for any feedback!
Chandler and Gilbert are both nice enough suburbs. Gilbert is a bit more like Temecula, Chandler has a few more run down areas.
I suggest you rent a house for a year first so you can get to know it before you buy. Houses don't sell quickly out here like they do in SD. If you don't like it you'll be stuck in it longer.
Living in OC and Gilbert I have to warn you the money you save on housing you'll spend on electricity, services, and schooling. Plus, renting will let you see if you can handle the dirt, dust and bugs. The heat is no biggy but cooling your home is. It's like factoring heating costs in MN. We have extreme heat. It's not like SD during El Nino, it's like Yuma.
Our political climate is vastly different as well. We have real Republicans out here, not SD Republicans which would seem social from our prospective. We have very little social services compared to CA.
Once here for a bit it will be hard to leave.
I spend about 350 less a month here than OC. So you will save a little living here but you won't have a lot of free activities. Or year round good weather. And kiss fresh fish goodbye. But I love Phoenix, it has it's own personality.
Isn't it funny how perceptions vary? I come from MT (somewhat obviously) and am used to pretty spectacular scenery. I find the "little brown dirthills", which to me are red-rock desert rock formations, to be very beautiful. Whenever we're in the east valley we comment on how flat it is and how much more we like the scenery in Phoenix proper, north, and west valley. Not a slam on Gilbert/Chandler at all--as asufan notes there is more greenery around there, but sometimes I do think those are the only two city names people have heard when moving to the valley. When we bought our place, we had never heard of Goodyear--for example. I know that is probably too far west for OP.
Any case, it's best to have a starting point, as the valley is geographically huge with MANY family-friendly choices in your price range. You really need to make a few visits to get a sense for what your tolerance is for the commute.
Knowing where your husband will work would help too. I don't know that commute times from the east valley would be appreciably shorter than many locations in the west valley if he's in downtown Pheonix (although, the 10 every day during rush hour would NOT be my choice), and you can certainly still get more house for your money in the west valley. But coming from San Diego, I think you won't believe what your money will buy.
And coming from San Diego, I would suggest you buy a house with a pool and a nice green back yard.
I agree. Particularly since we do not have lush green vegetation hills and topographical features are all that more important here.
I wouldn't write off Scottsdale completely as "out of the price range". Quick MLS search for 3/2 with a pool comes up with quite a few matches in Scottsdale...albeit a number of them being on the small side. Paradise Valley Unified and Scottsdale Unified are good school districts...everyone keeps directing people to Chandler and Gilbert as the area is a bit more affordable for middle to uppper middle incomes, good schools (this is subjective as this IS AZ) and the houses are newer (for the most part). There are some great options along the 51 as well though if the job ends up in Phoenix...the Northern I-17 corridor has newer homes as well...
Typically, we recommend finding out where the job is and then looking for your best options from there, within your own tolerance levels for commute, home size, etc.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
. East valley has hills in ahwatukee and Mesa, but I agree if that's something someone really desires, Chandler/Gilbert may not be a good choice. Gilbert definitely has more of that "Midwestern" feel Rico discussed - by design (thinking Morrison Ranch, Agritopia, Higley Groves). they really embraced the agricultural roots for whatever reason.
