Dust-free, monsoon-free, animal-free neighborhood? (Phoenix, Scottsdale: apartments, to rent, house)

[aznewbie2]

Hi All,

I am excited to move to Phoenix area this June and start working at ASU Tempe campus. I am looking for a place to live and here are the towns on my list, which are quite close to ASU. (I want to avoid Tempe right near campus as I don't want to run into many students I will teach. But still want to be close enough to avoid traffic.)

- South Tempe or North Chandler (85224, 85225)
- North Tempe across the river with the border with Scottsdale (some apartments with river view)
- Ahwatukee (South of South Mountain)
- North of South Mountain near the border with Tempe
- Central/North Scottsdale

I have no kid and there's only me and my husband (both in early 30s). From my limited research of the area, I guess the places above are all decent with nice community feeling with many shopping/grocery options. PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I AM WRONG.

One thing I was wondering is about dust and monsoon. I heard that some neighborhoods are particularly weak at dust or monsoon attacks. I am also afraid of seeing animals (scorpions, etc.) in my place. What neighborhoods on the list be the case?

Please advise me with the question above and I'd love to hear which neighborhood would be your favorite.

Thanks!

p.s. I'm planning to start searching for a house to rent in late May to move in the last week of June. Would this be a good time to start searching? Should I act earlier or later?

[SageCats]

No, no neighborhoods near Tempe are immune from dust or monsoons. They're not attacks either.
All of the neighborhoods you listed are good places to live. North Tempe on the other side of the lake (not river) has a lot of students unless you look in the Marlborough Park subdivision.
A lot of professors live in the 85282 zip code in Tempe. Plenty of homes and apartments to rent there that aren't near where the students live, which would be the 85281 zip code.
Good luck at ASU. It's pretty political - especially if you are tenure track.

[pbenjamin]

You could also consider central Phoenix near the light rail line.

[aznewbie2]

Thanks SageCats!

What about scorpions (and snakes?) and possible other animals?

[SageCats]

Yes, there are scorpions and rattlesnakes in the Phoenix area. They come with the territory. AZ is a desert and we invaded their natural habitat. There are also coyotes but they come out at dusk and dawn. I used to see them during my morning run in the summer right before dawn. They tend to avoid humans though.
Do a search in these forums for rattlesnakes and scorpions and see previous threads that have come up with this topic.

[BjornT]

Originally Posted by SageCats

Good luck at ASU. It's pretty political - especially if you are tenure track.

I LOL'd at this one. The politics is why I'm a businessman, rather than a professor, even though teaching is my passion. I know better than to even try to start fitting in amongst the "academics".

I've been published in a "peer reviewed" journal, and it was a disappointing process.

There was a time when researchers tried to replicate others' results. Now, many just try to create the newest, most HuffPost-worthy "findings".

[BjornT]

Originally Posted by aznewbie2

Thanks SageCats!

What about scorpions (and snakes?) and possible other animals?

Regarding the creepy crawlies, my experience has been: repair your screens when you have holes in them, and spray an insecticide around the perimeter of your home, and expect a fairly critter-free home. The snakes don't venture into town all that often; they're more a hiking hazard.

The only "other animals" you should expect, so long as you live in a developed area, are cottontail bunnies.

That said, my desert experience is limited to southern New Mexico. Phoenix may be different, but I doubt by much.

[SageCats]

Originally Posted by BjornT

I LOL'd at this one. The politics is why I'm a businessman, rather than a professor, even though teaching is my passion. I know better than to even try to start fitting in amongst the "academics".

I've been published in a "peer reviewed" journal, and it was a disappointing process.

There was a time when researchers tried to replicate others' results. Now, many just try to create the newest, most HuffPost-worthy "findings".

"massaging data to fit the 'hypothesis' if we have to"... that seemed to be the motto at the large university in Tempe that shall not be named, as well as other universities around the country. I got the hell out of dodge and into the business world, too. Small wonder why education is in the state it's in...
Sorry to hijack the thread, OP. I'm sure you'll be fine at ASU. Don't **** off the higher ups and make sure you pull in enough grant money no matter what it takes if you're tenured track. Some of those higher ups are the very snakes and scorpions you were asking about

[Ponderosa]

With the exception of snakes, which you are unlikely to ever see unless you go into the desert, you will have varying degrees of all you wish to avoid. Dust and monsoon storms are a given - the dust storms are the most numerous and heaviest in the southeast parts of the metro, but everywhere is a certainty for them. Scorpions are everywhere too, although some claim to never see them. It's something you live with and people who have been here a while generally don't give them a lot of thought. Coyotes are a pretty rare sight too except on the fringes.

Oh, by the way, you forgot killer bees. They actually do kill a few people and pets every year as opposed to the scorpions that everyone moving here seems to fear.

[aznewbie2]

Thanks all!

So I guess there's no better or worse place in terms of these nature things..Then it's really about how convenient and safe the neighborhood is. Any preference among the places?