Moving to Phoenix/Chandler - Questions About Where to Live?

[cw_zeus]

Thanks for the input everyone so far. I think if we did consider Queen Creek, we'd stay more in the Hunt Highway/Ellsworth Road area, which I guess kind of runs into Chandler Heights and would probably keep my commute down to 45 minutes or so I imagine. It does seem like if you went much further down Hunt Highway, the commute would become a much bigger pain in the butt.

I live in rural New York right now and have to go through a choke point at the bottom of one of the Finger Lakes every morning to get to work, with an 8 mile commute taking almost 30 minutes each way (I know that doesn't sound like that much, but it is for driving a measly 8 miles). We used to live a lot closer to our jobs up here (busable), but we found an amazing place to live where our savings made up for the extra gas and commute time. I agree that it's not optimal to be spending 2 hours a day in your car, but if you are going to hate the place you are going home to otherwise, isn't it worth it?

I guess a lot of people in Phoenix aren't familiar with how screwed up a lot of commutes in the east are. I grew up in the New York metro area where it wasn't unusual for people to have commutes 1 to 2 hours in length due to the desire for affordable housing for their families. My wife meanwhile grew up in northeastern Massachusetts where people often have commutes that take 60 to 90 minutes also. I have all sorts of friends who still live in these big eastern metro areas, some of whom have commutes over 2 hours involving a combination of mass transit and driving. Both my wife and I are used to having some open space around us, and I guess my goal is to try to make the transition to living down in Arizona as easy as possible for us, thus the appeal of living a bit further out.

We are also potentially interested in horse property ultimately, and that was one of the big draws for my wife to the area that it was even possible (we saw a lot of this down towards Queen Creek and I believe some in Ahwataukee when we looked around there back in December).

Chances are that we'll rent in Chandler or Gilbert I think our first year and then start looking into things beyond that. We are not in a position to buy immediately since being stuck in school getting a doctorate until 28 hasn't exactly helped my purchasing power.

None of this is easy being 2300 miles away with her work situation still undetermined also (since she could easily end up with a hellish commute if she finds a great job that's in the wrong place relative to where we are living, but this would also support living more centralized in a place like Chandler to start with).

Again, thanks for the input. From reading through this forum, I do get the feeling that there is some resentment towards people who willingly take on long commutes in the Phoenix area. I can understand this, but if it's worth spending an extra hour a day in your car to save money on your housing and get something vastly better than what you could closer, isn't that your right?

[Vinny536]

i think your getting the wrong feeling. I'm not saying don't have a long commute, i'm saying why have a long commute if you can be home from work in 15 minutes? when i lived in Pa i used to have a 120 mile round trip commute, i love my more relaxing short ride now. i hope i never have to commute like that again. my private life is much more enjoyable now that i can sleep an extra hour and get home an hour earlier....

In my opinion most of the east valley is repeated. the same style housing developments and strip malls with the same stores over and over. to be honest there isn't much you won't be able to access in most of the east valley within 15 minutes if you live in chandler, gilbert or the most north west section of queen creek. to me what would drive up the value of a home here is location to work or freeways. if i can get home to a beer faster after work i'm a happy camper.


where i live is a bit more rural, if your not in one of the developments. lots a farms, little places to shop and a lot of farms. its a longer commute for me, but i too want the rural area, out of the big city and i like to be able to see the stars 300+ days a year.

the more you describe rural living the more i think you would be interested in maricopa or queen creek.

[Captain Bill]

There is horse property in Chandler, Gilbert and Queen Creek. The prices of property will be less in the Queen Creek area.

You're doing the right thing by renting for awhile before buying. That will give you plenty of time to become familiar with these areas.

If you were to buy around the Hunt/Ellsworth area it would cut down your commute time to Chandler, and you'll be able to find a great property there. It also places you closer to shopping, restaurants, theaters and hospitals.

Given your experience with the commute conditions in your area, this should be a piece of cake for you.

[drneufeldt]

My husband has been offered a position in Chandler, we have 4 boys, and we come from a small conservative town, church community. Looking for the same with good schools. We enjoy camping, hiking, hunting, fishing.