another relocation to az question (Phoenix, Chandler: to rent, house, neighborhoods)

[skinautique94]

i have been a lurker around here for many many months and finall decided to register to get a few opinions and comments on a few questions i have. my story is ...i currently live in chippewa lake ohio, south of cleveland by about 40 miles..im a union sheet metal worker and work all over cleveland and its suburbs, sometimes commuting up to 75 miles one way..that 75 miles takes me about an hr & 1/2..my wife will graduate the u of akron in early childhood edu in dec of 2008..finding a teaching job in ohio is slim to none. so we would like to relocate to arizona..we have been talking to realtors about the johnson ranch area, goodyear, and surprise..im looking at these places to due to housing being so dirt cheap.i can get double my house there for the same monies.heres my questions-
on average how long is the commute from j. ranch to the phoenix area?
is one city closer than the other in commuting times?
is one city or area better than the other ?
is maricopa area farther away south than johnson ranch?
any comments and suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

[Finger Laker]

there are a ton of great neighborhoods - i think the best bet is to try and nail down a job that both you and your wife are comfortable with (maybe more important for her as she will be at a fixed daily location) and decide where makes the most sense based upon what you are looking for in commutes, cost, style of life, etc

[skinautique94]

i should have stated that im 27 and shes 24 yrs old with a daughter thats 6..i like johnson ranch due to im a "country boy" at heart..im not into the big city life nor is my wife..job wise, i will be switching locals and taking a pay cut of 3.50 an hour..my wife just wants to teach in her own words..she has stated that she would be fine with an hr commute one way..after talking to the az dept of edu they told her she would have no problem finding a job in the phoenix area and suburbs..

[Finger Laker]

plenty of job opportunities for teachers - part of the reason why i'm down here (my wife teaches)

every situation is different - but if I were you I would look into where you are working

Johnson Ranch could have a lot of what you are looking for - but it's way out there ......... if you are working sites near downtown you are looking at a minimum of a 90 minute commute each way

if you are in with the area local I'd try and see if they can give an indication of where the bulk of their sites are located which may be able to hammer it down

also there are schools all over the east valley that you wife could work for - i'd try to find a QC local with kids and get their opinion on the schools there - i know my coworker who lives there isn't very impressed, but that could be unique to him

my wife was happy with any old job and ended up in a rough district - after trying so long in the mid-west she took the first opportunity ...... be patient with the search as there are a lot of opportunities out there, it's an adjustment, but she can find the "right" one

seems like it could be challenging as well having a kid get out of school in the afternoon and having both parents facing hour long commutes to get back home

QC and johnson ranch would defiintely put you at the gateway of the more rural living though

[Xcali]

I live in Johnson Ranch, and I think it's a very nice community for families. Be sure to check the website-- Enter Johnson Ranch. The new brand of masterplanned community.
Your wife should have no problem finding work!! They are building a new K-8 school in the nearby Circle Cross community right now, and just opened a new K-8 at Anthem at Merrill Ranch a few months ago.The commute to Phoenix-- or anywhere near Phoenix from the East Valley would be trying, however
another section of the "Loop 202" is supposed to open later in the year, and that could make some difference, depending on where you'd be commuting.
There is a country vive in this area... lots of horse property and more rural areas than some of the closer-in locations.

[phoenixnurse]

Choose a community close to where you will be working. My husband and I relocated here 5 years ago thinking 40 miles was no big deal. HA---were were idiots---that 40 miles takes my husband 1.5 hours each way--that is Interstate time.

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by phoenixnurse

Choose a community close to where you will be working. My husband and I relocated here 5 years ago thinking 40 miles was no big deal. HA---were were idiots---that 40 miles takes my husband 1.5 hours each way--that is Interstate time.

Goodyear is in the west valley. Queen Creek is in the East valley, quite a ways away, and Maricopa is south of Phoenix. You can google the cities on the map to see their physical location.

As phoenixnurse advised, it is best to live within a reasonable commute distance to where you work. The best way to determine where to buy is to first rent a place somewhere more central perhaps Chandler. From there you can scout around all of the areas without a huge commute just to get to the city.

I advise all my client who don't know the area, and don't know where they should live, to rent for 3 to 6 months. That way they have plenty of time to see where they'll work and decide the area where they should live, and find a great home at a great price.

[skinautique94]

i was told that the commute from maricopa area or johnson ranch to phoenix is about an hr-hr 1/2..thats about my limit for the commute,i understand theres going to be bad days ..i would rather not rent due to paying for storage for a houseful of items along with my ski boat and motorcycle and two cars..does anyone know what the time frame is for commuting from johnson ranch, goodyear, and surprise to phoenix?..all the realtors say about an hr..i understand they are gonna tell me what i want to hear so i take their info with a grain of salt.sorry no offense captn bill!

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by skinautique94

i was told that the commute from maricopa area or johnson ranch to phoenix is about an hr-hr 1/2..thats about my limit for the commute,i understand theres going to be bad days ..i would rather not rent due to paying for storage for a houseful of items along with my ski boat and motorcycle and two cars..does anyone know what the time frame is for commuting from johnson ranch, goodyear, and surprise to phoenix?..all the realtors say about an hr..i understand they are gonna tell me what i want to hear so i take their info with a grain of salt.sorry no offense captn bill!

I know you meant no offense, and I tell people what I feel they should know; not what they want to hear. That's why I always suggest renting first, unless the person has been here, knows the area, and is certain about where they should live.

And it's just a suggestion. If someone wants to go ahead and buy first then I'll work with them on that, and try to help them make the best decision.

From Johnson Ranch into Phoenix you're looking at about 90 minutes during rush hour and it can be longer. If there is an accident on Hunt Hwy, you are stuck and it can be a very long time. Yesterday, on the 202 just past the Arizona Rd exit the traffic came to a halt. I was able to exit at Arizona and get to my destination at Sun Lakes. This morning it was the same thing, and this was 8:45am.

When I go to Surprise and Goodyear, I always time my trips so it is not in commute hours, so I can't give you a good number there. But there will be people on here that do that commute and can tell you.

[Finger Laker]

I work just off of downtown and have a coworker who lives in QC, maybe a mile past Johnson Ranch ...... he's never made it here in an hour - even on good rush hour days - in the winters he's usually at least 90 minutes

my dog breeder was in QC so I went there after work on a few occasions and it was pretty rough - was normally around an hour and 45 minutes

I currently live in goodyear - pending the time I need to be at work my commute in the winter is between 45 minutes and 80 minutes ....... in the summer it drops to a fairly consistent 40 minutes, sometimes pressing an hour

off peak times it's about 30 minutes to my office door - also about 30 minutes to the airport exit or exit for tempe