Is the crime really that bad? (Phoenix, Scottsdale: 2015, renters, violent crime)

[raindroplotus]

Originally Posted by locolife

No worries, it sounds like you're interested in some of the suburbs of Phoenix, which in that case you'll have no problem finding very safe areas comparable to where I think you live in SLC. I'm originally from Sandy, and I'm guessing you may live around there or Draper based on what you've posted. Gilbert, East Mesa, most of Chandler, and large pockets of Phoenix/Scottsdale would also work for you. It's just that the closer into downtown Phoenix you get the more expensive desirable areas are.

Another big difference between SLC and Phoenix is just the sheer size of the valley, the SLC valley (basically SL County) is tiny compared to the Phoenix valley, so being in Gilbert and driving to downtown Phoenix will be more like living in Provo and driving to downtown SLC, although traffic may be better or worse here, I'm not sure as I haven't lived there in a long time.

But a lot of jobs here are spread out along the 101 corridor, so it may be that you live in Gilbert and work in Chandler, in that case all good.

Overall, there is absolutely more crime in the entire valley then in Salt Lake but it's far from crime ridden, there's just bad pockets like I'm sure you experienced in SoCal. Maryvale, South Phoenix, and other areas of the inner west side are probably the worst but even in the east valley there are some dicey pockets like West Mesa. I don't think anything here ranks as high as Compton, Watts and the rest of South Central but certainly larger areas of trouble spots then Salt Lake has, at least to my knowledge.

Because a lot of those crime areas tend to be in Phoenix the "Phoenix city" gets a bad wrap sometimes but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised when you checkout the areas you're looking into.

If you haven't already looked you may also like Northeast Mesa, there's some nice neighborhoods there that run up against Hawes Mountain and close to the Salt River.

Anyways, hope that helps.

This is very, very helpful and reassuring. Thank you! You guessed right, I am pretty much on the border of Sandy and Draper. North Sandy has gotten pretty seedy in recent years and we've had an influx of homeless people in this area. In fact, there was a homeless couple trying to camp out on a neighbors lawn here last year!
I really appreciate the thoughtfulness of your response and for taking the time to do so.

[Nn2036]

Originally Posted by LBTRS

For a metro area with almost 7 million people the crime rate is not bad at all. I've never felt unsafe here. I don't know what crime you're talking about specifically, however, if you stay in the recommended areas there isn't a big problem.

Of course, the better areas are going to have a higher cost of living. That isn't limited to the Phoenix area.

I thought Phoenix metro is about 5 millions. Where do you get 7 millions from?

[LBTRS]

Originally Posted by Nn2036

I thought Phoenix metro is about 5 millions. Where do you get 7 millions from?

It is, my fingers were typing faster than my brain was working. I quoted ARIZONA's population, not the Phoenix metro.

Thanks for the catch.

[psychedelicbeats]

Provo is incredibly safe compared to Phoenix.

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by raindroplotus

I am looking to get out of the SLC area and Phoenix seems like a good option in many ways. My major concern(besides scorpions ) is what appears to be a significant amount of crime. Just so you know, I am a Southern California native so I have lived in some not so great areas. However, I think I've become accustomed to the safety here in the south valley of Salt Lake County. Rents have gone up so much here that I am just floored to see 4 bedroom houses around Phoenix for under $1400/month. The problem is, I'll find a property that I am interested in and it's in a really sketchy area. The places that seem comparable in safety to here also seem comparable in rent.
I just have a hard time believing that the whole area is just full of crime with literally a few blocks here and there of safety. Especially when I do Street View on Google Maps and the neighborhood looks so well-kept. What gives?

I really have an intense dislike for crime-mapping websites that don't clearly provide some context to various types of crime. I mapped my parent's place on a couple different sites & got some "red" marks near their place, but when you dig into the data, it's apartment buildings nearby where (fools) who leave their cars unlocked get relieved of their iPods & a 24 hr gas station nearby that generates lots of activity because cops pull people over there - causing an entry like "drunk driver apprehended", and the gas station's address. The "crime map" doesn't really show the types of crimes that concern me (robberies, burglaries, etc) - and even then, some of the "burglaries" are burglary from a vehicle.. Not an issue if you drive a vehicle with a rubber floor mat & one speaker for the radio, like me - there's nothing to steal in my truck.

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by raindroplotus

I've had a few people try to caution me about moving my family(me, husband, 4 kids) to the area because it wouldn't be safe. Granted, this is coming from friends of friends.
It does seem that Gilbert and Chandler on the whole are pretty safe. Actually, Gilbert is much safer than the city I currently live in. It's just that when I look at the crime "heat map" , it seems that most of the neighborhoods are on the "Least Safe" end of the spectrum. Confusing and conflicting data between the two sites.
My husband works in IT, so I imagine he'll end up finding work in Scottsdale. We are wanting to stay on the east side to keep the commute manageable. We are planning a trip down there in the next couple of weeks to see for ourselves. Any areas I should stay away from?

Where did you get that idea? If there is a place with more IT work than others it's probably Chandler, but in fact it's spread out all over the valley.

[azriverfan.]

All of us missed a rather comical element of the OP's account. She is basing her opinion on researching areas where 4 bedroom houses can be rented for 1400 per month in Phoenix. Then she claims that homes in better areas have rents that are comparable to SLC. You get what you pay for. If you are going to seek dirt cheap rents then of course it's not going to located in areas with a lot of demand. That has nothing to do with Phoenix. That goes for any large metropolitan area. It's common sense. You can't move to a large metropolitan area and seek cheap rents and then be mad because it's not in a nice area. This isn't Salt Lake City or Boise.

The OP claims to be a native of southern California. Find 4 bedroom rental homes for 1400 per month in So Cal and then check out the neighborhoods and tell me how safe they are?

[JohnSoCal]

Originally Posted by raindroplotus

I am looking to get out of the SLC area and Phoenix seems like a good option in many ways. My major concern(besides scorpions ) is what appears to be a significant amount of crime. Just so you know, I am a Southern California native so I have lived in some not so great areas. However, I think I've become accustomed to the safety here in the south valley of Salt Lake County. Rents have gone up so much here that I am just floored to see 4 bedroom houses around Phoenix for under $1400/month. The problem is, I'll find a property that I am interested in and then check and it's in a really sketchy area. The places that seem comparable in safety to here also seem comparable in rent.
I just have a hard time believing that the whole area is just full of crime with literally a few blocks here and there of safety. Especially when I do Street View on Google Maps and the neighborhood looks so well-kept. What gives?

Actually the crime rate is considerably higher in Salt Lake City than Phoenix.

[ddandano]

I suppose you could dig down into the numbers and discern exactly what types of crime are occurring. It seems that Phx gets a lot of car break-ins. You would have to be crazy or on hard drugs to break into a house in the Phx area (most people have a gun).

[Hrothgar]

Originally Posted by psychedelicbeats

Provo is incredibly safe compared to Phoenix.

Yeah uhh no.