Another "I'm Thinking About Moving to Arizona" Thread

[Anglefan]

Originally Posted by bigcheese11

As you get to the far southern part of Scottsdale (near the border of Tempe), there are a few areas that are rundown. But even those areas aren't too horrible.

Mesa/Gilbert/Chandler is a sea of suburban sprawl. If you were looking for a nice large home for your family, I'd say it's a great area. But if you're looking to be closer to other 20/30-yo singles, then Tempe, Scottsdale, or central Phoenix are better choices. That's where you'll find the majority of bars, restaurants, sporting events, etc.

But as others have said, it all depends on the location of your job. The Phoenix area is huge, so you'll probably want to live fairly close to your job.

To some extent I like the suburbs. Currently I live in lively suburb. It's quiet enough on the side streets but just a walk down to the main road and it's lively there. Are Chandler/Mesa/Gilbert like that at all? I'm not set on living there just inquiring. In regards to Tempe, is pretty much everywhere good to live or are there spots to avoid? If that's the case where at? Anywhere else in Phoenix itself that you'd recommend or is Central Phoenix the spot? And any spots to avoid in Phoenix?

I may or may not be able to make a trip out to Phoenix this year but if not I'd definitely make a trip before choosing to move out there.

A couple other questions I meant to ask. Pros/cons to a garage vs a carport? I know this will vary from house to house, but any guesses on how much a second story increases the electric bill vs a ranch style home in say the 1,500 square foot range?

[asufan]

Originally Posted by Anglefan

To some extent I like the suburbs. Currently I live in lively suburb. It's quiet enough on the side streets but just a walk down to the main road and it's lively there. Are Chandler/Mesa/Gilbert like that at all? I'm not set on living there just inquiring.

Downtown Chandler is lively, and has lots of bars including The Perch, Santan Brewery, Murphy's Law, Modern Margarita, Vintage 95 and many others. It is still in the midst of revitalization and gets better every year (Flix Brewhouse development should start this year, for example), but not sure it's at the point you want it yet. Downtown Gilbert is more about the restaurants than places to get drinks, but is also pretty lively. The areas around Chandler Fashion Center and Casa Paloma have a lot of places for nightlife as well. Most of the young singles in the Chandler area are located near fashion center (many apartments along the 101/Chandler/Ray Rd). There's actually a significant population of professional singles in this area, to the South is more family oriented. It is only 11-12 miles from this area to Old Town Scottsdale or about 7 miles to Downtown Tempe if there is not enough within walking distance. If you're the type to want nightlife more than 3 nights a week, it may be better to live in Tempe or Scottsdale.

Originally Posted by Anglefan

A couple other questions I meant to ask. Pros/cons to a garage vs a carport? I know this will vary from house to house, but any guesses on how much a second story increases the electric bill vs a ranch style home in say the 1,500 square foot range?

Garages prevent theft. I couldn't imagine keeping anything of value in a carport overnight, not to mention car theft itself. I live in a very safe low crime/high income area and as a neighborhood we were warned to keep garage doors closed due to people experiencing theft. I wouldn't want a house with a carport.

I can't speak specifically to the utility bills of a 2-story, but if there's two zones (upstairs/downstairs) it's probably not as big of a deal. With a smaller house it is likely all one zone so while you're trying to keep your upstairs cool when you sleep, the AC is cranking all night and the downstairs is likely colder than you need it. I also am not a fan of 2-story properties. 1-story houses are much more desirable in AZ.

[KurtAZ]

Carports are much more prevalent in the older neighborhoods...especially if you are looking at South Scottsdale. Normally there is a storage area associated with the carport for normal "garage storage" and even in areas with garages, most of the time people don't use them for cars...they use them for storage of items worth decidedly LESS than the cars parked in the driveway. I wouldn't be totally adverse to a carport as long as there was a storage area for tools, bikes, etc. The larger issue would be roof mounted AC units,. There are lots of different schools of thought on those, i.e. attics get hotter than the exterior roof vs. exposure to the elements arguments, from what I have heard the roof top units are less efficient than an attic installed system. That was a few years ago and the technology has most certainly changed/gotten better but I don't know how comfortable I would be with them.

asufan's synopsis of the 2-story vs. 1-story is spot on, especially when you mentioned 1500 sq ft. A 2 story with 1500 sq ft PROBABLY only has 1 AC unit, i.e. one zone. You have to look at the volume of air that needs to be cooled when taking this into consideration. Newer homes? Not as much of an issue but if you are looking at 1990s era and older...you may want to put aside some funds for insulation upgrades.

I wouldn't worry too much about all this for the first year though. We typically tell people to rent for the first year, get a feel for where they want to eventually live and go from there. So many areas of the valley take on a whole different feel from one block to the next. Downtown Phoenix is going through a revitalization right now with Roosevelt Row and ASU building/expanding their downtown presence. Tempe along the Town Lake has been booming for a few years. Downtown Chandler is just surrounded by not so desirable neighborhoods (old construction, section 8 housing, etc) but is a short drive from other sections of the city. South/Old Town Scottsdale is going to be the most lively area for your demographic (in my experience which is a few years dated) and in close proximity: Scottsdale Osborn Hospital for employment. I can't speak to the West Side but as far as East Valley cities are concerned...I still vote for Scottsdale for the single 30s crowd. Unless you are into the Urban/hipster/artsy feel of downtown Phoenix.

[Anglefan]

Any places that you guys would recommend west valley?

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by Anglefan

Any places that you guys would recommend west valley?

Again, it should really depend on where you will be working. Commutes to and from the west valley during normal rush hour times can be quite a nightmare.

[KurtAZ]

Originally Posted by Anglefan

Any places that you guys would recommend west valley?

Nope.

[Lovehound]

Originally Posted by ElleTea

Again, it should really depend on where you will be working. Commutes to and from the west valley during normal rush hour times can be quite a nightmare.

Ditto. West valley commute is horrible according to my cousin who used to live there. Horrible in my own experience when I've been caught in west valley headed to east valley at evening commuter hour.

If married with children I'd recommend east valley, Mesa, quiet clean neighborhoods south of the freeway. There are older neighborhoods (not recommended) north of the 60 freeway unless you go far north of 60.

For example 60 freeway and Power Rd. south of freeway has very nice family neighborhoods, very clean, but I have never yet seen any sign of a singles scene. Maybe I didn't look.

[mekbike]

I moved here from Virginia with my wife and brother about 8 months ago. We were tired of the cold and the snow - and don't mind the heat. We've vacationed in the Southwest the last 10 years - hiking, biking and canyoneering in August when it's HOT HOT HOT. But the low humidity really does make a difference. You go outside in 80-90+ degrees with high humidity back there it's just gross as soon as you walk out and your sweating and sticky even in the shade. We got here in August and were biking in 100+ weather. But you can take a break in the shade, drink water and it's actually comfortable in our opinion. Yes, it can feel like an oven but it's still not as bad as VA. Another plus for us (and a driving factor) was that housing was far cheaper here than where we were - Metro DC area.

We've all retired at a decent age so can't help you much with the employment scene though I do know that healthcare seems to be a pretty big industry around here - think that might even be one of the top ones in Gilbert. We had a rental in Gilbert for 5 months while we waited for our house Chandler to be finished. We've like both Gilbert and Chandler and currently live right on the line so get to enjoy both. Parks, biking, hiking, retail, etc are all abundant and accessible. We too left all of our friends and family on the East Coast and that was the hardest part of the trip. Still we've found folks very nice, very friendly and very helpful so far. You might want to check out Meetup.com as you can find groups that might interest you - without having to stretch yourself more than you're comfortable.