Is Peoria too far to commute if working in Tempe (ASU)? (Mesa: house, neighborhoods)

[observer53]

Originally Posted by Sunny3

I was afraid you were going to say that. I read somewhere that Tempe can get a little sketchy if you are south of Guadalupe. Does that sound right? Are there areas to avoid in Tempe? Also, what about Mesa?

You have that backwards. The BEST part of Tempe is south of Guadalupe Road, but there are very nice areas north of there too. I've lived in Tempe for over forty years. Living in Tempe and working at ASU is, to my mind, ideal. There are even multiple public transit options that will save you having to pay for a parking permit on campus. Tempe has a great quality of life, a great parks and recreation department, and good schools, both in the two elementary districts and the high school district. I would not live right near campus for the most part, except I will say that one of the BEST elementary schools in the city (Broadmor) is only about a mile and a half from the south border of campus, in a really nice area.


Mesa is a huge city in terms of area (and large in terms of population) with some good areas and not so good ones. Schools don't have as a good a reputation as those in Tempe or Chandler, or at least parts of Gilbert.


I would NOT make a commute from Peoria to Tempe and back every day. That much time in a car instead of time with family? No. Just no.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by JGMotorsport64

Anything you could ever find in Peoria could easily be found in Chandler/Tempe/Mesa/Gilbert. IMO I'd choose Chandler or Tempe before I looked at Peoria regardless. Peoria is just cookie cutter development city, there's not much more to it.

It makes almost no sense for you to consider Peoria if you are commuting to ASU. Just live in Tempe. Tempe is generally safe, but the worst parts are generally East of McClintock and near Arizona Mills. Other than that it's perfectly fine.

If sterile and new is your thing, Chandler has all that and a lot more. I also would not discount Scottsdale.



Gilbert has the LDS thing, but the LDS influence is not like Utah or rural Northern Arizona. It's just normal people living their lives like you are. But working at ASU would make living in Tempe fun and you'd be part of the community.

If you mean east of McClintock and north of Apache, okay. The rest of Tempe east of McClintock is just fine.

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by observer53

You have that backwards. The BEST part of Tempe is south of Guadalupe Road, but there are very nice areas north of there too. I've lived in Tempe for over forty years. Living in Tempe and working at ASU is, to my mind, ideal. There are even multiple public transit options that will save you having to pay for a parking permit on campus. Tempe has a great quality of life, a great parks and recreation department, and good schools, both in the two elementary districts and the high school district. I would not live right near campus for the most part, except I will say that one of the BEST elementary schools in the city (Broadmor) is only about a mile and a half from the south border of campus, in a really nice area.


Mesa is a huge city in terms of area (and large in terms of population) with some good areas and not so good ones. Schools don't have as a good a reputation as those in Tempe or Chandler, or at least parts of Gilbert.

Note that mass transit in South Tempe is a bit more sparse and less frequent than it is in North Tempe, although they will be starting the new Orbit Saturn this October.

Also, parts of East Mesa (south of Baseline Road and north of Warner) are in the Gilbert school district, which is considered better than the Mesa district.

[kytoaz]

Working in Tempe would eliminate anywhere in the west valley for a housing choice IMO. plenty of nice areas in tempe, chandler, gilbert or even Scottsdale. my wife works at ASU and we live in Arcadia in central phoenix and her commute is a breeze. 15-20 minutes tops. I really can't stand most of mesa but that's just like, my opinion man.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by Pink Jazz

Note that mass transit in South Tempe is a bit more sparse and less frequent than it is in North Tempe, although they will be starting the new Orbit Saturn this October.

Also, parts of East Mesa (south of Baseline Road and north of Warner) are in the Gilbert school district, which is considered better than the Mesa district.

If you can get to the 65, 66, 72 or even the 81 easily, (all of which serve south Tempe) getting to ASU is a breeze. I USE public transit in south Tempe regularly, so I know. The Orbit Saturn will be irrelevant to most of south Tempe.

[SoCalCpl2]

It all depends on your point of view..Here is Cali we travel long distances and endure horrendous traffic... Have been to Phoenix many times and traveled in Rush hour both morning and night and it was a cakewalk for us

[ElleTea]

Originally Posted by SoCalCpl2

It all depends on your point of view..Here is Cali we travel long distances and endure horrendous traffic... Have been to Phoenix many times and traveled in Rush hour both morning and night and it was a cakewalk for us

I think the general consensus is, why do it if you don't have to? People do it in many cities, but here there are plenty of closer options for the OP without having to spend so much time in the car.

It's amazing how much more free I feel since I went from a 40 minute, mostly freeway commute home to a 15 minute, no freeway, I can go home for lunch commute!

[Pink Jazz]

Originally Posted by observer53

If you can get to the 65, 66, 72 or even the 81 easily, (all of which serve south Tempe) getting to ASU is a breeze. I USE public transit in south Tempe regularly, so I know. The Orbit Saturn will be irrelevant to most of south Tempe.

It's primarily the east-west corridors that are less served. There is no bus route on Warner other than the diversion of the 81 to ASU Research Park, and the 108-Elliot only runs every 30 minutes.

[Sunny3]

Thank you all SO much for this fantastic information! Seriously, this is beyond helpful.
Please Keep it coming if you have more to add!


My question is about this:

Originally Posted by SoCalCpl2

It all depends on your point of view..Here is Cali we travel long distances and endure horrendous traffic... Have been to Phoenix many times and traveled in Rush hour both morning and night and it was a cakewalk for us

We have always lived near and commuted around big cities including some with the worst traffic in the universe (Atlanta to name one). So I guess our mindset just accepts that we will probably have a crappy drive. That being said, why have a long commute if you don't need to? I get it. But just for the sake of being stubborn, Can anyone tell me what the commute time would be from ASU back to Peoria at the 4-6pm hours? I'm not worried about mornings because work is so early that I'm sure traffic will not be an issue.

[DetroitN8V]

This will sound harsh, but I think what you're failing to understand is that Peoria is nothing special and certainly not worth lessening your quality of life due to a long and frustrating commute. Why not have your cake and eat it too? You can live in a great area (arguably a better one) and have a short commute in Tempe, Gilbert, Chandler, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley.