Phoenix AZ Best Town (Mesa, Glendale: apartments, rent, low crime)

[KLR87]

Hey everyone,

My husband just got a job in Paradise Valley, AZ. We aren't millionaires so we won't be living there.
We are childless (do not plan to have any), early 30's, and he is in law enforcement and I am in health care.

I understand this is subjective, but we are looking for a town in Phoenix that is low crime, clean (not a ton of run down developments, buildings, etc), modern (newly built stores, etc), and scenic with mountain views. He is willing to travel 45-60 min from Paradise Valley. I don't have a preference.

We have been out there twice and from what we were told, stay away from southern metro Phoenix (that's okay because we don't want to live in the city), east Mesa, and east Chandler.

Any suggestions based off of my list? Thank you!

Also, we do like the west valley because it doesn't seem as busy, but if there is a town on the east side that meets our needs, I'm cool with that too.

[Dewey59]

You didn't mention a budget, but North Phoenix, North Scottsdale, Cave Creek, and Carefree could all be good possibilities that would meet your requirements and not have a horrible commute.

Has your husband been in a big city commute before? It's not fun. West valley has several good options, but I sincerely believe he would quickly tire of the brutal commute.

[KLR87]

Thank you for the response back. I definitely should have mentioned budget! We want to buy a house within two years of living there, so we would like to keep our base rent (including tax) under $1000-$1100.

We currently reside in PA and he works in Baltimore City so he is used to a commute (takes him about 45 min or so without traffic).

We are entertaining the thought of Peoria, but we want to have more options. From what I've read, Peoria isn't bad? I do hear great things, however, about the above towns you've mentioned. We've also looked at Goodyear, but it looks like it would be about an hour commute if I'm not mistaken which is cutting it close to his limit. We also like Fountain Hills, but there isn't many apartments to choose from. Scottsdale looks like it would be too expensive to get an apartment that meets our expectations (modern, newer, etc). I've heard Glendale is sketchy, however, not around the Arrowhead Ranch area which is where another apartment we found interesting is located.

[JGMotorsport64]

Whoever you've been talking to has no idea what they're talking about and in your price range you aren't exactly high rollers.

Also is the job in the Town of Paradise Valley, or the neighborhood in Northern Phoenix?

In either event, why you'd avoid Chandler for Peoria escapes me.

I'd look at Northern Phoenix proper, Carefree, and Cave Creek.

[wase4711]

Peoria is nice, but a brutal commute to Paradise Valley...

[KLR87]

Originally Posted by JGMotorsport64

Whoever you've been talking to has no idea what they're talking about and in your price range you aren't exactly high rollers.

Also is the job in the Town of Paradise Valley, or the neighborhood in Northern Phoenix?

In either event, why you'd avoid Chandler for Peoria escapes me.

I'd look at Northern Phoenix proper, Carefree, and Cave Creek.

He'll be working in the town of Paradise. As far as why I'd choose Peoria over Chandler-that's why I'm here...because I DON'T know the area.

Also, I didn't say we were avoiding Chandler. I said that we were told to avoid east Chandler...as well as east Mesa.

[KLR87]

Originally Posted by wase4711

Peoria is nice, but a brutal commute to Paradise Valley...

Okay, thank you. We got 38-43 minutes when mapquesting it. Would that be incorrect?

[wase4711]

that is probably a non rush hour calculation...
I cant imagine making that trip in less than an hour during peak times; plus, peoria is a large town, so the north end of peoria is probably alot closer than the middle or south part of town..Also, keep in mind with mountains all around the area, there arent alot of "through" roads going from there to paradise valley, and no real highway that you can take

https://www.maptechnica.com/city-map/Peoria/AZ/0454050

[KLR87]

I will check out Carefree, Cave Creek, and northern Phoenix like you all have suggested.

[KLR87]

Originally Posted by wase4711

that is probably a non rush hour calculation...
I cant imagine making that trip in less than an hour during peak times; plus, peoria is a large town, so the north end of peoria is probably alot closer than the middle or south part of town..Also, keep in mind with mountains all around the area, there arent alot of "through" roads going from there to paradise valley, and no real highway that you can take

https://www.maptechnica.com/city-map/Peoria/AZ/0454050

Okay, thank you. That makes sense. I need to check out northern Phoenix yet like you both have suggested, but I did look at Carefree and Cave Creek on Zillow (because we are planning on buying within a year or two). We would like to stay around 350-400k for our first home and Carefree and Cave Creek seem like that's going to be tough to do. Plus, I didn't see many homes on the market there.

The other poster doesn't seem fond of Peoria. Other than the commute, what are your thoughts on Peoria, Glendale, and Goodyear? I liked Suprise when we toured it, but that seems like it's the farthest so I didn't even bother entertaining that thought. Also, we aren't opposed to the east valley. I was just attracted to the west valley because it seems less busy. Again, I don't live there and this is just my interpretation from research/our trips out there.