Need Help Finding Safe areas for 23 Year Old (Phoenix, Scottsdale: apartment complexes, rental)

[Roosmom887]

My 23 year old son is finishing college in the Midwest and has been offered a job in Chandler. He will only have 2 weeks after graduation in May to find a place to live. I am trying to help by focusing his housing search. I am looking for recommendations for a good area for him to live in. We will be able to make one trip to the Chandler area after graduation to look for an apartment. He has identified Tempe, Phoenix and Chandler as potential places to live. Do you have recommendations? Is there a realtor who could take him to view apartments in these three areas? I would appreciate any help! Thank you

[asufan]

I think there are apartment finders out there that can take you around. In Chandler, the area around the loop 101 between Ray and Chandler Blvd would be a good place to start. It's a younger population in that area and near countless restaurants/bars/shopping and 10 minutes to DT Tempe for entertainment. You might consider South Scottsdale as well if he's someone that will partake in nightlife more than once or twice a week.

[KurtAZ]

I would have to agree...Chandler proper may be a bit dull for a 23 year old. We were out in DT Chandler on Saturday night and everything died around 10 except for a couple of spots. Which was fine since we were heading home as well...yeah we are old.

It really depends on his budget but my younger brother really likes Old Town Scottsdale, lots of young professionals down there. Lots of restaurants, transportation (Uber/Electric cabs/scooters/etc.), nightclubs, shopping. All the things to seperate a young man and his money. It may be a hike to get to Chandler (depending on where in Chandler) but the 30 minute drive may be worth the lifestyle.

South Scottsdale's apartment complexes are kind of run down, last I looked, but they are building new ones on the North shore of Tempe Town Lake that may be worth looking into. The light-rail is a bonus if he wants to go to Downtown Phoenix as well.

You are going to get a younger crowd around ASU in Tempe but that is changing with the business explosion along Tempe Town Lake. Quite a few young professionals in the area as well but it can get easily overwhelmed by the ASU crowd. Same comment with the light-rail. There are some nice areas in South Tempe as well but further away from entertainment.

Maybe Down Town Gilbert if others don't suit? Seems like there is more to do there than Chandler.

[grad_student200]

Originally Posted by Roosmom887

My 23 year old son is finishing college in the Midwest and has been offered a job in Chandler. He will only have 2 weeks after graduation in May to find a place to live. I am trying to help by focusing his housing search. I am looking for recommendations for a good area for him to live in. We will be able to make one trip to the Chandler area after graduation to look for an apartment. He has identified Tempe, Phoenix and Chandler as potential places to live. Do you have recommendations? Is there a realtor who could take him to view apartments in these three areas? I would appreciate any help! Thank you

Congratulations on your son's graduation and the new job. I am from rural AZ but went to college in the midwest as an undergraduate. I used to take flights to Chicago from Phoenix. Relatively speaking, it's a lot warmer here than the midwest. Summers are hot and dry. Winters are generally warm but get occasional snow and cold mornings - but nothing like Chicago in a polar vortex.

For a recent college graduate, Chandler is an ideal place to live. There are many jobs in the area, and the housing rental units are below average compared to North Phoenix. The freeways to note are I-10 and 202 near Ray Road and Chandler Road. A lot of IT companies are here for a variety of industries. Intel and Motorola are close by, and insurance or bank companies have a major presence.

I would not be concenred about the "neighborhood" or the commute - it's easy compared to places like Miami, FL, Chicago's North Shore, etc. The best thing to do is get on indeed.com and glassdoor.com to check out anonymous comments about the company. Does it get good reviews? Is it suffering from management problems? Do people quit and leave a lot? Are there layoffs? I have found that glassdoor is a good guide.

With that said, I would recommend getting a rental unit as close to the company as possible. I have about a 4 minute commute with just one stop light. I don't even get on the freeway. The job pays very well, and many mid-to-sr level engineers get homes in Chandler or Gilbert because they get the biggest "Bang for the Buck" in nice neighborhoods with good schools. South Mountain is nearby for hiking, and there are many gyms in the area like Planet Fitness, Mountain Fitness, etc. Other popular hiking trails include Camelback Mountain, Piestewa Peak, McDowell Mountain Park, White Tank. Many of those areas also have mountain biking trails.

I worked with a lot of recent college graduates, and I would suggest striving hard to get along with all workers:
* avoid office romances
* iterate and clarify when disagreements occur
* don't browse the web like facebook or twitter while working - the computers are monitored
* don't show up late - attend meetings ontime
* don't fear public speaking - avoid perceptions of being the loner
* to sum up - people skills go a long way

On the technical side, automation and artificial intelligence are here. If the son wants to go to graduate school, the in-state schools have excellent online programs. I would recommend looking into those long-term. For now, the new job is great in an awesome location. There are a lot of people here from the midwest. Just know that in my twenty years of experience no job environment is perfect. But one can learn to adapt and survive or thrive to a reasonable level.

The recent college graduates I worked with who struggled found themselves in very heavy financial burdens if they rushed into marriage and unplanned pregnancy. From population statistics, there are far more single moms than married moms under the age of 30. I would advise caution for rushing into marriage which is common in some parts of AZ.