Troon/McDowell area questions (Phoenix, Scottsdale: house, neighborhood, scorpion)

[deanml]

Hello,

My wife and I are considering a move to North Scottsdale, most likely in the Troon area or near the McDowell Mountain Regional Park. We have family in the Phoenix area and have visited a few times, so we are familiar with basic things like the heat and cost of living.

We do have some concerns and questions, so any advice on these topics would be greatly appreciated!

1. Scorpions, snakes and other pests. We will be very close to open and newly developed desert areas, likely in new construction, and from what I understand scorpions and spiders can be an issue here. I've read most of the threads and information on this topic several times, so I think my question comes down to this:

With regular pest control and other preventative measures, is it possible to have a scorpion/spider free house in this area? I understand one may get inside occasionally, my concern is more toward having them in the house on a regular basis.

2. Internet, power, and cell service. How is the quality of these services in the Troon area? We work from home so it's critical that we have reliable power and a fast, reliable Internet connection.

3. Flight paths from Sky Harbor. I've read about the flight path lawsuit and noise concerns over the past several years, though I believe it affects DC Ranch more than the Troon area. Still, they are fairly close, so can anyone provide insight on airplane noise over homes in the Troon area?

4. McDowell Mountain Hunting Area. It seems pretty far away and up in the hills, but I'm wondering if you can hear gunshots in the distance.

5. Fires. Are brush or wildfires an issue in this area?

Thanks!

[smoochaz]

Yes scorpions, spiders, as well as wildlife (coyotes, javelinas, bobcats, snakes) are in the areas you mention - I haven't heard any complaints about flight noise from the airports, but this along with hunting area noise you would do your due diligence after you figure on a house. Same goes with the brush fires - anything is possible right it depends on the terrain and house. Have you checked out Grayhawk area?

[Elna Rae]

Yes; expect an occasional scorpion sting and if you have small pets... well... that takes lots of vigilance. Predators that want to eat them are everywhere.

What area are you moving from? The "gunshots" question is a bit odd.

Personally I find the report of a rifle somewhat soothing and comforting.

[wase4711]

1. Proper pest control, and sealing open cracks on house and garage goes a long way towards elimination.
But, the critters were here before us, and will be here after, so wear shoes in the house and you have little to worry about.

2.Power is no issue, aside from a possible temporary outage after/during a heavy monsoon is you get one..Internet is fine..

3.Flight paths can be an issue and, sometimes you might hear more planes than you would like. There are multiple airports in the Valley, so hearing/seeing planes in inevitable, as well as an occasional military jet squadron. After all, this is Arizona...

4.Cant speak to gunshots/hunting "sounds", but remember, Arizona is the #1 Gun Friendly place in the USA, so expect to see and sometimes here guns being used.

5. fires are a danger everywhere in the state; keep a cleared out area around the perimeter your property, and, of course, never an open flame or cigarette toss

Make sure you REALLY understand what the heat means out here, from May through October, and, also, understand its not unusual to not get ANY rain for 2-3 months straight...

You should probably take a look at this thread too.....
https://www.city-data.com/forum/ariz...not-think.html

[deanml]

Thanks for the responses!

I've learned to be skeptical when investigating a new area, it helps uncover things that you didn't realize could be problems. The positives are the easy part

Regarding the heat, I start feeling comfortable when it gets into the 90s, assuming the humidity is low. I've been in Phoenix when it was 100+ and thought it was fine, but I'm aware you need to be careful about touching metal surfaces, strenuous activity, etc., when it gets into that range. To me the summers on the east coast are much worse, 90+ degrees with 70% humidity is pretty unbearable.

I'm familiar with Arizona's gun laws so that's not an issue, I was just curious about that hunting area since I've never lived near one. It's several miles away which I think is enough for any noise concerns. It might not be possible to judge airplane noise from flight paths right now due to the reductions.

The scorpion/spider issue is hard to gauge, since it can vary by area, neighborhood, and even house. There have been plenty of scorpion threads on here so I was trying to focus on how successful you can be with mitigation when you're close to open desert. My plan is to have a contractor seal up the house and vents, and monthly professional spraying and blacklighting, if that service is offered. Hopefully that will be enough, my goal is to not have to worry about pests when I'm in the house, and just be cautious when doing things outside. Does that sound reasonable?

[wase4711]

regular pest control, and making a strong effort to seal things up should be just fine; you'll never eliminate 100%, but monthly pest control goes a long ways towards killing their food, which is really what you want to try and do, so they go else where to find a meal..

most people feel the humidity is what kills them in the summer, but, even though there is no humidity here for a good part of the year, aside from Monsoon season, 116 degrees with 2% humidity is still brutal, especially the first year or so you are here. Staying out of the sun, and drinking double the amount of water you think you need will help alot; plus, working from home, you can avoid the mid day sun, so that helps too. If you keep you cars in the garage, you can minimize the hands getting burned on the steering wheel/door handles as well!