Mesa/Apache Junction/San Tan Valley areas? (Gilbert, Casa Grande: real estate, apartment)

[texas7]

Looking to move to Mesa area but have been told Apache Junction or San Tan Valley may also work. What are the better or safer areas in these three cities for a single woman with modest prices home, not looking for high end? Maybe zip codes I should look in? Thanks in advance for your help.

[elcajones]

Originally Posted by texas7

Looking to move to Mesa area but have been told Apache Junction or San Tan Valley may also work. What are the better or safer areas in these three cities for a single woman with modest prices home, not looking for high end? Maybe zip codes I should look in? Thanks in advance for your help.

If you don't mind a commute and congestion, STV is the most affordable option and it's much newer and nicer to make a major generalization. Mesa and AJ are considerably more expensive and both have their desirable and undesirable areas. I never lived in AJ but lived in Mesa for years and I was absolutely miserable. I tried to make the best of it but yikes. I thought I hated living in AZ for a minute there before I moved way out here to Coolidge. STV is shiny and new and no matter where you live in the area you can't really go wrong.

Now if you really want Mesa though, in my opinion, the nicest, newest area that's reasonably priced are the 85212 and 85209 areas on the eastern outskirts. But at that point, why not drive the extra 20 minutes to STV and save big on housing costs? If you had kids the fact that a lot of that area is Gilbert schools would be a plus but, that's not a concern here in your case.

[HTY483]

If you're into Meth trailer parks then I'd say AJ is your best bet. If not then San Tan Valley.

[bgray9]

We live in 85213 in north Mesa just off the 202 Red Mountain and really like it. Pretty quiet, not that much traffic. Mesa is a huge city and any generalizations are not very useful.

[Sno0909]

Why Mesa? Just curious why/how you initially landed there?

[elcajones]

Originally Posted by bgray9

We live in 85213 in north Mesa just off the 202 Red Mountain and really like it. Pretty quiet, not that much traffic. Mesa is a huge city and any generalizations are not very useful.

I agree, which is why I called myself out a bit as I said it. I felt less bad about my generalization though as I saw the AJ comment that followed . Mesa is a city that you can get all kinds of neighborhoods. I was going to suggest your area up north because it’s really nice but, north Mesa is generally really expensive.

[bgray9]

Originally Posted by elcajones

I agree, which is why I called myself out a bit as I said it. I felt less bad about my generalization though as I saw the AJ comment that followed . Mesa is a city that you can get all kinds of neighborhoods. I was going to suggest your area up north because it’s really nice but, north Mesa is generally really expensive.

Fair enough. It is hard on hear to know what the OP means by modest prices. That can mean very different things to different people. North Mesa at this point certainly isn't the cheapest part of town, but some areas aren't that expensive. But anyone can hop on a real estate website and get a feel for prices in various parts of town.

[FirebirdCamaro1220]

Originally Posted by elcajones

If you don't mind a commute and congestion, STV is the most affordable option and it's much newer and nicer to make a major generalization. Mesa and AJ are considerably more expensive and both have their desirable and undesirable areas. I never lived in AJ but lived in Mesa for years and I was absolutely miserable. I tried to make the best of it but yikes. I thought I hated living in AZ for a minute there before I moved way out here to Coolidge. STV is shiny and new and no matter where you live in the area you can't really go wrong.

Now if you really want Mesa though, in my opinion, the nicest, newest area that's reasonably priced are the 85212 and 85209 areas on the eastern outskirts. But at that point, why not drive the extra 20 minutes to STV and save big on housing costs? If you had kids the fact that a lot of that area is Gilbert schools would be a plus but, that's not a concern here in your case.

Why did you move all the way out there? Unless you work in Coolidge, Florence or Casa Grande, you have a hell of a commute each day

[texas7]

Not a large income earner so looking for lowest price area I can find that would still
be considered safe. Mesa is a city ive visited before so have some limited familiarity with, but not enough familiarity to know safe or high crime areas. The other cities selected because ive been told they are lower priced but still safe areas but I haven’t visited them yet.

[elcajones]

Originally Posted by FirebirdCamaro1220

Why did you move all the way out there? Unless you work in Coolidge, Florence or Casa Grande, you have a hell of a commute each day

Because I’m nuts haha. I love it out here. Went from a crappy apartment I hated in Mesa to a cool country house with a big yard and cut the housing expenses too. The commute does suck but to me it’s worth it. I had my fill of the city. Not only is it cheaper but it’s really laid back and I love the town. We only have a handful of restaurants but they are all good and there is a local grocery store that’s awesome too. The commute to my office in Gilbert is about 33 miles but no traffic. 87-Gilbert Road. Honestly it’s an easier commute than STV would have been, where I was initially looking.