Fountain Hills ... best affordable suburb??? (Phoenix, Scottsdale: real estate, condos, low crime)

[Valley Native]

Best Affordable Suburbs 2009 : Arizona - BusinessWeek

Business Week recently posted the best affordable suburbs in all 50 states. You can imagine my surprise when Fountain Hills appeared as Arizona's best affordable. Don't get me wrong, it's a very nice community ... however, while Fountain Hills isn't quite as exclusive as Paradise Valley or Biltmore, it is definitely on the upscale side. So I'm rather confused how Fountain Hills could be considered "affordable", based on the average home price being nearly $400,000 (less than it it was two or three years ago, but still above the average).

I'm sure different factors are weighed in, but my personal pick for best affordable suburb in the Phoenix area would be Tempe. The average price for real estate is much less overall, but the crime rate isn't all that high. Being that it's so close to Phoenix, commute times are drastically reduced, and it's a hot spot for the bar/restaurant/nightclub scene. It has all the amenities of a suburb while being quite urban at the same time.

[SpeedyAZ]

I think that list is a bit skewed, Fountain Hills is definetly a nice suburb but I wouldn't consider it that affordable. Many homes in Fountain Hills are going to be about $500K+ and even the condos around the actual fountain are pretty spendy. I looked at California and their best affordable suburb is Arcadia with the average home price nearly $700K...I don't classify that as affordable.

[Robert A]

It's Business Week. I'm sure their definition of affordable (and desirable) is a little different from ours. Still, it's possible to get a home in Fountain Hills in the $200's. But yes, I'd also pick Tempe for the reasons you mentioned.

[shiphead]

Fountain hills is out in the boon docks. Takes a drive to get anywhere.

[homlish560]

Ok, here I go again with the pics.



Aerial View of the Fountain

[musicforme]

I seem to recall they use reclaimed water in that fountain. If I'm correct, they seems kind of gross they shoot that kind of water into the air.

[miamiman]

Originally Posted by musicforme

I seem to recall they use reclaimed water in that fountain. If I'm correct, they seems kind of gross they shoot that kind of water into the air.

Reclaimed water goes through a purification process. It's not like they're shooting sewage up into the air.

[pbenjamin]

Considering that a lot of water is lost to evaporation and therefore wasted, reclaimed water is the only thing that they should be shooting into the air, just as it is the only thing that should be put on all the golf courses that get built.

[Valley Native]

When I think of "affordable", I usually consider what the average Joe or Josephine can buy without going broke. While Fountain Hills is nice, and not exactly "exclusive", it's NOT affordable to the average person. But at the same time, I'm a huge believer that you get what you pay for. If someone is looking for a quiet suburban area with a desert/nature feel, higher class people, low crime, and the world's tallest fountain (supposedly), then I would definitely recommend Fountain Hills. Commute times are certainly higher to & from Fountain Hills, but that's one of the downsides of residing in the distant 'burbs!

[azriverfan.]

Fountain Hills is not only not affordable, it's overpriced. I have a friend who lives there. His house is a little over 1900 sq feet and he paid 850K for it. We looked at houses there and the prices were outrageous. You can get far better deals in even North Scottsdale. Fountain Hills is nice but its overpriced.