The real Tempe...superficiality aside (Phoenix, Scottsdale: apartment complex, rental, lofts)

[Andre5140]

Alright folks, I'm going to throw a wrench into our nice menu of threads in the Phoenix forum and start something new.

As some of you already know, I will be graduating with a Masters in Urban Planning from a well-known Big Ten university. Many ask me, "Why did I accept a job in Tempe?"

For one, I almost went to ASU for grad school but chose to stay closer to home and a more reputable university. I always vowed I'd go back if I got a job there. Two years later, here I am...about ready to move in late May.

Without giving away my location, let's just say I'll be living close to Apache/University and McClintock Streets. I know it isn't the newest or glitziest part of town, but is it relatively safe? I will be living 2 miles from work but in the heat, is walking or biking just a pipe dream?

What abotu the housing market. I only intend to live in that location 1-2 years and then hope to move to Chandler or Apache Junction (your laugh here) since I'm used to larger yards and no stupid annoying little HOAs.

Yeah, I know it sounds strange for a 25 year-old, single guy to long for the peace and tranquility of Chandler or Apache Junction, but hey....I figure I'll have spent my time and met some cool people my age at the bars in Tempe/Scottsdale.

I'd stay in Tempe, but the single-family housing there is somewhat sketchy to me. I don't want to risk living next to Animal House or Jeff and Todd's Beer Pong Tournament that takes place every weekend. Sure, some nice urban living options are coming but if I had $400,000 burning a hole in my Levis, I'd be racing up to Cave Creek for a house in the mountains before I blew it on a little flat.

I want to hear from residents and those more experienced than I about Tempe. I know it is up and coming. Is the demand for density there? If so, does it help or hinder the rebirth of downtown Phoenix? Is it fairly safe? Just how friendly ARE all those twenty-something residents who are drunk on booze and sunshine? The girls who apply makeup with butter knives and wear knock-off Chloe shades...are they approachable?

I would appreciate any feedback, as I see this forum is a great place for advice. Just don't tell me I have to move to Scottsdale I may be a prude for liking Chandler's bedroom-neighborhood quality but I'm not quite a snob just yet.

Also FYI, I have been to metro Phoenix area 7 different times and have toured the suburbs in East valley extensively. That should help convince some of you that I'm not just another fool who is moving there on blind fate with only a smile, a job, and a Toyota.

Thanks in advance!

[vegaspilgrim]

I currently go to ASU and have lived in Tempe for the last 2 1/2 years. Why do want to live off Apache in the east campus "student ghetto" neighborhood? Yes, the rental rates are really low, that's why a lot of students live there, but there is also a lot of undesirable elements, and crime too. The only reason I can think of for living there is if you need to be in walking distance of ASU, or you want to live next to the light rail when it opens in late 2008. There are much better areas of Tempe further south that still have relatively inexpensive apartments.

Chandler is a really nice area-- new, clean, and a lot of local restaurants. Everybody at ASU goes to the Chandler Mall anyway to shop. If I continue living in AZ after a graduate I would live in Chandler. But Apache Junction? Their ONLY claim to fame is being mentioned in Bad Santa.

[Andre5140]

Where abouts do you live in Tempe?

[exit2lef]

Originally Posted by Andre5140

Without giving away my location, let's just say I'll be living close to Apache/University and McClintock Streets. I know it isn't the newest or glitziest part of town, but is it relatively safe? I will be living 2 miles from work but in the heat, is walking or biking just a pipe dream?

The area you describe is scrappy right now -- not so much along University, but definitely along Apache. Nevertheless, the neighborhood is about to undergo major changes. Currently, the light rail line is under construction along Apache and with it there is an expectation of major redevelopment along Apache Boulevard. One of the major proposals is to tear down the seedy Tradewinds Motel and replace it with a new project called Union Station Lofts. If projects of that sort proceed, the neighborhood will look quite different in the years to come.

Regarding safety, I'd suggest sticking to a major apartment complex and exercising normal precautions. As for biking / walking to work, it would be feasible, but in the summer you might want to take the bus home in the afteroon due to heat. You can place a bike on the front rack of most local buses, and when the light rail starts operating in late 2008, the rail cars will also accomodate bikes.

[Andre5140]

Thanks.

Yeah, I've been down Apache in that area several times. So long as it isn't dangerous, my main goal is to be close to work. There is a bus stop right outside where I plan on being. I'm looking to stay there for about 1 year and then buy a home. I'm reluctant to buying a home right away even though I've been there several times. I'd rather get a little used to the area.

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by Andre5140

Where abouts do you live in Tempe?

I'm about a mile south of the area you mentioned. Still not the greatest area, but better than the neighborhood right off Apache. The general rule of thumb for the East Valley is the farther south you go, the newer and nicer (which is the opposite, BTW, for central Phoenix). Let me just say a few other things.

People who live in Tempe, seem to be either really young (20s) or really old (60's, 70's and beyond)-- a lot of whom have been living there ever since their homes were built in the 1950s. Even though visually it looks suburban, it functions as a very urban place, and is getting more dense over time. You could bicycle to work-- people are bicycling around all over the place-- but be really careful, and stay off the big arterials. Mill Avenue is interesting and often entertaining-- but also trashy. There are a lot of off-the-beaten track restaurants, bars, and hangout spots in Tempe, many of which are located in strip malls (remember the "In Defense of Phoenix" thread?)

Overall, though, I don't consider Tempe a very hip place. The high-rise condo developers are trying to market it as that, and I think it is absolutely hilarious (watch the promotional video of Centerpoint that they play outside the construction site, with their utopian images of everybody with a vespa... scary). Tempe is more functional and practical than anything else.

[Andre5140]

Originally Posted by vegaspilgrim

Overall, though, I don't consider Tempe a very hip place. The high-rise condo developers are trying to market it as that, and I think it is absolutely hilarious (watch the promotional video of Centerpoint that they play outside the construction site, with their utopian images of everybody with a vespa... scary). Tempe is more functional and practical than anything else.

I figured as such. Ann Arbor, Michigan is kind of that way, too. Offer a hip (see: "expensive/over-priced") downtown but other than the college population and handful of wannabe urbanites, it's still just another medium-sized Michigan town with practical residents. Albeit, tons of liberals here that are whacky enough to make Karl Marx frown

I think you are spot-on with the age analysis, also, base don my visits there.

I'm going to send you a Private Message so you have a better idea of my living arrangements. Maybe then you could offer some better advice.

As for Tempe as a city, I will say that I like the fact it is more progressive than some metro regions. At least Tempe is in forefront of public transit and creating a downtown.

[tfox]

In my relatively brief sojourn contracting in the Phoenix area, I lived in Tempe, and I was really glad I did. IMO it was my favorite of all the east valley cities by far due to its central location, ASU amenities and culture, excellent connectivity (I-10, 101, 202, 60), "downtown" activities. I have to put "downtown" in quotes as it's hardly very authentic, but in comparison to all the other suburbs (except perhaps Scottsdale) it was the best the area had.

The area along Apache wasn't the best, true enough, but there were plenty of areas that are in Tempe. That area is hardly representative of all of town.

I frankly wasn't at all impressed by the other East Valley cities. Sure, they were all pretty interchangable in terms of cookie-cutter sprawl, but you expect that in the Phoenix area. It was just that they're just all "out there" -- you'd spend you're whole life in the car if you lived in one of those places. And that was several years ago -- imagine what it'd be like now! I don't like spending my whole life behind a wheel, so I chose to live in Tempe.

[irwin]

I live in Tempe as well, although closer to Mill Ave. Personally, although I don't like Arizona, being close to Mill for me is the best of a bad situation. It is more walkable than any other area of the Valley (well, maybe Old Town is in there as well). Mill has some decent restaurants, a good little pizza parlor, and a few decent pubs and bars. I live within walking distance of Casey Moores, Rulla Bulla, and a couple of other places. Over off Apache there is 4 Peaks, which is a great relaxed place that I ride my bike over to every once and awhile. The other places are a little more college orientated.

You might like Tempe, although I think you have different priorities than me. I, for example, would never live in a place like Chandler and South Tempe is WAY to suburban for my tastes. But, to each his own.

[jackie30]

bms: you don't need to be so rude, or for that matter, generalize the whole population from Midwest and the East Coast as "arrogant jerks!" This is a forum for advice and opinions, not bashing others. By the way, almost everyone in this city is from some other part of the country. Guess you're the only one who is NOT an "arrogant jerk" - your post is really uncalled for!