Gilbert/Chandler vs Scottsdale (shoot staright with me) (Phoenix: renting, crime)

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by senorcat05

I need some simple advice for a married couple (27,23 still working on becoming financially stable...we are looking to rent not buy...3 grand in the bank will start full time gig...apprx 50-60k a year in sales when moving to arizona have job lined up)...the more posts...the better


I currently live in NJ...moving to AZ in few months...I am very interested in safe living in a nice area with cheap living conditions...My good friend lives in Gilbert...has lived in Chandler too...I have heard from him Gilbert is safer and cheaper to live in scottsdale (which is where my wife wants to live..(is there a high amount of car stereo theft in gilbert community apt complexes??) I have read that...My wife would much rather live in scottsdale....she claims its a nice safer area and can find apartments for the same price...in gilbert that is nicer and safer....if thats true why do i always hear warnings about scottsdale being so expensive...are there other things that make it more expensive?? health insurance...car insurance....gas?......please help!

Your wife is wrong. People don't live in Scottsdale vs Gilbert because it's safer and nicer. They live in Scottsdale for prestige and proximity to entertainment. Many of the actual houses and apartments in Gilbert are nicer than Scottsdale because they are new. The same Mark Taylor luxury apartment clones are located in Gilbert just like they are in Scottsdale, the difference is the Gilbert apartments were built a few years ago while the Scottsdale ones were built 10 years ago. Gilbert is arguably safer because it lacks night life and has a large Mormon population so you don't have crime related to night life such as DUI, alcohol related violence etc. If you don't care about living close to night life, I would live in Gilbert especially if you are renting. Why would you pay more rent for an older apartment with sketchier people versus renting at a newer apartment with more business professionals and families?

In general, you need to learn this about the Phoenix area. Contrary to the 2 or 3 haters on this forum, the Phoenix area is really nice overall. There are so many nice communities. I know that in many large cities, there are only a few upscale communities and the reason they are upscale is because they are safe and nice. In Phoenix, our "name-brand" communities are recognized not because they are so much safer and "nicer" like you find in other cities. They are famous for certain features. Paradise Valley is famous for the price of its homes. Scottsdale is famous for it's nightlife, golf courses and restaurants but in regards to its homes, they are not really different than other parts of the valley with the exception of its million dollar custom-built homes in North Scottsdale. However, in terms of just upscale and nice communities, there are many besides Scottsdale such as Gilbert, Chandler, Ahwautukee, Arrowhead, Desert Ridge, Sun City and Sun City West...too many to mention

[mikec34]

Originally Posted by senorcat05

I need some simple advice for a married couple (27,23 still working on becoming financially stable...we are looking to rent not buy...3 grand in the bank will start full time gig...apprx 50-60k a year in sales when moving to arizona have job lined up)...the more posts...the better


I currently live in NJ...moving to AZ in few months...I am very interested in safe living in a nice area with cheap living conditions...My good friend lives in Gilbert...has lived in Chandler too...I have heard from him Gilbert is safer and cheaper to live in scottsdale (which is where my wife wants to live..(is there a high amount of car stereo theft in gilbert community apt complexes??) I have read that...My wife would much rather live in scottsdale....she claims its a nice safer area and can find apartments for the same price...in gilbert that is nicer and safer....if thats true why do i always hear warnings about scottsdale being so expensive...are there other things that make it more expensive?? health insurance...car insurance....gas?......please help!

AZ is cheap in general my friend. Scottsdale is normally higher in price, but I've seen numerous apartmens for rent in Scottsdale that are similar in price and class to Gilber communities.

I've had my truck radio ripped off once while in Mesa, but nothing in Gilb/Scot. I don't know stats for either of them, so I really can't say which is safer. city-data.com and enter the city names in the serach bar...they may have some good crime data for you to look over.

Scottsdale is more trendy and many more things to do. With no kids, young and a decent salary, I'd hit Scottsdale first and if you don't like it, figure out from there. If you come without a job, try and get somewhere cheap and small with a 3 month lease to give you time to find the place you like. For me, Scottsdale has always been closer to my employer.... I hate driving, so for me that's a big thing...I especially hate driving when sun is always on me.

[shiphead]

Only reason we don't stay in Gilbert is because of the mormons. Housing is very affordable and its very quiet out there, but my wife lived there for 10 years and had to deal with mormons on a daily basis.

[azcater]

Hmm.. I live in Gilbert and have for 8 years now and haven't had to "deal" with mormons on a daily basis. I'm not even sure what that means. I have been told that the neighborhood we live in is heavily populated by mormons but I'm not even sure I would know the difference between a mormon and non-mormon. It's a shame to cross Gilbert off the list for that reason.

[Captain Bill]

Originally Posted by azcater

Hmm.. I live in Gilbert and have for 8 years now and haven't had to "deal" with mormons on a daily basis. I'm not even sure what that means. I have been told that the neighborhood we live in is heavily populated by mormons but I'm not even sure I would know the difference between a mormon and non-mormon. It's a shame to cross Gilbert off the list for that reason.

Same here. There is a mormon gentleman on my board of directors, and the only way I knew it is that Sunday I happened to see he and his wife going to church. Typically the man is dressed in a white shirt and tie, and the lady is dressed in conservative dress.

We hired a management company for our HOA and the owner is a mormon. We went flying together in his airplane, and had lunch a couple times. I knew that he was a mormon because someone mentioned it, but he never mentioned his religion.

I'm told there are quite a few mormon realtors in our office. I go to office meetings, and have no idea which ones are mormons.

I did talk to one of the office agents about seeing a property on Sunday and he said that he doesn't work on Sunday. He did not mention his religion, but that was a clue that he is mormon because they go to church on Sunday.

I'm quite happy living in a community with people of all religions, and especially mormons because they are generally quiet family oriented people who raise their children to be good citizens.

[observer53]

I'm with azcater and Captain Bill on this one. I come from an LDS background, though I am of a different faith now, and I don't think there's anything to "deal with" that is a negative in terms of living in a neighborhood with a high percentage of LDS residents.

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by observer53

I'm with azcater and Captain Bill on this one. I come from an LDS background, though I am of a different faith now, and I don't think there's anything to "deal with" that is a negative in terms of living in a neighborhood with a high percentage of LDS residents.

I agree with you, azcater and Captain Bill. It depends on your attitude and approach to your neighborhood. I believe in the Robert Frost line "Good fences make good neighbors" I don't really want to get to know my neighbors on a personal level. I like having that anonymity and privacy. My neighbors know me and we exchanged cookies but I never hang out with them. I have friends all over the valley so I don't feel the need to be close to my neighbors aside from the usual Neighborhood watch type of relationship (I watch your house; you watch mine) So for me, living next to Mormons is a good thing. I want to live next to people who are trustworthy and crime-free. I plan to send my kids to private school so living in Gilbert wouldn't bother me because my kids will still have friends just maybe not in the same neighborhood.

HOWEVER, some people do want to develop close ties to their neighbors. They want their kids to be able to play in the neighborhood and not feel ostracized at school or in the neighborhood because they are of a different faith. In that regard, I wouldn't want to live in Glibert because your children would be ostracized because they are not Mormon. By ostracized, I don't mean there is a deliberate effort by Mormons to have their children not socialize or avoid other children but it's pretty natural that people of one faith are going to associate more due to church and other activities. So yes, I think Mormons are unfortunatley maligned and falsely accused of walling themselves off but the reality is when one group is overwhelmingly of one faith and that faith occupies a major portion of their lives, people are naturally going to be segregated as a result. I saw this in California with Jewish and Indian(India) communities.

The bottomline is what do you want out of your neighborhood? Do you want to be close to your neighbors or are you like me in that you don't want to be close to your neighbors but you just want to live next door to ones who are trustworthy?

[BrooklynPitt]

I have to chime in. We are "empty nesters" - also from NJ, and ready to buy in the Valley as snowbirds (not ready to retire and move yet . . . will I ever be able to retire?). I agree with BBartlett and Ponderosa, and as an outsider have observed their views in practice. Scottsdale DEFINITELY has "brand name" appeal, or a higher status over the other communities. Now, regarding the so-called "snob appeal" of Scottsdale, it's no different any where else in the world. As a NJ guy, you'll understand that. If you buy a house in Englewood Cliffs, you'll pay much more than for a house in Englewood proper. Same reason that companies NOT in Princeton, NJ use a Princeton P.O. Box address (who outside of my county has ever heard of municipalities like Ewing, West Windsor or Plainsboro?). If you're a couple that must have a house in a community with immediate name recognition, just like you must drive a Mercedes - not a Ford - then your decision is already made. I just hope that it's worth the extra money you'll spend in housing costs.

[azdr0710]

don't want to cause an argument with your wife, but does she want to live in Scotts only because she's heard of it as being a nice area and it must, therefore, be safe?

Scotts is becoming large and crowded and the famous name leads to premiums on various costs....you'll definitely find a variety of apartments, but they may feel more expensive....but it's somewhat more convenient to Phx than Gilbert and certainly has all the conveniences you'd want

unlike Scotts., Gilbert is a much newer area where the growth has only occured in the last 15 or 20 years....

[PricelessReflections]

Ok well I just found (and joined) this forum tonight, but have recently made the move with my husband and chlidren from Cincinnati to Phoenix. Our initial thought was to purchase a home in S'dale, but it all boiled down to the question, "Do we want the zip code or do we want more house for our money?" We have quite a few kids (LOL) so we ended up in Chandler, w/ a great house and at least $100k smaller price tag. We love it here, for what it's worth. I drove to S'dale for dinner tonight w/ a friend, took 20 min's, and wasn't bad at all.

Just food for thought. I know you said you're renting - but if you do eventually want to buy, hopefully that info is helpful to you.

What a great forum. Glad I found it!