Chandler or Scottsdale?

[KarmaPhx]

Originally Posted by homlish560

Most everyone thinks of Scottsdale as some kind of clone of Beverly Hills or La Jolla but it's very diverse. North and Central Scottsdale tend be more Ritzy.


South Scottsdale gets to be a little more Ethnic and working-class but far from Ghetto!!!!!

Chandler on the other hand is very middle-class and highly Suburban.

The first picture is the Scottsdale warerfront, they basically made the canal look nice, it's hilarious.

[demog]

Scottsdale is a relatively large city of a quarter million people and I find there is a range of incomes. While I don't see many ghettos, there's mostly upper middle class in the north area and more middle class in the south. PV I would say is more so upper class. I grew up near Gainey Ranch and most people I knew were decently well off but they couldn't just go to any private college they wanted or have their parents buy them a sports car.

[tulipsy16]

My husband & I are also thinking of moving to either Scottsdale or Chandler early this year. After browsing at houses online between these 2 areas, I've notice there are more single story homes compare to 2 story homes available.

Is there a major reason why? My guess is the heat and energy efficiency related, but if there's other reason, please let me know.

We've always live in a 2 story home and wonder if it's a smart choice to purchase a 2 story home or single story home in Scottsdale or Chandler.

My other question is that for those that decided and narrow their choices between Scottsdale or Chandler, which area did you settle for and why? Thank you.

[azriverfan.]

My main reason for choosing Chandler over Scottsdale is the people. I personally feel the people in Chandler are more educated, worldly and socially liberal than Scottsdale residents. They are also more approachable and seem to have the Midwest Minnesota-like attitude whereas Scottsdale is more LA-like. Like ASUfan said, I also think it is more family oriented. Youth sports are big here. Schools are great here. There are a lot of parks, bike lanes, stores, ice skating, gyms etc.

I think Scottsdale is better suited to single people and young couples who go out often and don't need the best housing or are willing to pay much more for housing. Scottsdale has better ammenities hands down but with regard to raising a family, housing and having a sense of community, Chandler is better in my opinion. I do think Scottsdale residents are more trendy. They dress better. They drive nicer cars. They are flashier. Unfortunately, they are also more demanding and have a greater sense of entitlement. In some ways I like that and in other ways I don't. I do like the fact that when you dine in Chandler, you server is always polite and friendly. In Scottsdale, your server is usually some wannabe model who feels he or she is too good to wait on you and acts like they are the coolest thing in the world.

Be careful when comparing houses in Scottsdale and Chandler. When I looked at Scottsdale homes, even the ones that were built in the late 90's looked considerably older and less trendy than their Chandler/Ahwautukee equivalents. When I looked at homes in McDowell Mountain Ranch, Kierland and the Gainey Village area, their homes were incredibly expensive but their layouts and ammenities made them look far cheaper than even the non-Ocotillo Chandler homes. A 1997 Scottsdale home looks like a 1990 Chandler home. And when you compare them to Ocotillo homes, there is no comparison, the Ocotillo homes blow them out of the water in terms of quality and style.

My advise would be to look at Ocotillo. They have some incredible deals right. My friend bought his house in Fulton Ranch in 2007 for 1.1 million. Right now, you can get the same home in Fulton Ranch for mid 700's which is a steal consider they are fairly large homes (4000+ sq) and are already contemporary and stylish so you wouldn't have to do much if you moved in. I would not get a 2 story home if you can help it. The upstairs gets really hot in Phoenix, it's noticeably hotter and it can be hard to sleep at night if your room is upstairs. I want a single level home

[observer53]

It would seem to me there are a lot of both one and two story homes available in both cities. Many of the two stories have dual A/C units so that the upstairs can be cooled separately, which seems better.

Which city to pick to live in is a totally personal decision. I don't particularly agree with azriverfan's perception and comparison, and that's consistent with my point. Everyone's priorities and work locations are different, very subtle personal preferences can determine which city someone decides to live in. So, finding out how others chose between the two isn't necessarily going to have anything to do with what you would prefer. Come visit both, see where you find the home you love the most, weigh the pros and cons, and take it from there. You aren't necessarily going to perceive either city the way others do.

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by observer53

It would seem to me there are a lot of both one and two story homes available in both cities. Many of the two stories have dual A/C units so that the upstairs can be cooled separately, which seems better.

Which city to pick to live in is a totally personal decision. I don't particularly agree with azriverfan's perception and comparison, and that's consistent with my point. Everyone's priorities and work locations are different, very subtle personal preferences can determine which city someone decides to live in. So, finding out how others chose between the two isn't necessarily going to have anything to do with what you would prefer. Come visit both, see where you find the home you love the most, weigh the pros and cons, and take it from there. You aren't necessarily going to perceive either city the way others do.

Warmer air still rises to the top. Having your own A/C unit upstairs doesn't address that scientific principle. Every upstairs home or apartment I've slept in here had its own A/C unit and it was still warmer upstairs especially in the summer. It's not the worst thing and you have the potential to lower the thermostat to the 60's but if you have a choice, I would not encourage people to buy a 2 story home here.

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by asufan

Right, that's the Scottsdale attitude, yet again. They may be surprised if they looked at some of the incomes in the Chandler zip codes. And some of the most beautiful properties in the valley. Main difference that I see, is most homes in Chandler are landscaped with more grass and trees and tropical foliage, much like what you would find in California, while Scottsdale embraces the sonoran desert a bit more. I prefer grass, as I am from Orange County and it feels more livable to me.

Tough working class area I live in though, with Donovan McNabb, Ken Whisenhunt, Karlos Dansby, Anquan Boldin, etc...

Don't forget Matt Leinart and Adrian Wilson as well. Whisenhunt's daughter goes to Chandler High. Larry Fitzgerald was living in the Sanctuary in Ahwautukee but he moved to PV recently. The Cardinals training facility is essentially Chandler (Warner and Priest), it's technically South Tempe but if you go literally go 1/4 mile south of there, you are in Chandler. There are a lot of baseball players from all over the country that live in Chandler as well

I looked at homes in DC Ranch in 2008. They were nice homes but the actual homes themselves were nothing special, certainly nothing better than what you can find in Fulton Ranch among other Ocotillo communities. DC Ranch has that upscale little downtown/strip mall but outside of that, it's literally in the boonies. It's just empty desert with nothing around. It felt too remote and rural to me. I have another friend who built a home off of Scottsdale Rd north of Dynamite near Grayhawk. It's the same idea. Yes, it's a Scottsdale address but it's literally West Texas out there. It's just empty desert with nothing around it. It makes me laugh, because there is really nothing there. It's not like Malibu in which you are near the ocean. It's just a plot of barren desert but because it's been hyped as "North Scottsdale" people are willing to pay a lot of money for it.

Chandler at least has lakes and parks and is surrounded by development.

[zox]

Originally Posted by observer53

As
Kyrene serves only a part of Chandler, (it's primarily south Tempe and Ahwahtukee/Foothills areas of Phx) I'm not sure that all of 85226 is in that attendance area. Hamilton is an excellent high school, there are also very good elementary and jr high schools in south Chandler (85248, 85249 generally).

As far as Scottsdale is concerned, Chaparral isn't s district, it's a attendance area (for Chaparral High School) It's part of the Scottsdale School District.

The Chandler area includes parts of south Tempe. Sierra Tempe is in Tempe but it's located off of Ray Rd and the adjacent neighborhoods are in Chandler. In the context of this discussion comparing two cities, I think we can assume they are truly comparing areas instead of strict borders.

[tulipsy16]

Thank you for all your responses and comments esp. about 2 story home vs. ranch home. It make sense to me about the heat rises during summer.