Surprise, Arizona - To move or not to move (Peoria: best city, house)

[travelbuffsooz]

I'm thinking of relocating out of cold and lovely Mt Shasta for health reasons and am wondering what small towns are recommended - Not necessarily sub divisions though I like those amenities but not very keen on copy-cat houses. (no offense) I also am looking for a place affordable on a early retirement/single teacher puny salary. I prefer Spanish style...Sun and fun..Come to Mama! Your advice is very much appreciated. I'll be heading south within a week for a look-see.

[azjack]

"Do you have any comparative statistics or is this simply an opinion? I live in the area and while there are vacant homes in all subdivisions along with many renters I find Sierra Montana to be a very well maintained and very attractive place. It certainly isn't Maricopa."

I have an informed opinion. What possible reason would I have to pick a subdivision out of the blue and claim that is full of pre and post foreclosures. Somebody mentioned SM and I responded.

I live in Surprise as well. And I did not imagine the blocks of vacant houses in that subdivision, a few years ago as well as today. The massive number of foreclosures and vacants was apparent. At one point in 2007, an MLS search showed 160 houses for sale, 140-plus were vacant. Those were mostly not bank-owned, those became dominant in the three years that followed. I really do not research listings in that sub anymore because when I do buy another house in Surprise, it will not be in that sub.

Were there (are there) plenty of foreclosures in established subdivisions like Kingswood Parke and West Point? Definitely. Just fewer. And fewer vacants as a percentage.

I clocked the drive from SM to Bell & Grand at 17 minutes without much traffic. And that is just the beginning point for most people exiting Surprise. 303 completion is far off, and likely will be affected by the budget disasters. The mythical mall by the 303, well I imagine that it will be built eventually, but I would not hold my breath.

Just because an HOA has not run out of money and still pays their landscapers, I would not characterize it as a quality place to live.

[ScottinWA]

Is moving to surprise a good commute to Luke AFB?

[ibarrio]

Originally Posted by ScottinWA

Is moving to surprise a good commute to Luke AFB?

Easy. Straight down Litchfield. 10-15 mins tops.

[ScottinWA]

Is this a good area of surprise?? Schools, activities, stores, crime etc...

16779 LARIAT Lane, Surprise AZ 85387

[ScottinWA]

Originally Posted by ibarrio

Easy. Straight down Litchfield. 10-15 mins tops.

excellent !!!

[ibarrio]

Originally Posted by ScottinWA

Is this a good area of surprise?? Schools, activities, stores, crime etc...

16779 LARIAT Lane, Surprise AZ 85387

Isolated area of Surprise (they have big plans for this area in the future). Add another 10-15 min. to Luke.

[Ritchie_az]

"16779 LARIAT Lane, Surprise AZ"

I think that area will eventually be a great place to be. It's kind of "out there" (not too bad, though). Once the 303 freeway construction is complete, I think you'll see that area grow a lot, with plenty of retail, schools, etc. For now, though, it's (as iBarrio put it) isolated. It will likely add 15 minutes of commute time to Luke.

[markas214]

Originally Posted by ibarrio

Easy. Straight down Litchfield. 10-15 mins tops.

Or stright down Cotton to Northern, or down 303, or any north, south road. 15 minutes tops.

[markas214]

Originally Posted by azjack

I have an informed opinion. What possible reason would I have to pick a subdivision out of the blue and claim that is full of pre and post foreclosures. Somebody mentioned SM and I responded.

.

"Actually, it is. It has far more foreclosures as a percentage of total houses than other subdivisions in Surprise." Jack, this is what you wrote. This statement to me seems misleading. It gives the impression that a drive through the area would reveal a ghost town full of overgrown lots and tumble weeds. While I am sure Sierra Montana has it's fair share of foreclosures to me, my opinion, they are not obvious and it is a very attractive subdivision.
As a fellow resident of Surprise I would rather promote our city than portray it as a suburban wasteland. I read so much BS here from people who never lived in Surprise or any other area that they deride. Surprise to me has a lot to offer. There is plenty of shopping on Bell west of Grand and10 minutes further to the Arrowhead Mall. We have a great movie theater complex on Waddell and Litchfield. There is the White Tank park, Surprise Stadium with the Cactus League. We are 20 minutes to Westgate and pro hockey and football. We have great sunsets over the mountain. I love watching f16s fly over or driving to Luke to watch them close up doing touch and goes, etc., etc.
We get the negative posters saying how bad the noise is from Luke. It's not bad at all in my opinion and louder in Litchfield park and areas of Goodyear but still not bad. I also read about the schools being subpar. My kids love Western Peaks and the teachers are dedicated and well qualified. I actually meet with the teachers my kids are getting the same or better education as we had back east.
The other big complaint we always get is how far away we are from "everything'. First see previous paragraph. Second the traffic always flows at the speed limit and we don't get traffic jams. From Surprise to I10 it's about twenty minutes or less. Same with the 101. Once on the highways you are 30 minutes from everything.
So don't take my disagreement with you personally Jack. I'm just trying to show the positives of our city. Surprise has the lowest crime rate in the state and offers a quality of living that is superior to many other areas of our country. How you cannot consider a place with low crime, decent schools, nearby shoppnig and entertainment, parks on every other corner, great weather (I like the heat), well maintained landscaping, new everything an undesirable place to live is something I just don't understand. Sierra Montana seems pretty nice from what I've seen. Where are you currently living? Where would you rather be?