goodyears az family friendly town? (Phoenix: home, job market, school district)

[internetjunkee0202]

Hi,

Just a few questions regarding moving to Goodyear AZ. One year ago I moved to Pahrump, from Vegas, grew bored stiff, and am in the process of running off to somewhere more permanent. Goodyear seems ideal.....close to recreational areas, close to the big city, etc. My question is this...how are schools, the job market, and taxes in that area? How is the overall quality of life, and would it be a good area for a single mom to raise her two kids as well as take care of aging parents?

Thanks ahead of time!!!

[Finger Laker]

goodyear is a great place for families

it's still pretty quiet and has a bedroom community feel to it

with that the jobs outlooks is limited beyond healthcare & service fields (some mfg, some warehouse, etc also present)

a good portion of the population commutes

so that brings up the big point about phoenix as a metro - it's massive - if your job is in chandler you'll hate living in goodyear even if you like the feel of the city - the reverse holds true as well

here are a couple links to the city webpages

the first is their residents resource page

Goodyear, AZ - Official Website - Residents

the 2nd is linked to archives of their "infocus" publication which goes out to residents to give a good snapshot of things going on in the city - the most recent one includes a recent citizen survey results which are pretty interesting

Goodyear, AZ - Official Website - Citizen Newsletter

the schools are pretty good - the elementary districts are generally better north of the freeway, but you can get a good education in any of them

it's easy to get around, there is a lot of convenience and a lot of recreation/activities aimed for families offered in the city

[intmd8r]

We actually left Goodyear to move to Austin, TX because it's more family-friendly with fabulous schools and activities (many free) for kids and families.

That being said, were we ever to return to the Phoenix area, you can bet it would be Goodyear, as I think it's more the Phoenix area in general we wanted to leave, not Goodyear specifically. It's a beautiful area and depending on where you live, can have some decent schools.

I personally think the schools in the entire valley are lacking in relation to the rest of the country (but I also grew up in MN in a school district that was ranked #2 in the country at the time I attended, so I have much higher standards than people there seem to). We had friends in southern Goodyear who told us horror stories that led to home schooling because they weren't getting through even half the curriculum and were sending it home for the parents to do over the summer. That being said, there seems to be a lot of parents on these boards who really like the schools.

I think if you want to live in the Phoenix area, Goodyear is as good a place as any!