Has anyone lived in Phoenix, Arizona?

**ScrapMama** · 01-17-2005, 12:49 PM

My dh and I are thinking of moving to this area, because house prices are so much lower than in California. Can you tell me if the cost of living is good in Phoenix?

**kimmee** · 01-17-2005, 12:52 PM

I am from there - I lived there most of my life. The cost of living is much lower there than actually alot of the country if you can believe that!! The newspaper is called the Arizona republic and they are online. I can tell you just about anything you want to know about Phoenix.

**COUNTRYBUMPKIN** · 01-17-2005, 01:09 PM

I lived there for 6 months and go back every two years for a visit. I felt that the cost of living was considerably lower than most of your large metro areas. But if you go to a place like Scottsdale, that runs a little higher.

Kimmee, one of my favorite places to go and dine in Phoenix is A Different Point Of View. The gardens there are amazing and so is the view of the city

**kimmee** · 01-17-2005, 01:20 PM

What area are you considering living in - the best school district right now is Kyrene which is Tempe (I can't remember if you homeschool?) Mesa is the fastest developing area with really nice family homes. Scottsdale is where I grew up. Paradise Valley is like the Beverly Hills Area - actually anything on Camelback Mtn. Phx is very up to par with LA in terms of life style - just no where near as spendy. Glendale is an old area and south Phoenix is an older farming area. They have totally remodeled downtown Phx and with the new highway systems the whole Valley area is way more mainstreamed and efficient. Out north of Bell (way north Phoenix) used to be all of the old arabian horse farms and it has totally changed into lower quality but very affordable housing. Fountain Hills is now connected to Scottsdale and expands almost out to the rivers which is way North east area. In terms of family raising I would stick with Southeast areas - younger families, less crime, better schools - or NORth Scottsdale areas. The reservations have been opened up so the crime has dropped considerabley but there are casinos now in the river bottom of Older Tempe. The whole metro Phx area (includ Scotts, tempe, mesa, PV fountain hills, etc.) is in Maricopa County if you want to do cost of living specs that way - they used to have a pretty decent website with great analysis.

**ScrapMama** · 01-18-2005, 01:36 PM

Kimmee~Thank you for that great information. That is what I was looking for. I wasn't sure what areas would be best. We are a young family and my kids need a good school district. I'm going to go and check out house prices in Mesa and Tempe. Are these cities considered to be in the southeast areas? We don't homeschool, but I am a Stay-at-home-mommy. I did a cost of living analysis yesterday and it just made my jaw drop at how much cheaper it is than where we currently live.

**kimmee** · 01-18-2005, 07:19 PM

Mesa Tempe Chandler are all good areas - Very limited parts of Tempe though so watch out - if you told me the exact areas I could give you better details but Primarily you want to be South preferably between Mcclintock and Rural Blvd. or go East to Chandler and Mesa. Chandler has beautiful new Family homes - You are looking for roads like Elliot and Alma School Intersections - those are the Big cross streets in the better area. I will call my girlfriend who teaches in Mesa and get the scoop on the best schools and districts - Kyrene is only in the better part of Tempe. For a bearing (on a map) ASU is in the old part of Tempe - You want to be south of BROADWAY. Guadalupe is the small hispanic community and it is on the west side of Tempe - they do not speak English there for the most part - great little Markets though!!

  Scottsdale School District primarily North of Camelback Rd. is good, not as good as Kyrene. Lots of SAHM 's in Phx metro area - its kindof the norm in younger families. Wait til you see grocery and car insurance prices compared to LA - you'll  feel like they are free!! Denver is more in line with LA so I really know what i am talking about.I think if you get in a great neighborhood and can handle the heat (you NEED a pool) that you will fall in love with Phoenix. Its not quite as fast paced as LA but everything is there if you look for it and it is definately turned into a younger family's place!! If you decide to move and have your baby there, Scottsdale Memorial or Mesa Lutheran are the two nicest baby facilities.: I know this is two many names to throw at you but if you get looking through the AZ Repub. you might recognize a few of the names and have a better feel - Good luck and I am always available to answer anything about Phoenix

**MeBColes** · 02-11-2005, 11:33 PM

Hi Everyone, I'm brand new to the site. I was born and raised in Phoenix (I'm actually a 4th generation Arizonan - 3rd generation native born - which isn't very common for a 37 year old!).

Phoenix has changed ALOT since I grew up there, but my sister is currently a Planner for the city of Phoenix, so I still know what is going on around there.

Scottsdale (east valley) has always been, and will always be, expensive. Glendale (west valley) will always be yucky. Sunnyslope (mid north) will pretty much always be rife with gang activity from east Asia, and South Phoenix (the inner city part, not the part that has been reclaimed by yuppies and condos) will pretty much always be ruled by something akin to what you see in south central LA.

Mesa is Mormon. There is a Mormon Temple there, and the city grew up around it (as soon as the indian settlements were squashed). Tempe is a mix of a University town and a bunch of industrial parks with apartment complexes and restaurants tossed here and there for good measure. Chandler is a great place to raise kids, from what I hear - granted, you're halfway to Tucson, but you're at least away from the major debris of the city. Their city services are also well organized.

If you decide to relocate to Phoenix, you need to be VERY careful about where you buy a house and what KIND of house you buy. For many years, the developers, not the inspectors, ruled the housing regulation business in that town. There was a great deal of shoddy construction in the '80s and '90s and many families got forced into bankrupcy when their homes literally fell apart and the developer was no where to be found.

More problems began in the early 2000s with a housing boom: the builders couldn't get the homes up fast enough for demand, so they started using "green" wood for their studs. These homes are starting to buckle. There has been a move to metal studs in construction now, but you have to be very careful about what you buy. There are MANY gorgeous homes in the valley that were built in the 20s -60s that are solid brick (not just facing) that will be a steal for you (coming from CA).

A pool is nice, but it isn't a necessity. It raises your insurance and makes you liable for idiot neighbors - even if you have a self locking fence. There are lots of pools to be had in the valley, public and private, that you can go to.

The biggest downfall of the place is the traffic and the smog, but you're probably already used to both. And if you get to the outskirts, the smog isn't as bad. The people are generally nice, and the sunsets can't be beat.

b