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Looking for info on relocating to AZ
My husband recently finished his schooling and we were considering relocating to Arizona. Currently we live in ND and have been here all our lives but are looking for something, nice weather, reasonable housing (which we hear right now is good for buyers looking in AZ) and just a change of pace from the flat land we're used to. We know that they have an Alegeant air direct flight to and from Fargo, ND, so will make it lil easier to travel to see family. However, I know of one person that lives there and when I asked her where a good community to move my DH, my 2 1/2 yr old son and myself to she suggested Maricopa. Living in Fargo ND is as big city as it gets for us and we're used to having all of the things the big city provides, however we dont want it to be too overwhelming so I dont know if maybe there is a smaller community say outside of phoenix or the bigger metro areas to have that big city, but still have semi quiet, family friendly location thats easily accessable to things we need or would like (ie good schools, hospital, groc stores, Target, etc....). I've been trying to search the web for places but its really not getting me anywhere. If any of you wouldnt mind providing any info that you might have or places you know of that might be great to move, or even websites or places that i could find out more info that would be fantastic. My DH is looking for a law enforcement job and I work from home and pretty much work from anywhere. Thanks in advance!
Re: Looking for info on relocating to AZ
I don't really like Maricopa, it's soooooo far out from everything. I know there's some grocery stores and chain restaurants out there, maybe a Target as well, but there's only one road in and out and the traffic can be horrible. You're best bet is to find jobs first, then decide where you want to live- you don't want your husband to get a job in Suprise but then live in Queen Creek, it could take him 2 hours to get home (even without traffic). I also highly recommend renting first. Every city has good and bad, but you want to make sure you're happy with that city before you purchase. I prefer the East Valley, but it's more expensive and I know a lot of girls on here like the West side, so you really need to come and see it for yourself to decide where you want to be. It's really difficult picking a place off a map, Phoenix is just way too big for that.
Good luck!
Phoenix is full of lots of little suburbs. Some are (or at least feel) more removed from the city than others. Based on your description, you might like Anthem, Cave Creek, Surprise, Maricopa, or Fountain Hills (although Fountain Hills is definitely on the more expensive side). Those communities are on all different ends of Phoenix though, so you may want to do a little investigating to see if you like any areas better than others. You also might want to look at a map of Phoenix to get a feel for where they are located in the valley. All of the communities that I recommended are on the edges of the city (in various directions). Surprise and Anthem are more northwest (Surprise being more west and Anthem being more north). Maricopa is far, far southeast (off of I-10, like you are heading to Tucson). Cave Creek and Fountain Hills are north east (and probably more expenisve, especially Fountain Hills). I think all of them are nice communities, although of those I listed, the one that I personally would like the least is Maricopa. But that's just a personal preference. To me, it feels too far from stuff, and I've heard that it's one of the areas that is having the most trouble finding buyers for houses that are on the market. On the plus side, if you really like it out there, housing is probably really affordable.
One recommendation would be to rent first to get a feel for the area and make sure you like it before you buy in that community. Also, you definitely, definitely would want to find your jobs before you buy. That could really influence where you live if you don't want 1 hour or more commutes.
I'm not sure what law enforcement agencies are hiring right now, but your DH might want to look into jobs first, and then if he finds something, I would start looking in areas near there.
Good luck!
Definitely helpful information! I dont know anything about Maricopa, its the only area that was thrown at me when I asked about it, and thats only because this gal lives there. I certainly dont want to be 'way out there' away from things. We want to still have this city feel, but wonder if jumping in and him looking for jobs in phoenix are the way to go (I do believe there are openings) and then finding that might have to communte a distance to live in the place thats best fit for us. But as you mentioned, its probably good idea to rent near the area he gets the job first and then just start going from there. Its such a scary going in blind kinda thing but we think that if we want to try and leave ND the only place we've ever really known time is probably right to try and see if its something we'll like. Its great hearing info first hand from people who know the area rather than just reading stats that make not too much hill of beans really to me. I know we wanna try get a great house with low mortgate for now and knock off debt...so an affordable community is probably first route. So scary but exciting to think that this is something that might happen for our family! )
not a fan of maricopa. it's SO dead now. it was part of the big house boom a few years ago and tons of people paid way too much for a house out there, and now they're worth nothing. which is good i guess, you can buy a house for nothing. but it's really not near anything. they have a few places to eat and a few grocery stores and a walmart (and that's basically brand new). my cousin was one of the ones that bought out there during the boom and her house is easily worth 100k less than what she paid for it. getting there is a pain, and if there's an accident on the 2 lane highway out there you're screwed. i'd definitely look into other areas first and check them out for yourself. the east valley is really nice and has lot of shopping and stuff for you. i used to live in chandler and liked it.
you also really need to know where you'll be working, as the valley is really really huge. but i know that's already been touched on. good luck with your search! we all live in different parts of the valley, so if you have any specific questions i'm sure some of the ladies here will be able to help you out
btw, i LOVE allegiant air
I personally I am not a fan of Maricopa. I lived there for almost 2 years and would not live there again until it builds up there. There is only 1 major road in and out so if there is an accident you are in trouble. There is not a target (there is a Walmart though).
There are plenty of other great suburbs though I would recommend. I love Queen Creek which is Pinal County like Maricopa is but it is built out (has Target, Walmart, Petco, Petmart, and so on). The west valley also has lots of great places....I am just an easy valley girl at heart.
Once you start looking more at the valley let us know what you like and we will be happy to help make our recommendations.
We were in the same boat as you 2 years ago. We wanted out of Jersey and thankfully my family is here and helped us find a house in a great area but it's a HUGE change. Luckily we love it. We are in Northeast Phoenix, border of Scottsdale and love the area. Good schools, lots of shopping, good hospitals, nice little parks, good neighborhood and pretty close to everything.
Good idea to search out jobs for your hubby before you make the jump. I heard this moring that AZ is the second poorest job market in the country currently Ouch. My husband had a job offer when we moved (thank goodness) but I started searching months before we jumped and still up until a month ago couldn't find full time work. Fortunately at this point I will be a stay at home mom but the market is killer. Lucky for you that you can work anywhere, score! LOL I also agree with the other ladies that renting might be a good idea. There are soooo many places to live around here and you want to make sure you like the area before you plant roots. And they say the housing market will take a couple years to come back so you should still have a strong buyers market. And also if you guys can get out here before you actually move to visit...might be a good idea. Maybe explore, see the sights, get to see the area before you commit. Just an idea Lucky for you the brutal summer is coming to an end and the beautiful weather is right around the corner. Wish you lots of luck and we are always here if you have any questions!
Are you planning on visiting before you decide on a place? MH and I moved here from the midwest 5 years ago and we took a week to drive around the area to find an apartment and just get a feel for the different parts of town. I would highly recommend exploring a bit first if possible because the valley is so spread out.
We rented in north Scottsdale first and then bought our house in Cave Creek, on the NE side of town, bordering Phoenix and Scottsdale. The school district here is fantastic (I used to work there) and Phoenix just opened a new police station (and fire station) just across the road from our subdivision. It has a smaller town feel but it's still about 15 minutes from a large outdoor shopping area, Desert Ridge, which has lots of shopping, food, movies, etc. It's also not too far from the Outlets at Anthem, or south of Desert Ridge is Paradise Valley Mall (but I haven't been there in a while since I do 95% of my shopping at Desert Ridge).
I hate to burst your bubble but it's pretty flat out here too. Granted you can see mountains pretty much anywhere in the Valley but everything is laid out in a grid(which personally I think is awesome, it makes it so easy to find your way around).
Based on what you're looking for I would say look into the East Valley(Gilbert, and some parts of Mesa, Chandler and Tempe) these are all great places for family, quiet enough and safe but still near the metro area and only a short drive to places like Scottsdale where there is great shopping and food without the pricey rent. And Chandler has the Ikea:)
I know a lot of ladies on here live on the west side, (Peoria, Anthem, and Glendale) but I personally don't really like it out there. I don't like all the newer cookie cutter houses it just seems like a lot of freeways and neighborhoods and not much else. And I definitely would not want to have to deal with all the traffic out there. But that's just me.
I would honestly stay away from Maricopa(for the reasons everyone else said). And unless you have jobs in the East Valley I wouldn't live in Queen Creek either because the commute is terrible since it's mostly surface streets.
I agree with the other ladies who said to rent for a few months. You really can't tell if you fit in a community unless you stay there for a couple weeks at least. Plus you should be able to get to know a Realtor who knows what you're looking for.
Here's a website that lists out all the cities/towns in the Phoenix area and stuff about them...
http://phoenix.about.com/od/govtcity/u/neighborhoods.htmI would say there are definitely a lot of flat areas, but there's also a lot of mountains too, and not just around the perimeter, but also throughout the valley (though not huge). When I drive down the 51, it goes down in elevation (though very gradual and not too steep) and weaves around some "mountains." And where we live, we're at the base of the Tonto National Forest, so there's a lot of mountains in view from our house.
The valley is SO spread out and it can take a long time to get from one side of the valley to another. (Unlike where I grew up and you could get anywhere in 20 minutes) So I would highly recommend that you find out where your H will be working before you decide on a place. And just drive around, including during rush hour. For me personally, I don't think you could pay me enough money to deal with the rush hour going in and out of the SE valley (Mesa and surrounding suburbs). Of course if he's working there, then it wouldn't be an issue. But similarly, if he finds a job in Surprise (far west side), he certainly wouldn't want to commute from Queen Creek, for example.
Check out maps of the valley to help you identify the locations of all the suburbs. For example, it can be confusing when people use Scottsdale as a point of reference...Scottsdale is a very "long" city. I mean, I live 5 min. from Scottsdale, but so does someone near the airport...huge difference, it's just that spread out. But again, check out any of your potential drives...traffic in any given direction can be very different. I drive from Cave Creek to an area near the airport and though it seems far, it only takes about 35 min.
http://www.arizona-leisure.com/greater-phoenix-map-760.html
Um... pretty sure there are a lot of cookie-cutter homes and neighborhoods in the east valley too...
And I know that (depending on the neighborhood), on the west side and northwest side, there are plenty of areas where you don't see the cookie-cutter look as well.
Just sayin'...
Also, I definitely don't know that I would consider Phoenix flat. I mean, yes, the city is in a valley and therefore not ON mountains, but there are mountain views all over the city. When I lived in Orlando, THAT was flat. It made me crazy! I missed my mountains. lol