I have been offered a decent job in Scottsdale Arizona.  I am still deliberating on whether or not to take it, but would like some advice on the Pheonix area.  What are the areas that are relatively nice?  What are the areas to avoid?  I do not want to spend a grossly large sum of money on housing, but I don't want bullets whizzing through my windows either.  Any help you guys and gals can offer is great.  Thanks.

Matt S,

You will want to stay in the NE Valley which includes Scottsdale and NE Phoenix. This is an expensive area, much more so than the midwest.
So I hope the salary for your new job reflects the difference in the cost of living.

Matt S, Scottsdale is beautiful and crime rates are very low.

You will however have to deal with the cold weather here. It only reached 68 here today and it’s expected to get down to 50 or so tonight. It’s not always this cold though; this is a cold winter for us.

In the spring there are whole loads of professional baseball teams that have spring training in Scottsdale. In the summer though you can expect temps to reach 100 or more on most days, it’s a dry heat though.

THISISME

Scottsdale is highly over rated. Beautiful place but over priced. You can move into the westside or northwest side and get a larger bit of property and the same size home for less than the price in Scottsdale.

Another thing to consider is that for some stupid reason all the new homes are big but are built on 1/4 lots. That means no yard to speak of. All the homes look alike. No character. Any homes in the major city (includes Scottsdale, Phoenix, Glendale, Peoria, Paradise Valley, Tempe, Mesa) with land will cost you a bundle. You can find an acre lot or more on the West/NW side and be 20-30 minutes from town. The further west you move the less congested it is. And if you want to go shooting you can easily go out to the desert and shoot.

Basically, you should avoid the metropolitan area entirely. Move to the outskirts of town. The central Phoenix area and the southern part of Phoenix are more gang related.

But the best thing to happen to the West side is that the new stadium will be built on the East side. Tempe. Suckers!!

Frankly, I would suggest finding a place west of Cotton Lane and north of Camelback Road and south of Bell Road. Acre lots, horse privileges and easy access to desert to go shooting.

OOPS!! Forgot my signature. [:D]

Yanqui

I understand Yanqui's perspective, but respectfully disagree that the mid-city area is lousy. Depends, of corse, on your definition of quality of life. For me, driving more than ten minutes to work really diminishes the appeal of a location. I prefer the older, more historic spots, but there is a price issue unless you are looking at a condo. Everything is a bit overpriced due to the high-tech people flooding in. Be aware, if you live in the burbs you may have modest traffic and desert views now, but wait five years!
There is a lot of new development, most reasonably priced, in South Phoenix. Yes, parts have a deservedly bad rap, but it's patchy and many redeveloped areas have a great future.
Great CCW laws (we recently had them expanded by the state legislature to include many parks, public events and new provisions for checking weapons in state buildings). Big Glock, 1911, AR and AUG country here. Good ranges, cheap memberships.
Just my opinion, but I hope it helps. I think we all agree we love it here. We natives wish most everyone would go away or stay away, but we'll cut fellow AR15.com-types some slack ;  )
-- MN

MN has a good point. They are many areas that are great and some that are not. It all depends on you. If you like living in the city or out in suburbs or boonies.

I now live in Glendale. I work at the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. My work is 65 miles away. It takes me 45-60 minutes to get there. The main office is in downtown Phoenix. It is 11 miles away. It takes me 45-60 minutes to get there. I plan on moving further west.

But there is one thing that I should warn you about. We have some fascist groups who have disguised themselves as homeowners associations. Not all of them but some. We also have gated communities. So before you buy make sure that you read the fine print. I understand that they want to keep the neighborhood looking decent. But you should hear the guys at work. It is hilarious. Monthly yard sales, house has stay a certain color and on and on. Be careful what you ask for. There is an episode on the X-Files that covered this topic. Everything on the show was correct except for the creature. Well, maybe it was all correct.

Well, off to work I go.

Have a happy day! [:)]

Yanqui

LOL!!!  I spent my several-hour layover at the Phoenix airport reading newspapers and real estate ads and was amazed at how affordable the housing is in that area.  Different places, different perspectives.

I don't know why the others on this post are telling you all this but.... you can't live anywhere here in Az without bullets whizzing through your trailer windows.You won't believe how bad it is here.You have to shake the rattlesnakes out of your boots every morning. Then there are the herds of raging jackalopes that have been known to run down a full grown man and gore em to death. If I were you I wouldn't move to Arizona. Instead I'd start a campaign to have all new comers to Arizona go back home. Now Califonia that's the place to be. With all those beaches and blondes how can you go wrong?

Frankly, It's all good here. There are not to many "bad" neighborhoods. Of course, I'm originally from Chicago so the areas considered "bad" in Phoenix I don't think are that bad.

I built a house in Chandler (southeast from downtown). Prices are still reasonable and the neighborhood is nice.

If you're working in Scottsdale, I'd stick with the north side of town. I work in Scottsdale. It takes me 45 minutes to drive 35 miles to work.

Best thing to do is stay with someone or rent while you check out the city.

This is a great state for gun owners as well.

Dave

It's too damn hot here, you don't want to come.  Too many damn Eco-Arsonists.  More people who move here leave than anywhere else.   I heard California is nice though.  

I know a guy in phoenix. He is a damn tightwad bastard, rivals some of the stinkin mean people on here, AND still gets lots of poontang. What in the hell is the deal with that?

Matt,

Scottsdale is definitely one of the more expensive places in the valley to live, but it's all relative, right?

If you are going to work in Scottsdale, then I think you should live there too (or north Phoenix).  Added benefit: you will be close to Ben Avery Range.  Traffic is getting worse every day, and it will continue to for a while.  Unless you love driving, go for a short commute.

The cost of living in the Phoenix area is lower than average in the U.S.  There's some pretty good buys.  Within the Phoenix area, Scottsdale is around the highest, but still tons cheaper than say San Diego or San Francisco.

Most of the crime is focused in the city of Phoenix down near the airport or to the West of that.  If you go out West a bit, North a bit, East a bit or Northeast, crime drops dramatically.  Consider that in one year the city of Phoenix had about 350 carjackings...about one a day.  But travel just 10 miles to the East (known as the East Valley) and in the combined cites of Tempe, Chandler, Mesa and Gilbert there were only 2 carjackings in that same year.

Given that your job is North in the Scottsdale area, I'd start looking up there.  I work in Phoenix, but live in the East Valley...the commute is about 35 minutes for me.  Traffic is getting worse...but a far cry from what I used to see in the San Francisco Bay Area.

- Robbie

If you move to the WEST-SIIIIIIDE...be careful what cross streets you pick...Der and I lived there before moving to Flagstaff...67th ave and Campbell(between Indian School and Camelback)...and it was full of 'gangsta' types, white trash, and a plethora of undesireables...we heard gunfire often, once, we even had our fence taken out by 4 'boys' in a stolen car...(our whole front yard was surrounded by chain link fence...or we wouldn't have lived there at all).

The thing to remember in the 'Valley of the Spun...I mean Sun' is to find someone who lives there (or has lived there recently) to help you decide what would be best for you and your family. Phx is a really weird place...one block will be total ghetto...and the next will have gorgeous condos...

If you can afford North Scottsdale..do it!! Next in line would be Chandler, Mesa, Gilbert, Tempe (I am partial to the east valley though)...if you choose the west side of Phx...move WAY out west...

Commuting will be a P.I.T.A. either way. Anyway, good luck...feel free to email me if you have any other questions...CH

www.azexarms.com

ps...another bonus of AZ is gunsmiths...gun laws...private sales...Class III...CCW...Open carry...the list goes on....

thanks for the info guys