Total newbie to Arizona (Phoenix, Tucson: rent, insurance, house)

[Tipmart87]

Looking for advice. I’m Sure this question has been answered a million times already so sorry about this

We’ve never been to Arizona but we are contemplating a move there from San Diego at the end of next year when I can retire

A mixture of high taxes, politics and high electric bills have finally pushed us over the edge. We had thought about Texas but their property tax and Home insurance was a lot worse than California plus the fact they seemed to want to build a billion dollar football stadium at every high school and that was pushing up property taxes even more

We have had a few friends and work colleagues that have made the move to various places around Arizona and have said great things about the state

Our needs

We have two youngish children

A 10yr old boy
A 3 yr old girl

The boy goes to our church school in San Diego as I won’t send him to public schools in California

He’s both a competitive swimmer with JO times, a cross country runner and a competitive triathlete all of which I want him to continue. He’s also a very social kid so I want an area with lots of other kids to play with

I don’t mind sending him to a private school as long as they have a very good sports program

The wife was/is a Pilates instructor which she gave up when our second child was born but she wants to get back into it again, either to find a studio to teach in or to teach from home

She is also Filipina so she would like to be around other Filipinas and Filipino restaurants if that’s a possibility

Me, I’ll suffer if they’re happy. I was originally born in Belfast Northern Ireland so the heat will likely kill me

The wife would prefer a new build house if possible with 4/5 bedrooms. The extra bedroom she would likely use as her studio unless there is a dedicated office in the house

Does anyone know the average cost of having a pool at your house? It’s not a deal breaker but it would depend on the monthly running costs

So

We need a good swimming club and track and field club in close proximity. Also good roads to cycle on would be a big plus
We need good schools
Newish home
Filipinas and their food
And definitely A/C for myself

People have mentioned Scottsdale, Chandler, Gilbert. I’m not a big city person so Phoenix is likely not for me

We plan on spending some time there next year so any help would be appreciated

Thanks for reading

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by Tipmart87

She is also Filipina so she would like to be around other Filipinas and Filipino restaurants if that’s a possibility

Filipinas and their food

Thanks for reading

Well, there is a new Jollibee's in Chandler which would indicate that there are a lot of Filipinas in that area. There are about ten other Filipino restaurants in the Mesa/Chandler area, mostly independent. Some of these restaurants offer balikbayan services if that is a need.

There are about eight Asian markets, most of which carry Filipino foods, that are located in the Dobson Rd. area in Mesa, AZ. However, there are no Seafood City Supermarkets in the area.

[CCS414]

It's only a 1/2 days drive from SD to most of the cities and medium sized towns in AZ so why don't you just come check some of them out. It a major life change so I know I would.

[grmi66]

Look into Oro Valley and the Foothills area of Tucson. We have a large Christian elementary school and high school called Pusch Ridge Christian Academy. Affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. There is also a Christian elementary school affiliated with the Lutheran Church in Oro Valley.

I live in Oro Valley, it's generally 5-10 degrees cooler than Phoenix is during the day and 20 degrees cooler at night. Also has a large community pool, an active cycling and triathlete scene and tons of options for running. This area attracts professional runners, cyclists and triathletes in the winter for training.

We could live almost anywhere in Arizona and we've found that Oro Valley gives us almost anything we want. If we need big city amenities or to get to a larger airport, Phoenix is a quick 90 minutes up the road.

[wit-nit]

Come rent lor a year, get the feel and nature of the area(s) and experience the seasonal changes. While here that year check out the various cities & neighbor hoods for the vibes/amenities that you're looking for.

[gemstone1]

Originally Posted by grmi66

....
Oro Valley has a large community pool, an active cycling and triathlete scene and tons of options for running. This area attracts professional runners, cyclists and triathletes in the winter for training.

While having a community pool is nice, it is worlds apart from competitive swimming in the times range of Junior Olympics.

I'd start here: azswimming.org

[grmi66]

Originally Posted by gemstone1

While having a community pool is nice, it is worlds apart from competitive swimming in the times range of Junior Olympics.

I'd start here: azswimming.org

Our community pool is a hub of competitive swimmers according to a coworker. Plus Tucson has a long history of producing Olympians in the sport.

[KurtAZ]

If you have never been here, I would start with that. Come out for the 4th of July and see if you can stand the Phoenix Metro heat. It is VERY different compared to San Diego.

We have been in Chandler for the past 20 or so years and AZ for the past 36 years. The public schools (Hamilton, Perry, Chandler High) all have very competitive sports programs although I am not sure about the swim teams. Our friend's daughter just graduated and was on the swim team at Hamilton and got a scholarship to UNM...maybe researching that a bit?

High electric bills are kind of the norm in Phoenix Metro...you can sign up for a balance program from SRP or APS but our electric runs about $500 in July/August and down to $100 or so in Dec/Jan (although our gas bill goes up).

As far as a pool and costs...building one has gone up so think around $35k - $40k+. Maintaining one is variable...if you do it yourself it is just costs of chemicals and time. If you have a service it is around $150/mo. Added electric for the pump around $50 - $100 but that is going to vary with the "tier" you are using per electric company. Water, at least in Chandler, is negligible. I can drain and refill the pool for ~$70 extra on my water bill for ~17k gallons.

Oro Valley may be the place to look though if you want to concentrate on the sports. Good school district, lots of athletes train in Tucson area. I personally don't like Tucson proper but Oro Valley or Vail aren't bad.

[Tipmart87]

Thanks for all the great advice

We’ll definitely come over next summer and see how we like it

We have great roads here but we also have stop signs every 200m and traffic lights every 400m and I always make my son obey the signs so we never really get a good non stop long ride in and we’re headed to the nationals this year so he spends a lot of time on Zwift

San Diego now h the mot expensive electric bills and gas in the country I believe.people are afraid to turn to rot heating on

[Sockeye66]

Originally Posted by Tipmart87

Thanks for all the great advice

We’ll definitely come over next summer and see how we like it

We have great roads here but we also have stop signs every 200m and traffic lights every 400m and I always make my son obey the signs so we never really get a good non stop long ride in and we’re headed to the nationals this year so he spends a lot of time on Zwift

San Diego now h the mot expensive electric bills and gas in the country I believe.people are afraid to turn to rot heating on

I'm a recent transplant from the Seattle area to Tucson. Tucson is the 2nd largest AZ city. Phoenix is biggest but it's part of a mega metro area, similar to Seattle area and Puget Sound. No Thanks!
The parks system is very active in youth programs and lot's of organized sporting events and swimming.

Tucson is not known as a good district. When looking to move 6 years ago opinion was Vail had the best school district and paid through higher property taxes. Oro Valley is gorgeous and sure has the tax base to keep it working well. Sahuarita is another nearby town to look at, lots of new housing there.