Arizona City by City (Phoenix, Tucson: apartment, new home, job market)
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Weather: The weather here runs in the 100's during summer but is generally around 10 degrees cooler than Phoenix. Winters are nice and mild and snow is rare, although we have been known to get it on occasion.
Schools: Schools are about average...although some would say worse than average. So I guess it depends on the person. There are charter schools available here that have smaller classrooms and better student to teacher ratios.
Commute: Not really any long drives to work here. You can usually get anywhere in under 15 minutes. However should you have to drive into the valley you would be looking at about an hour and a half drive...maybe more if the freeway was backed up on your way in.
Food: Not much here right now, but growing. There are plenty of Mexican food places...my favorites being Libby's El Rey in Globe and Guayo's El Rey in Miami on Sullivan. We also have a pretty good Italian restaurant. A couple of places to get a good steak...Crestline and Country Kitchen. Then there are the usual fast food eateries...McDonald's, Wendy's, Jack in the Box, Dairy Queen, Taco Bell, KFC, Churches and Subway.
Shopping: We have a Walmart and a Bealls Outlet but that is pretty much it in the way of clothing. If you can't find what your looking for there, the valley (Mesa) isn't very far away.
Air quality:Better than Phoenix, but it can still get dusty during high wind. I have heard from some that Globe/Miami is un-livable due to the mines....this just isn't true. The smelter smoke from the mines was horrible when I lived here during my youth back in 1974-1988 and smelled awful. But since I have moved back there has not been one time that the air was polluted with smoke unless there was some nearby fire....or the dust was blowing during the monsoon. And the mines are up and running strong!
Economy: Growing and strong! Lots of mine jobs available right now.
Crime: There are the usual misdemeanor crimes...check fraud etc.... but I have not heard of any murders, or rapes in the news.
Housing prices: Rentals are hard to come by with the mines re-opening recently and run between $800-$1000 for a 3 bedroom. But I have heard there are new apartment complexes going to be springing up soon! I have seen houses for sale from anywhere between $70,000 and $200,000.
Neighborhoods: Just like anywhere you have your good and bad sections. But there are plenty of nice areas.
Culture: There are antique shops downtown. We have a local theater that is being re-built due to fire, but in the meantime there is a drive-in. We have the local fair every year and of course there is a decent casino about 5 minutes from town. But for the real stuff you need to go into Mesa/Phoenix.
Stuff to Do
Hiking...biking....horseback riding....and the Pinals are just a short distance if you seek pine tree's and a cooler breeze during the summer months. There are 2 public pools for the kids...one in Miami and one in Globe. Both offer swimming lessons and are reasonably priced.
All in all I think Globe has great small town atmosphere, friendly people and is close to the big city should the need arise!
Shumway is located 5 miles on route 77 south of Taylor Az. The community was named after Charles Shumway. The elevation is close to 5,700 feet.
Weather: Close to the same as Heber, and Overguard Az.
Schools: Kids are bussed 6 miles to Taylor elem, Jr.
high and 9 miles to Snowflake High school.
Commute: To get to Phoenix there are only two ways - down Shea to the 101 or down the the beeline highway to the 202 freeway in Mesa. It takes 40 minutes to get downtown in good traffic up to an hour commute.
Economy: Ranches, horses, and beef cattle.
Health Facilities: Closest hospital is Navapache hospital in Show Low, 16 miles away from my home.
Air quality: Very clean
Water: In Shumway, all the water comes from personal wells.
Shopping: You have to travel to Show Low, or Snowflake/Taylor.
Housing: There are no vacancies here, The population is roughly 250 people. Though there is a housing development going in up the hill.
Recreation: There is fishing in Show Low lake, Fool Hollows lake, horse riding in Shumway
Schools: Not sure about the elementary schools, except that Laveen has its own district. We now have several high schools, including Cesar Chavez, a couple of private/charter schools, and a brand new one on Baseline/59th that looks like it will open this year.
Commute: Downtown Phoenix 10-15 minutes; airport 15-20 minutes; Scottsdale 25-40 minutes (depends on where in town); Tempe 15-20 minutes.
Economy: Ranches/farms, residential, and retail.
Health Facilities: Closest hospital is either Jesse Owens on Baseline or Maryvale on 51st. I hope to see more in the near future.
Air quality: Clean, but we do pride ourselves on the "Dairy Air" - we only smell it occasionally from our home, as it largely depends on the wind (yes, we usually have a breeze, which is different from much of Phoenix).
Water: City of Phoenix.
Shopping: Neighborhood retail is here (grocery, etc), and a few large regional centers are planned for 2008. More upscale centers are located within a 15-30 minute drive.
Housing: Lots of new homes (no pun intended) and still a healthy respect for the older horse properties in Laveen. At least one developer is rumored to be building apartments, but they would only happen in conjunction with other mixed-use development.
Recreation: South Mountain is adjacent to Laveen (hiking, biking, horses), as well as a great urban trail system throughout all of the master-planned communities. Also, there are several 5K runs and bike races throughout the year, and the annual Laveen BBQ in February.
Crime: According to the Phoenix Police website, it is "low" to "very low."
Can I add some thoughts to Ahwahtukee - lived there for 5 years
Schools: Excellent - Kyrene school district but need to check out high schools as they fill up, last parcel of Foothills not covered by school district
Proximity to Airport: Excellent - 10 minutes
Shopping: Great - Chandler Mall 5 minutes away, Ray Road, AZ Mills and now Tempe Marketplace nearby
Restaurants - Getting better, new wine bar and Va Bene rocks!
Proximity to jobs: OK, close to downtown and Camelback corridor - my daily commute was 40 minutes; commute to north side, not so good
Traffic: Has impoved with addition of Pecos and 202, Avoid I-10 during am rush hour, pm not as bad
People: Pretty friendly - had nice neighbors
Crime: Was low, never had an incident - I feel lucky compared to what I've been reading on other posts
Housing cost: A little pricey but costs are going down due to market - cheaper than Scottsdale, house are alittle old, many built in early 90's and may need updating
Ambience: Nothing is more beautiful than driving west into the foothills at sunset - I miss the sunsets!
Love Ahwautukee - feel free to ask more info if you'd like
Schools: Excellent - Alot of people do not mention that AZ has open enrollment laws which mean your kids can go to school anywhere as long as there is room and you provide transportation. That being said, kids in my area attend a variety of schools. Usually close to their parents work. Phoenix Elementary is the zoned district which offers many excellent magnet programs including an amazing Montissori program that is PreK-8. There is also AZ school for the Arts and North High School has an amazing IB program that sends kids to all the Ivy League schools every year. For those who prefer private, All Saints, Brophy and Xavier are all nearby.
Proximity to Airport: Excellent - $15 cab ride
Shopping: Getting better. Some great antiques along 7th Ave, some new boutiques along Central, Roosevelt Row, and then you can just head east along Camelback to the Biltmore or Fashion Square. Numerous boutiques line Camelback along the way. I try to avoid chains.
Restaurants - Awesome! No need for chains around here. Coronado Cafe, Pizzeria Bianco, Cibo, Barrio Grill, Matt's Big Breakfast, Chevrounts, Lux coffee house, just to mention a few. Of course, for those that like chains, Biltmore has a Cheesecake Factory and Downtown Scottsdale is very close. Also, a new PF Changs is going to open downtown and they did just open a Pei Wei at 7th/McDowell.
Proximity to jobs: Depends on where you work, close to downtown and Camelback corridor - Reverse commute pretty much anywhere in Valley
Traffic: Depends on the time of day. Close proximety to freeways.
People: Very friendly - Awesome neighborhood associations. Most have their own web forums and print newsletters delivered to each household. Home tours are a big draw. Community yard sales. Very proactive in preserving their neighborhoods.
Crime: Never had an incident - Within the exact neighborhoods I think it is very low. We have a community police officer and he emails us any concerns. Some of the historic neighborhoods pay for 24 hr security patrols out of homeowner dues. Most of us don't have garages and I don't know of any stolen cars. Since alot of people work from home or downtown there is always somebody home so I think that deters a lot of criminal activity. Again very viligant neighbors. Once, I had a friend over to check on things when I was out of town and I got a call from a neighbor within minutes of them appearing there warning of a strange car in my driveway!
Housing cost: Depends. From over 1 mil. all the way to 50K. Depends on what you want. Lots of variety here. 800 sq ft houses to ones over 5000 sq ft. If you are willing to put alot of sweat equity into something you can get something for very cheap and it will definitly appreciate.
Culture: Heard Museum, Art Museum, Science Museum, Soon to open Childrens Museum, Herberger Theater, Dodge Theater, Phoenix Youth Theater, Diamonbacks, Suns, Awesome opera and symphony! First Fridays, lots of independent galleries, Farmers Market. I am probably missing lots but even though people make Downtown seem like a ghost town there is lots going on down here!
Weather: HOT, long summers. Tucson heats up around April and doesn't really cool off too much until about the last week in October. While the temperatures can easily reach the triple digits, we look foward to the monsoons every summer that provide some relief from the heat. Winters are very mild (we have "snow birds" that come to Tucson for the winter from the midwest). We rarely have snow.
Schools: It's a real mix. Arizona is not known for their outstanding schools, but I believe that Tucson has some of the best options for education in the state. I would recommend Wilson K-8 and Ironwood Ridge High School or Canyon Del Oro High School, which are all in the NW side of town/ Oro Valley.
Commute:Depends on what part of Tucson you live in. It can be anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour. Unfortunately, Tucson has hardly any public transport to speak of (with the exception of a few busses downtown). Also, parts of the freeway will be closed for the next few years, which can get to be very frusterating for some commuters.
Food: Because of Tucson's close proximity to the border, the food that we are known for is Mexican! Great enchiladas, burritos, tamales, beans, rice, etc... I think you'll be able to find almost any type of food you're looking for- we have some great asian and Italian resteraunts and good pizza places. Of course, we have all of the typical chain resteraunts as well: Olive Garden, Mimi's Cafe, Subway, Outback Steakhouse, etc...
Shopping:No Nordstroms. We have several malls that have all of the typical stores (American Eagle, Dillards, Sears, Barnes and Noble, Ross, Victoria's Secret etc...) and one high end shopping center- La Encantada- that has Anthropologie, Bebe, Lucky, Coach, Tiffany's, Crate and Barrel, William's Sonoma, BCBG, etc...
Air Quality: Pretty good. It can get a little smoggy in central Tucson, but it's not bad. The plants that bloom here in the spring can give some people pretty bad allergies, but I think you can find that almost anywhere.
Economy: Growing. Arizona is a popular spot to retire, so there is a lot of work in the healthcare field.
Crime:Personally, I have had no problems with the crime here. Because we live so close to the border, cars do run the risk of being stolen and hacked apart at a chop shop. But overall, I think that Tucson probably has about the same amount of crime as any other city.
Housing Prices:The market for houses in Tucson was really hot a couple of years ago, which drove the prices up significantly. Now we've slowed down a bit, and there is a wide range of prices for houses. A lot of it has to do with which part of Tucson you live in. If you're moving from California though, I think that you'll find even some of the most expensive houses quite reasonable.
Good Neighborhoods: NW/ Oro Valley. The center of Tucson is a bit dicey- you can find a really nice renovated house right next to a horrible, ugly dump of a house.
Culture: As I mentioned before, living so close to Mexico has a strong influence on our culture.
Hope this was helpful! Let me know if you have any questions!
This is a pretty accurate assessment of Tucson. The only info I would add is as follows:
Schools: Educational opportunities are very mixed. I'm especially worried about TUSD, which is the city's largest K-12 district. They are currently in the midst of a $13 million budget deficit and may cut programs for kids. There are some good schools and teachers there, but I don't know if I would send my own kids to most of their schools.
Good Neighborhoods: The NE side of town, in my estimation, is one of the nicest. It can be a bit pricy; however, there is an array of beautiful neighborhoods and even some open desert for recreational opportunities.
Culture: Strong Latino influence, which for the most part, is accepted and celebrated in Tucson. There is some tension though, as the city is highly segregated by socioeconomic status.
It's good to point out that this is mostly the most northern areas of Peoria (particularly the Master Planned Community of Vistancia). There is a whole lot more of Peoria to see. For the most part much of Peoria is a little bit older, with all kinds of homes in the areas, new and older. I just went to Peoria's main library a couple of weeks ago. Interesting area. It's right near US-60 (Grand Ave) and typically any area around that road is a lot older and less appealing. However, the library (and city hall, and other city offices, 85th ave and Peoria) is quite nice (big new complex). The nieghborhood around there is older, mostly hispanic and lower income families, and as well as brand new subdivisions.
Anyone live in Peoria that's not in the northern parts?
I live near 71st AV and Thunderbird, which I consider to be in the center section of Peoria (Cactus north to Bell). We are close to the Arrowhead/83rd Av shopping and entertainment section which is nice. While the City government is desperately trying to spruce up the downtown area (south of Grand near the City Hall complex), I think that will take a long long tiime. There are also a lot of nice homes south of downtown around Northern and Olive. But right now Peoria is not much more then a a bedroom community. Any hope of economic development will be in the north section of town along the 303 extension. I have lived in Arizona for 35 + years and Peoria for about 17. Nice community, but when I retire in about 5 years, I will be leaving.
Kingman is very affordable and offers a diverse location that will probably not depreciate like some of the other areas of AZ.
Medical care is present and easily accessible. Affordable larger tracts of acreage are available east of town (20-35 miles) and the taxes are very low we are paying $22.00 a year for a 10 acre parcel that is 1 1/2 miles off I 40 (north side of -I40 Sliver Springs exit)in Silver Springs. It is a fast 20 minute drive to Kingman, and 1 1/2 hr drive to Laughlin and Lake Mohave. A new Mohave County courthouse and library was buildt in the past few years. The area offers great views of all the mountain ranges and has clear skies , no pollution like Golden Valley or Phoenix area. The original downtown area is old and does'nt offer much other than the route 66 museum The new shopping areas off I 40 are equal to that of any larger urban city. If a person is retired this a big bang for the buck, and a family will be able to establish a good lifestyle and schooling at reasonable prices.
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Laveen, AZ 85339
Ahwatukee
