Midtown/Biltmore/Arcadia (Phoenix: neighborhoods, school, quality of life)

[Meandering]

A trendy nice area is Midtown Phoenix. I really Arcadia/Biltmore area.

What are the boundries/Zips of the Biltmore and Midtown areas?

How tough is the drive from these areas to Phoenix Children's or Mayo Clinic on 51st?
Sorry to bombard you all with these questions. I really appreciate your responses!

[pbenjamin]

Everyone has their own definitions, but to me, midtown is more or less between 7th Ave and 7th St, north of I-10, south of Camelback (some would put the northern border farther south). It widens a bit towards the bottom, maybe to 15th Ave and 14th St, to include the FQ Story, Encanto-Palmcroft and Coronado neighborhoods. Zip codes are not a good way to look at it, since the 85003 and 85004 zips, which include prime parts of midtown, go south to include downtown.

Somebody who lives closer may do better, but I reckon Arcadia as 44th to 64th Streets, Camelback to either Indian School or Thomas.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by Meandering

A trendy nice area is Midtown Phoenix. I really Arcadia/Biltmore area.

What are the boundries/Zips of the Biltmore and Midtown areas?

How tough is the drive from these areas to Phoenix Children's or Mayo Clinic on 51st?
Sorry to bombard you all with these questions. I really appreciate your responses!

From the Biltmore area, Phoenix Children's is not a bad drive at all, it's just a few miles. To Mayo on 56th, it would be against traffic, so again, not too bad. For Mayo out further east, it's a longer drive, but still against traffic. From midtown, further, but the against traffic still applies.

Arcadia and Biltmore are two distinct areas. Arcadia is walkable within it, in terms of a nice place to take a walk, but as far as walking to groceries, restaurants, etc., that's not what it's known for, although it's one of the nicest neighborhoods in the Valley. As others have said, the Valley as a whole is not "walkable" as you define it, compared to other eastern cities that were built more densely.

[NotQuiteNative]

From 24th St and Camelback I can get to Mayo and 56th in about 20-30 minutes during the morning commute hours. It is against traffic, as Observer said.

Biltmore/Arcadia area is not really walkable in the way living in downtown Chicago or Manhattan would be, but if you consider up to a half-mile along tree-lined sidewalks to get to a grocery store "walkable" then it's walkable. I get around on a cruiser bike with a basket most of the time.

Arcadia's borders are ill-defined. Some parts are a lot more hip and pedestrian-friendly than are others.

I would think if you were looking for a less car-dependent lifestyle you'd look for a "village center" with the stores and resources you want and/or need and then choose a place to live nearby. 20th St and Camelback is a center like this, as is 44th and Thomas, 48th and Indian School, and even 40th and Campbell.

[Meandering]

Those commutes sound like heaven compared to DC!

Our rush hour ( why do they call it that? It should be slow hour lol) is from 06:30-0:930 and 4:00-7:30. It really affects quality of life. And then we have the crappy weather to contend with as well.

Are there any grocery stores in Midtown?

[observer53]

Originally Posted by Meandering

Those commutes sound like heaven compared to DC!

Our rush hour ( why do they call it that? It should be slow hour lol) is from 06:30-0:930 and 4:00-7:30. It really affects quality of life. And then we have the crappy weather to contend with as well.

Are there any grocery stores in Midtown?

Yes, there are, not as many as in areas, but there are a few.

[pbenjamin]

Originally Posted by Meandering

Are there any grocery stores in Midtown?

We live in Willo, which is part of midtown, and there is an upscale Safeway at 7th Avenue and Osborn that we go to. There is also a seedy Basha's at the same intersection, a less reputable Safeway at 7th Street and McDowell, and an AJ's Fine Foods at Central and Camelback. For Fry's you have to go a bit further, to 20th Street and Highland or 7th Avenue and Camelback. The latter is in a lesser neighborhood but has been recently renovated and is quite nice. There is also a Fresh and Easy at 7th Avenue and Indian School. The nearest Trader Joe's is in Town and Country at 20th Street and Highland and there has been discussion of putting a Whole Foods into the closed Linens Plus at that location.

[Meandering]

Thanks so much for all the info!

The reason I am so interested is because I am impressed by the effort the city has put into Downtown.
Urban living is a big trend. People are sick of daily commuting- I know I am.
I have seen a real turnaround in downtown DC in the past decade.

Grocery stores and parking are the biggest headaches. Invest in a parking lot while you can!

[Valley Native]

Originally Posted by Meandering

A trendy nice area is Midtown Phoenix. I really Arcadia/Biltmore area.

What are the boundries/Zips of the Biltmore and Midtown areas?

How tough is the drive from these areas to Phoenix Children's or Mayo Clinic on 51st?
Sorry to bombard you all with these questions. I really appreciate your responses!

85016 for the Biltmore area, and 85018 for Arcadia ... but you can't really go by zip codes because many of them overlap into other areas, and some city sections have mulitiple zips. Also, don't confuse Biltmore with Camelback East. Biltmore is an exclusive area bounded by 32nd Street on the east, 24th on the west, Lincoln on the north, and Camelback on the south. Camelback East covers a wider, more diverse part (roughly from the 51 to 44th Street).

Also, midtown (really the Central Corridor) is roughly Camelback on the north and I10 on the south in between the "sevens" so to speak. All of these areas are nice for the most part, and generally safe. Very busy during the weekdays (especially rush hour), but pretty tranquil at night, except for 24th Street/Camelback area which tends to be the most night active of all the areas you mentioned.

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by Meandering

Thanks so much for all the info!

The reason I am so interested is because I am impressed by the effort the city has put into Downtown.
Urban living is a big trend. People are sick of daily commuting- I know I am.
I have seen a real turnaround in downtown DC in the past decade.

Grocery stores and parking are the biggest headaches. Invest in a parking lot while you can!

I would like to be more centrally-located too, I hate the daily crush hour commute.

The trouble is most of the nicer, newer, safer neighborhoods are in the suburban areas and that is still the preferred way of living for most people including me.

I think gentrification of older urban areas and neighborhoods that are now classified as slums or ghettos is the best way to get more people living in a centralized location.