Opinion from residents on life in the Phoenix area (Litchfield Park: schools, stats)

[mikeyaris]

The official address is Two Gateway OC 432 N. 44th Street Phoenix AZ 85008

[observer53]

Originally Posted by KurtAZ

But there is a US Airways terminal there...he didn't say what he did.

See below.

Originally Posted by mikeyaris

The official address is Two Gateway OC 432 N. 44th Street Phoenix AZ 85008

That's 44th St and Van Buren, just a bit north from the east entrance to the airport.

[aubrey_bear]

The teacher job market depends on what your wife teaches. If she teaches Elementary grades, Middle/High School Math or Science or maybe even English, she's a shoe in. Other subjects/areas can take a bit of a hunt. I do recommend getting a certificate, as working in a charter (without certificate) is less than appealing, as there is no union protection and the pay is less. PM me for more details if you want.

Originally Posted by mikeyaris

Hi,

I'm a rookie around here. Recently started reading a lot of post when I got wind that I could be relocated to the Phoenix area this summer. I apologize in advance if this subject has been beat to death. I've lived my adult life in Bloomington, IL and I'm from Chicago(inner city and south suburbs). I have a wife and 2 kids(9 yr old daughter & 6 yr old son). I live in a decent subdivision about 10-15 min from work. Area is pretty safe for the kids to come and go as they please on their bikes within reason in the cul de sac and subdivision. I've had several coworkers relocate the Phoenix area and they were all told the same thing. You want to live in Gilbert/Chandler/Mesa. Now that I'm looking myself, I can't believe some of the great housing prices as well as the cheap property taxes as opposed to what I'm used to paying. A lot of these nice houses are actually in Phoenix. Everyone I talk to highly discourages actually staying in the city. I'm not to keen on having a 30-45 minute drive to work. Our office is actually in the city. My only concern is my definition of safe as opposed to some of my coworkers may be slightly different. Are there decent subdivisions in the city that are relatively safe where I can buy a home for my family in the 200-300k range with decent schools? Also my wife has been a teacher in Illinois for 13 yrs. She will need to get her AZ certificate. How is the teacher job market? Any information from locals that can be provided will be appreciated.

[PCBONEZ]

Originally Posted by youthinkso

As far as travel and commute times go you have to take things with a grain of salt around here. People complain about "traffic" in Phoenix have never really experience "traffic" before.

A 30 minute commute can cover a lot of ground in Phoenix. Freeways are amazing

.
Agree.
I laugh when I hear Phoenicians whine about traffic.
These people have never seen really bad traffic.
.
When I lived in the S.F. Bay area my 32 mile commute (nearly all Freeway) took 1hr 15min -IF- I left the house before 5 AM.
If I left after 5 it could be 1.5 to 2 hours for the same trip.
.
.
Same thing about people that complain about bad neighborhoods.
Those people have never even seen a bad neighborhood.
Sure some are better than others but there just aren't any REALLY bad neighborhoods in Phoenix.
When you pass an abandoned car, the next day it's stripped, and the next day it's torched...
... THAT'S a bad neighborhood.
Gunshots at night several times a month....
... THAT'S a bad neighborhood.
Cops chasing someone through your backyard in the middle of the night... Not so good..
.
If there are any bad neighborhoods in Phoenix I haven't seen them yet.
I've been here 7 years now and I've lived in three different parts of town.
That's very impressive given Phoenix is the 6th largest city in the US.
.

[LaveenHairGirl]

I live in Laveen, and we have the number one elementary school in the state of Arizona. Our schools are wonderful. There are job openings in the district, but overall our teachers care, and our parent's are educated and involved in their children's education and that is why our district is raising in the ranks compared to previous years. I commute to Tempe for work, and being from the East Coast....this is not traffic. I don't have any crime on my street. There are pockets in any area that have higher amounts of crime, and that is true in Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Scottsdale, and Paradise Valley.....I think you should tour all areas including Laveen. You will definitely get more house for your money in Laveen, and it is the fastest growing area in Phoenix, so property values are on the rise. Good luck!

[mikeyaris]

Well, I'm on my house hunting trip and we found a house in Dysart Ranch in Litchfield Park. Based on the research I did on area, schools, commute, etc, this turned out to be the best bang for our buck. Anyone with any insight on the area that I can't read in stats?

[Goober13]

That's a great area.

[MidwestNoMore]

Originally Posted by youthinkso

This might be helpful in your search.

Arizona Crime Search - Crime In Arizona - Phoenix Crime Search - azcentral.com

When I inquired about the "deals" in Laveen to my realtor two years ago she simply gave me this link. The commute is not the issue.

That link is terrifying! Doing a search within the "Last Year" for what I thought were nice areas (Chandler/Gilbert) make it look like just about every single house has some kind of crime. Even the "Last Month" looks pretty high, with burglaries, car thefts, and assaults happening just about every day.

Phoenix was at the top of my list for cities to consider relocating to... Do these stats make it look worse than it really is or am I just naive?

[observer53]

Originally Posted by MidwestNoMore

That link is terrifying! Doing a search within the "Last Year" for what I thought were nice areas (Chandler/Gilbert) make it look like just about every single house has some kind of crime. Even the "Last Month" looks pretty high, with burglaries, car thefts, and assaults happening just about every day.

Phoenix was at the top of my list for cities to consider relocating to... Do these stats make it look worse than it really is or am I just naive?

I used that link to search Chandler 85224 for the last month, and got eight, only one "violent". Not much for an area that size.

I don't know where you live now, but you need to understand a couple of things about this area. One, the sheer size of the cities and in some cases the ZIPs within those cities, in terms of population and square miles. Second, much of the violent crime here (and in many other areas) involves people who know each other and also, in many cases, are involved together in criminal activity. If you lead a law abiding life, you are not very likely to be a victim of such a crime. Even the property crimes often involve people who are stealing from one another or someone they know through their not so pleasant connections. A property crime can mean something as simple as taking a flower pot off a front porch or a bicycle from a driveway. It doesn't mean breaking into a house and stealing everything, necessarily.

Yes, there's crime everywhere. Some areas have more problems than others. Common sense will get you a long way. Lock your car, don't leave valuables in the car, or put the car in the garage if you have one. Lock your doors, stay away from troublemakers. If you choose to come here, you will likely be just fine.

[mikeyaris]

I've spent a week out here now and I realize that's a very small sample to really try and judge and area so I'll just judge the weather. It's been 100-104 all week and it really hasn't been as bad as a thought. 95 degrees in Illinois with humidity is just flat out unbearable. I was just amazed at how much difference shade makes out here. If it's 95 degrees in Illinois, it's still 95 degrees in the shade with that humidity..lol.