Tell me about Arcadia (Phoenix, Glendale: apartments, new house, neighborhoods)

[rolina]

I've been reading through a lot of these threads and can't find much info on Arcadia. I'm moving to Phoenix soon and think I found a roomate, but want to know more about that area. E. Thomas around 42nd St.
Thanks!

[exit2lef]

That's outside the classic boundaries of Arcadia but within a more contemporary expanded definition.

The heart of Arcadia is a neighborhood that runs from 44th St. to 68th St. near the Arizona Canal. It's mostly within Phoenix city limits but extends a little into Scottsdale. Almost all of it is within the Scottsdale school district. The traditional Arcadia neighborhod is characterized by big ranch houses (so-called "ramblers" because they seem to stretch forever), citrus trees, and lawns watered via flood irrigation. It's a beautiful area with nice views of Camelback Mountain and good access to Central Phoenix, Scottsdale, and the Airport.

In recent years, there have been two major developments:

1) In popular usage, the boundary of Arcadia has been extended west to 40th St or even 32nd St. and south to Thomas. That has happened because a lot of the areas east of the Biltmore area did not really have their own identity and the Arcadia name has a certain cache.

2) Some of the classic Arcadia homes have been torn down and replaced with two-story faux Tuscan mansions. This has been controversial. Critics say the new houses are out of sync with the neighborhood's historic character and block mountain views. Defenders say that the tear-downs are indicators of the neighborhood's prestige and high property values.

42nd St. & Thomas will probably be more modest than the true heart of Arcadia. My guess is that you'll see mid-Century homes with carports rather than garages there. I think it's basically a decent area, but in that part of town, situations can vary block-by-block, so look things over carefully before making a decision.

[LocoAZnative]

Originally Posted by rolina

I've been reading through a lot of these threads and can't find much info on Arcadia. I'm moving to Phoenix soon and think I found a roomate, but want to know more about that area. E. Thomas around 42nd St.
Thanks!

Unless you want to live in Little Mexico Central Phoenix isn't a good option for you. That area is full of illegals and everything with written in Spanish.

[uconn99]

Unless you want to live in Little Mexico Central Phoenix isn't a good option for you. That area is full of illegals and everything with written in Spanish.

A very vague and untrue answer.

[vegaspilgrim]

Originally Posted by rolina

I've been reading through a lot of these threads and can't find much info on Arcadia. I'm moving to Phoenix soon and think I found a roomate, but want to know more about that area. E. Thomas around 42nd St.
Thanks!

Is this an apartment that you're looking at? Or a house? I'm familiar with the area in general (at least as of 5 months ago when I moved out of PHX), but not sure about what apartments there are like.

The area is okay-- there's actually a mini brand new home neighborhood on 42nd St a few blocks south of Thomas. Thomas doesn't really start looking ghetto until you're west of 36th st (until you get to Central PHX again when it gets better). The neighborhood known as "Rancho Ventura" is sort of next in line in the gentrification phase that's overtaking much of northeast central Phoenix. It's not Arcadia though, despite how the property manager may be advertising the place. It's sort of a transitional area between Arcadia and some really nice stuff to the north and northeast and subpar areas to the south and west.

[rolina]

I appreciate the replies. I would be living in a house with the owner. It's an older one, built around the 50s. She sent pics of the house and neighborhood and it looks nice enough. I'd be working in Avondale, but don't think I want to live on the outskirts of Phoenix. I like being in the city, or at least close to everything. And I guess when I say everything, I mean, shopping, culture, restaurants, night life, etc. I'm single and in my early 30s, so I would like to be in a more central location. Another question: what time does rush hour start in the morning?

Thanks again! If anyone wants to share any other info with me, I'd be happy to hear.

[Howard Roark]

I used to work there in the Arcadia area until a year ago. When I started working, I would watch my back - the serial shooters were loose and some of their victims were in the area. A colleague would walk home at night along 44th street and he would deliberately zig zag, thinking he would not be a good target that way. Kind of chilling, but at least the criminals are in jail.

At 44th and Indian School, there are a few homeless people. One used to get a bagel at Einsteins. I was once in Starbucks at 6:30 a.m. before work and walked back out to my car. The morning light was dim but I was shocked, but somehow amused to see a stream of (ahem) urine in the sunlight by the gas station across the lot. Some drunk homeless was lying down on his side.

Along Thomas there are some tanned skinny people. I think - meth addicts. I think Phoenix is crawling with white meth heads. Sad to see such trash around. Hope I didn't spoil your image of the area.

In the height of the day, professionals like to eat out. Pei Wei, Pita Jungle, Subway, Rubios, Rumbii, Wildflower and more are on the same corner as Starbucks. Parking lot is usually packed. But that's the safest time to be in the area. I like Olympic Flame near 40th and Thomas - the best Greek food in the area, great service. I always would get Salmon Santorini when I was there.

I prefer the part of Arcadia north of Thomas and east of 44th. I think the further northeast, the better.

[gabygirl]

Rolina-
Rush hour is starting up earlier and earlier, it seems. I would say around 5:30 AM-6 now. I used to LIVE in Avondale, work in Central Phoenix, and believe me your commute will NOT be fun. Unless your hours are irregular, be prepared to spend a lot of time out there on the freeways. Of course when there's an accident, forget it. Not trying to convince you to move to Avondale, I'd guess it's much too rural for what you're wanting. But have you looked into Glendale, maybe? Downtown Glendale is happening....and there's certain areas where it's just as nice to live as in near-Arcadia. Just my two cents....

[garisonthebull]

Really Arcadia is a terrific area. The original post of long ranch houses blended with upcale remodled Tuscans is quite true. The bad neighborhoods pretty much are isolated south of McDowell. From McDowell to Thomas is your average middle class 3 bedroom 2 Bath 50s 60s homes The bigger ranch homes start pretty much North of Indian School. My opinion of what is bad there is that there is a lot of citrus trees and though I like the look of the trees and a fresh orange they tend to have some roof rat populations that are a threat with hantavirus in their stool. The good is that it is an irrigated neighborhood and some of the greenest suburban areas in the entire valley. You are close to Mill ave a hub for entertainment, close to mid town Scottsdale with fine dinning and art, close to Camelback Mountain for unique desert scapes and hiking, and downtown Phoenix is also only about 8 miles away. It really is very central to the best of the best of everything good in the valley. With a few mouse traps in your trees and avoiding driving south of McDowell you should love your place there!

[rolina]

Thanks for all your opinions. I've moved and I actually like it here very much. I think the area is pretty (for the most part) and I have not seen any rats or scary meth heads YET. Also, just incase anyone is wondering, my commute is not that bad. Luckily, everyone else is driving into Phoenix, and I'm driving out, so it's all working out pretty well.