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Lets face it , I have been driving all these communities to
get a feel, and I agree looks like too much crime and decay in
Laveen, Maricopa is a HIKE, so it leaves me with Surprise at my
price point. Surprise seems much nicer than these two places , kinda
like a poor man's Scottsdale.
I moved here (Maricopa) in mid 2004, leaving north central Phoenix behind (over 8 years). Got a real good deal on over 3 1/2 acres with a 4 bed / 2 full bath home. Appraised for almost 4 times what I purchased it for, when I refinanced in 2006.
From what I see here, there are 2 kinds of homes here. One type is large chunks of land (usually 3.3 acres) with a mobile / modular or stick home, uually older (1980's or 1990's) and the other type is newer large, multi story homes on tiny lots in large new subdivisions with HOA's.
If you want the 2nd type, there are hundreds if not thousands for sale. Once the housing market slowed nation wide, the prices of these brand new houses went into a slump. Many, many are owned by out of state investors and are currently rentals, and most are for sale.
If you want the 1st type, there a few around (like my neighbor, who has 2 acres, I think), and there is another just around the corner.
There are 'help wanted' signs all over the place. Lots of shopping centers and the city just ok'ed one of the largest if not the largest shopping mall in the state. Nissan and Volkswagen test centers are here (I'm a test driver for Nissan - 12 minutes to get to work). This city is growing fast. Look up the stats on the internet - Maricopa issued more new home construction permits last year than any other city in the nation! (Thanks to all those out of state investors).
As for the dust and smell.... There is only a couple places that smell like cows - because you are driving right past a lot of cows - go figure? Dust storms are part of the central Arizona desert. They don't happen every day, more like once a month if that.
If you don't like the heat, get out of the kitchen! It can get real hot here (and anywhere in central Arizona). Can get up to 100 starting in May and lasts through September (June usually the hot month). Back in the late 1990's, 1998 I think, we had 21 days in a row where the temp did NOT go below 110 - that's day or night !!! During this 21 day period they had to shut Sky Harbor Airport down because it was 121 and the planes were only tested up to 120 - same day it got to 124 in Buckeye, a little (and booming) town west of Phoenix. But keep in mind this was abnormal - usual summer time temps are 100's (100 - 110) and night time temps in the high 70's to low 80's.
The temp seems to remain higher in Phoenix than here, it really cools down once the sun goes down. In Phoenix it must be all the streets and buildings and stuff holding all the heat in and then releasing it at night.
I love the heat, fresh air, frendly folks, more stars in the sky on a moonless night, and I don't miss the gunfire at night, police helecoptor spot lights, sirens, etc. of Phoenix.
Maricopa incorporated in 2003 but has been here since the mid 1800's (Then called Maricopa Wells - ground water was, and is, plentifull) and this was the place where the steam locomotives and Pony Express folks stopped to get a big drink.
Oh yea, one more thing, we do have our own Fire Department (they keep building more and more stations) but no Police Department. The City Counsil hired a Poilice Cheif but no officers - but they are taking apps now. Currently we have a county Sheriff sub-station in town and they keep the peace just fine. === Opppsss, someone looking over my sholder just informed me that we do now have several city cop cars with offiers - sounds great to me!
If you are single and into the 'big city night life', well you won't find any of that here (go to Phoenix for that). I would say it's a great place to raise a family or retire.
Happy house hunting,
Steve
New home construction permits....you hit it right on the money Steve. Heck I remember before all this 'progress' how peaceful, serene and quiet it was. And I remember when it used to only be 3 sherriff cars...now its a whole dept. {sigh} But now they are needed for the triple increase of accidents, many of which are fatal, because its like another Awahtukee!
The reason a lot of those new places are up for rent/lease now is because people are getting desperate. 'Someone' needs to be making those payments and since the housing market has maxed out, and people (in general) cant afford those high-dollar houses, so they make those payments by getting a renter in there. I loved the old Maricopa, but now you cant get from point A to point B without traffic tieups. And there are areas where they desperately NEED to put up stoplights (for people to run through) .
Man, I remember when I thought 95k for a newer house was too much, now all that will get you is a 1970 trailer somewhere...
Last edited by country pride; 07-16-2007 at 06:13 AM..
Congratulations! You did the right thing first by looking at what you may have bought into. The city of Maricopa will grow with or without you, but I don’t believe it is a city for just everyone. At least not me! The homes are lower priced the other areas of the Phoenix metro valley area. There is a reason for the lower price. Mainly that fact that the area there isn’t that appealing to everyone, and thus the area will be housing those who want to retire there. You have to retire because there are no jobs in the area! Well unless you want to work with cattle that is. And that bring me to the smell that is constantly in the air, the smell of cattle and dust. If you don’t work at the cattle ranch/farm then you have to drive more then 20 minutes just to get to the I-10 and then it’s another 30 –45 minutes to get into Phoenix for work. If it rains, the road is washed out and you can’t drive it. Yes ~ City of Maricopa is a retirement town or a city for the unemployed.
Will it improve? Yes,,,,, but how long do you have to wait for the smell and dust to go away? How long before there is something more out there then an Indian casino and a Circle K. It’s not a good location for most people who have families and who want to enjoy something more in life.
This was just one person’s opinion but please if you want a positive note from me about the City of Maricopa then I can say it has never snowed there yet and also there are winners who visit the casino, but I’ve never known of any personally . Oh and yet another positive item, the Circle K has very good coffee in the morning.
hi i am doris 70 i will be movine to maricopa az soon i am from kernersville nc i was told that the smell of cows is very bad i want to know is the smell alway there and can i live with it please tell me more about the smell thank you
I moved here (Maricopa) in mid 2004, leaving north central Phoenix behind (over 8 years). Got a real good deal on over 3 1/2 acres with a 4 bed / 2 full bath home. Appraised for almost 4 times what I purchased it for, when I refinanced in 2006.
From what I see here, there are 2 kinds of homes here. One type is large chunks of land (usually 3.3 acres) with a mobile / modular or stick home, uually older (1980's or 1990's) and the other type is newer large, multi story homes on tiny lots in large new subdivisions with HOA's.
If you want the 2nd type, there are hundreds if not thousands for sale. Once the housing market slowed nation wide, the prices of these brand new houses went into a slump. Many, many are owned by out of state investors and are currently rentals, and most are for sale.
If you want the 1st type, there a few around (like my neighbor, who has 2 acres, I think), and there is another just around the corner.
There are 'help wanted' signs all over the place. Lots of shopping centers and the city just ok'ed one of the largest if not the largest shopping mall in the state. Nissan and Volkswagen test centers are here (I'm a test driver for Nissan - 12 minutes to get to work). This city is growing fast. Look up the stats on the internet - Maricopa issued more new home construction permits last year than any other city in the nation! (Thanks to all those out of state investors).
As for the dust and smell.... There is only a couple places that smell like cows - because you are driving right past a lot of cows - go figure? Dust storms are part of the central Arizona desert. They don't happen every day, more like once a month if that.
If you don't like the heat, get out of the kitchen! It can get real hot here (and anywhere in central Arizona). Can get up to 100 starting in May and lasts through September (June usually the hot month). Back in the late 1990's, 1998 I think, we had 21 days in a row where the temp did NOT go below 110 - that's day or night !!! During this 21 day period they had to shut Sky Harbor Airport down because it was 121 and the planes were only tested up to 120 - same day it got to 124 in Buckeye, a little (and booming) town west of Phoenix. But keep in mind this was abnormal - usual summer time temps are 100's (100 - 110) and night time temps in the high 70's to low 80's.
The temp seems to remain higher in Phoenix than here, it really cools down once the sun goes down. In Phoenix it must be all the streets and buildings and stuff holding all the heat in and then releasing it at night.
I love the heat, fresh air, frendly folks, more stars in the sky on a moonless night, and I don't miss the gunfire at night, police helecoptor spot lights, sirens, etc. of Phoenix.
Maricopa incorporated in 2003 but has been here since the mid 1800's (Then called Maricopa Wells - ground water was, and is, plentifull) and this was the place where the steam locomotives and Pony Express folks stopped to get a big drink.
Oh yea, one more thing, we do have our own Fire Department (they keep building more and more stations) but no Police Department. The City Counsil hired a Poilice Cheif but no officers - but they are taking apps now. Currently we have a county Sheriff sub-station in town and they keep the peace just fine. === Opppsss, someone looking over my sholder just informed me that we do now have several city cop cars with offiers - sounds great to me!
If you are single and into the 'big city night life', well you won't find any of that here (go to Phoenix for that). I would say it's a great place to raise a family or retire.
Happy house hunting, thank you you made my day because i hope to be moving to maricopa az soon i was not to sure about the smell i was worred about that but you the smell is because you will ride by the cows farm thank you again
Steve
We went to our daughters new home for Thanksgiving last night and it was very nice. We find the city growing each visit we make and we understand there is a new super Walmart coming in 08. It will change rapidly; just like the other outlying communities. She has a nice home in a nice, well kept development and there has not been any crime to speak of. It was the one area that a newlywed couple could purchase a starter home in.
Ive watched Maricopa grow from a town with one stoplight and only a feedstore and a couple of small ma-and-pa owned businesses, to another Awahtukee (they nicknamed Maricopa as 'Mari-tukee', since its become just that, lol).
Ive watched Maricopa grow from a town with one stoplight and only a feedstore and a couple of small ma-and-pa owned businesses, to another Awahtukee (they nicknamed Maricopa as 'Mari-tukee', since its become just that, lol).
Could you elaborate more on exactly what that means?
Well, basically, just that. It has progressed a lot, and went from the small 'good ol' boy' type of community to a more elaborate, higher grade more 'higher class' (thats not the word Im looking for but its the only one I can come up with right now) of lifestyle. People from Calif, other cities in Az, came out and incorporated it. But thats pretty much the same scenerio everywhere you look, its just that I watched it grow so fast, it was befuddling.
Im not sure what housing is like now, with the supposed 'drop' in real estate, but do know that when I left Az, it seemed there were homes there that have been sitting, unoccupied, since the day they were built a year, even 2 years, ago, because people could no longer afford the high cost.
The upside to that, though, is that you dont need to commute to Casa Grande or into the Valley for anything anymore, anything you need, there are shops, banks, restraunts all over the place now. A whole different style of people now, too, lol. The ol' baseball cap, t-shirts and old pickups have been replaced with golf shirts, ties and new suv's.
Not trying to put anything down, just making a statement regarding the progress of the city. It was astonishing to see it happen so fast, so drastically. You should see what they did to my old home town of Sunnymead (now called Moreno Valley) Calif!!
Hello,
I have heard the cattle ranch's are actually going away/being moved: Is this true, and if so, does anyone know when? Also, how is the smell in the HOT summer as opposed to the cold/cool winter?
Does anyone know a time line when some businesses should be coming to the city of Maricopa, AZ?
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{sigh} But now they are needed for the triple increase of accidents, many of which are fatal, because its like another Awahtukee! 
how bad is the smell
and also there are winners who visit the casino, but I’ve never known of any personally
. Oh and yet another positive item, the Circle K has very good coffee in the morning.
Cattle farms
