What is a good area of phoenix for a young family? (Mesa: rent, lofts)

[Kibby22]

Me and my husband just moved from houston texas and are currently in flagstaff arizona. Flagstaff is too small of a town for us i am a chef and it is tooo big of a hassle to drive 2 hours to get specialized ingredients.(plus EVERTHING is more expensive here) We are looking to move to phoenix (rent at first then purchase a house). But we are looking for a "hip" part of town(flag has NO nightclubs) but yet good for kids (we have a 2 y/o) and safe because my husband works out of town and spends alot of time away from home.
We are looking to spend a max on rent about $1000- 1200 a month.

I was told that phoenix really doesn't have a nice downtown/area like Houston is tha true?

Does phoenix have any high rise apt or lofts?

[notmuch69]

Mill Avenue.

[observer53]

Mill Avenue is in Tempe, not Phoenix. The apts/condos along there may be a bit pricey... Hayden Square there might be a possibility, but I expect there are a lot of students there. Any apts in the campus area are going to have a lot of students, married and single.

As far as downtown Phoenix, the downtown area has undergone a lot of revival, renewal, and you might like it very much. There are several posters here who are very familiar with it as far as costs of apts, condos, lofts, etc. The high rise apts and condos downtown are fairly pricey, but I don't know the exact costs.

I'm not familiar with downtown Houston, I've only been there once, on a Sunday, and the area I was in, near the Toyota Center, was pretty dead on a Sunday afternoon. (Downtown Phoenix isn't exactly buzzing on Sunday afternoon, either) You should come down and take a look around, since you are close by.

[fcorrales80]

Originally Posted by Kibby22

Me and my husband just moved from houston texas and are currently in flagstaff arizona. Flagstaff is too small of a town for us i am a chef and it is tooo big of a hassle to drive 2 hours to get specialized ingredients.(plus EVERTHING is more expensive here) We are looking to move to phoenix (rent at first then purchase a house). But we are looking for a "hip" part of town(flag has NO nightclubs) but yet good for kids (we have a 2 y/o) and safe because my husband works out of town and spends alot of time away from home.
We are looking to spend a max on rent about $1000- 1200 a month.

I was told that phoenix really doesn't have a nice downtown/area like Houston is tha true?

Does phoenix have any high rise apt or lofts?

Yes Phoenix has high-rise condos and lofts, apts, etc. You might get a good deal on one and spend $1000-1200 a month but you'd be better off looking at a midrise building for such a budget.

As far as I remember from last year, there is no real residential population in downtown Houston as it is a solely CBD district. You'll be fine in Phoenix in downtown, midtown, uptown or just the central city and Tempe; maybe Old Town Scottsdale too.

[freezintoes]

glendale or scottsdale I would go to scottsdale since you got a child

Originally Posted by Kibby22

Me and my husband just moved from houston texas and are currently in flagstaff arizona. Flagstaff is too small of a town for us i am a chef and it is tooo big of a hassle to drive 2 hours to get specialized ingredients.(plus EVERTHING is more expensive here) We are looking to move to phoenix (rent at first then purchase a house). But we are looking for a "hip" part of town(flag has NO nightclubs) but yet good for kids (we have a 2 y/o) and safe because my husband works out of town and spends alot of time away from home.
We are looking to spend a max on rent about $1000- 1200 a month.

I was told that phoenix really doesn't have a nice downtown/area like Houston is tha true?

Does phoenix have any high rise apt or lofts?

[dstdvl]

What you're looking for does not exist.

1. Downtown Phoenix is ok, getting better, but not downtown Houston.
2. I would NOT raise a child in downtown Phoenix. Plus it's not the safest place in the area.
3. "Highrise" living is rare, the few buildings are either in downtown or Tempe. Tempe's are located near Mill Ave which is basically part of ASU, again not the place to raise a child.
4. There are some places in Scottsdale that are poping up but are more along the 6-10 story variety and are pretty upscale.

I'd look at Chandler personally. You won't be in any kind of highrise but will have good schools, affordable housing, and great access to your specialty ingredients. The area around Dobson and Warner roads has a good size professional asian population and has one of the best markets in town (Lee Lee Oriental) which is over 50,000 square feet and carries everything from Asian to British foods. There's another market just north of that, and you'll find hispanic ingredients almost anywhere with markets in downtown Chandler and Mesa. You're close enough to the airport, yet far away enough to be safe.