Quote:
Originally Posted by lewdog
Labeling an entire city as something is just not possible in Phoenix. There are way too many bad/nice pockets in every city, including Scottsdale (south Scottsdale). We live just north of Avondale and while I would say the majority (>50%) of Avondale is not desirable (most south of the 1-10), there are great communities that make up north Avondale and the area we are in which is Litchfield Park, located just north/east of Avondale.
Finding a house should be decided by your commute most likely. Before we moved to Phoenix everyone suggested Chandler/Gilbert but we both had jobs in the West Valley. Unless you like spending hours in the car and hundreds of extra dollars in gas, looking for something that fits your budget that isn't a far commute can be done in every part of the valley. I would never suggest to anyone who hasn't been to Phoenix to completely cross off an entire city in Phoenix from the list. Just explore the good areas for what you want/can afford that is relatively close to work. My wife and I each commute 30 minutes each way because we wanted to live in Litchfield Park.
Budget has a lot to do with it too. Our friends bought a house in south Scottsdale in 2012 while we just bought 4 months ago here in 2014. They paid 20k more, for 500 less sq/ft, for a house that is 50 years older and doesn't have a pool. They've had major problems with the house but wanted to be in Scottsdale but couldn't afford anything more than something in South Scottsdale. They valued central location, while we valued house/space, schools and less crime.
Message to the OP. Explore every area you can. Phoenix is unique in that you can find great/bad things in all parts of the valley and in every city. Everyone wants to bash on the West Valley because in large part, the bad pockets of Phoenix are on the west side. But until you see how gigantic the valley area is, there really is no need to worry once you know the location of these areas. They make up a much smaller portion of the city than people realize.
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That was my point. I lived in GoodYear and Avondale back in the early 60s - they were damn fine cities back then. But, like anything else, the times change. Funny thing - My Sister had a good friend that lived in Scottsdale (back then) that was Dean Martin's hair dresser. That was back in the day when the folks from Hollyweird kept houses there....