Mom of 2 Seeking to Relocate to Phoenix

Hi Karin, I'm a mom of two, a six year old just starting first grade and a three year old in preschool. We live in Glendale and are in the Peoria school district. It is the highest rated district in the state. The schools only draw from the square mile around the schools and are wonderful. Lots of parent and community involvement. We live near Sahuaro Ranch Park, and that has a dog park as well as many other ammenities. It is close to downtown, it takes me fifteen minutes to get to work. Downtown Glendale has wonderful festivals and the Arrowhead mall is very close as well. I love this area and wouldn't live anywhere else.

I love the area I live in. It is considered to be North West Phoenix. There is not a lot of crime and the houses are reasonable. I rent my house and pay 650 a month for a two bedroom one car garage home. There are often homes for rent in the area. The schools are great and there is a dog park close at 55th and Union Hills by the Foothills library. I live around 35th and Bell Road. I am near the I17 and the 101 which makes traveling to most places reasonable, about 20 minutes to downtown and 30 to the west side by the new stadium in Glendale. I have a son in second grade and they have great schools here in this area. My son goes to Imagine schools which is a free charter school right down the street, the class sizes are small. I hear from the neighbors that the public schools are great too but my child has special needs that are better met in a smaller school. I am close enough to everything I need including Waterworld, Target, movie theatres and dining. Good luck with your move it can be tough at first, I moved here from Nebraska about 6 years ago and I really enjoy living here despite the heat.

GILBERT, GILBERT, GILBERT is all I can say...we live here and are looking for a new house and I will not look anywhere else. It is growing like crazy, there is a new mall going in, as well as an upscale outdoor shopping area and a HUGE park. South Gilbert is a great area because it is close to all of these things as well as the new freeway that was just completed. I wouldn't live anywhere else in the Phx area. They just built a new dog park as well. I read that Gilbert, Scottsdale and Chandler are the best cities for resale as well. Chandler and Gilbert school districts are great too. When you come out, just make sure you look at some houses out here, it will speak for itself. Also, the gilbert parks and recreation department has GREAT programs for kids...lots of activities and youth programs as well as classes for adults. If you are a resident, they automatically send you a brochure when the new classes come out. You can check it out at: www.gilbertrecreation.com and if you'd like to see a map of the land use in Gilbert, go to: http://www.ci.gilbert.az.us/generalplan/land-use.cfm
the purple area is all the new shopping and the green is the park system. It shows the new freeway as well. Good luck and welcome to the valley!

I live in a historic neighborhood (Willo) just north of downtown Phoenix. I have two kids, dogs, etc. My kids go to school in the Madison School district through Open Enrollment (you can go to school outside your district if there is space). I LOVE the Madison District- my kids are at Rose Lane, but Simis is also good, as are the Middle Schools. When I got my elementary teaching degree 20 (!) years ago, Madison was the district to be in here in Phoenix. In addition to the historic district areas, which offer great freeway access and much charm, parks, etc, there are great houses within the Madison District, in the vicinity of 7th Ave to 24th St., Northern to Camelback. The website is msd38.org. Good luck!

You can also find your Headstart office and enroll your 4 year old in that pre school. Or you can check your local school for Early Pre K, or the Early Learner's program. You can call the district and they can also give you a ratings on the schools.
They offer bussing to and from school as well through the county.

A good area for what you want, good schools, not the hussle bustle of the city, a more small town feel, sounds a lot like Avondale. They have great parks, pets parks and a lot to offer. I personally don't live there, but sure love Avondale. My church is in Avondale. You will have a bit of a commute, but it takes you out of the huge city, and gives you more of the family atmosphere you want. Just my opinion....good luck!

I live in the Biltmore Cooridor of town and absolutely love it. The location is central to everywhere in town. It takes my husband 20 minutes to get downtown in the morning traffic...which is great! The area tends to have a lot of snow birds (people who live here in the winter) but the four years that I've lived here, the neighborhood has begun a cycle of a bunch of young families moving in. One of the reasons, I hate to say, is that a lot of the older people who did live here have passed on. However, this has created this great niche right in the middle of town. I'm not sure of your budget but the area tends to be a bit on the expensive side. If you can afford it...it's the best! A little qualifier on me, I've lived in the valley for about 16 years with a short 3 year break where I moved to San Francisco.
The schools are the Madison School District which has a great record and great schools. Many people move into this area just to go to these schools. I have a 15 year old daughter, 13 year old daughter, and an 18 month old son. My eldest daughter got into one of the IB Programs for high school and we are all really happy. The school is very diverse and poses a challenge to her high acedemic abilities. My 13 year old is very advanced and some of the teachers have not challenged her as much as I've wished but my overall experience has been good. One of the best Pre-K through 12 grade is Phoenix Country Day School. This is a private school and expensive but worth the money if you can afford it. They out rank all of the schools in town. Naturally, this makes it a bit harder to get into. I did a lot of research when I moved back to the valley and the Madison School District out ranked most public schools.
When we looked for a home it had to meet these requirements:
Good schools 4th grade through 12th grade.
Quiet neighborhood off busy streets...no street traffic
No more than 20-30 minute commute downtown
and then some but I guess they don't really matter to this discussion.

Anyway, we love this part of town and have no regrets. I can even get to Tempe within 20 minutes, North Scottsdale 20 minutes, and out to Arrowhead Mall within 30minutes. We are close to I-10, 51, and the 101.

Good Luck!

Karin,
I am an Phoenix Native, so if you are concerned about schools I am also a teacher! Here is my advice. If you are looking for a home close to downtown there are good elementary schools in the area although you have to be choose wisely. There is a Montisori Public School in Phoenix Elementary District ( I recommend) this would then change to a middle school at some point (not to sure what they have) and most likely Central High school or North High school. Both are in the Phoenix Union High school district. Central is a diverse school with good academics. North High school is good as well (there are students who are low income that go there, but there also is an AWESOME advanced program at this school). This is right in the downtown area.
A few districts I would avoid for Elementary, Roosavelt, Issac, Creighton (except for Squaw Peak). Madison Elementary District is also highly aclaimed for academics. Arcadia is a great school district (the area is PRICEY.) I am not sure what income looks like for your family. Elementary through High school is very good.
There are dog parks in various areas as well ( I would check the areas parks websights to see if they have a dogpark close to you).
YES Phoenix is HOT! Do not be shocked by 110 degree temps! Most people think that Summer lasts from June through August (it can last from April-October).
Good luck and if you have any questions about districts/schools you can ask me and I would be more than happy to help.
K.

Depending on where in Phoenix your job is going to be located it could take 15-20 minutes or 45 minutes depending on the traffic and the time of day from where your wanting to go. Chandler School District has a great program and great teachers. Mesa is the same way. I'm a teacher at a charter school called Ahwatukee Foothills Prep that has a fantastic curriculum and excellent teachers. Its off Elliott and the I-10 and our cut off for kindergarten is that they have to be five by December 31, so if your son is ready he could start this year. Gilbert Schools are also very good. Tempe School District as well as Kyrene are also great districts to choose from. Let me know if you want to know anything about a specific school

Welcome to the Valley. I have been here going on 6 years now and continue to like it more each year. My most recent position had me traveling all across the Valley and I was able to compare East to West as well as schools, shopping, and convience.

We chose the West Valley- Glendale area. (Arrowhead Lakes area). I have a daughter that is 7 years and in the 3rd grade. She attends a Charter School nearby. There are quite a few to choose in the surronding area. There are also Charter High Schools near. The Charter School give us more of the private school setting.

The Arrowhead area has amenites that any newcomer to the Valley would welcome.

Good Luck-

Everyone will have their own preferences on the different sides of the valley. It is really going to boil down to a personal preference once you get out here. Perhaps after you have come out and seen some different areas, you could post again on the ones you like and people can give you thoughts about them specifically.

I have lived in the east valley, specifically the south Tempe/west Chandler area, for about 15 years and wouldn't live anywhere else in the valley. I commute to the downtown area, and can make it in about 30 minutes if I leave by 7:30. The schools are WONDERFUL. The Kyrene School District and Chandler schools are top notch. I know a few GREAT preschools as well and some of the elementary schools have preschool options in them. We are close to South Mountain Park (great for hiking) and there is a dog park or two out this way too. <g>

Good luck at your job interview. By the way... it is hot everywhere in summer and A/C is everywhere here, but you sure can't beat the beautiful weather the rest of the year.

Hello Karin

I have 2 kids in Paradise Valley School District and I love the school they are in. Both of my oldest 8 and 5 start school on Monday....ooohhh tomorrow!! :) and when we went to the ice cream social to meet theteachers and staff I was very suprised that alot of the teachers and staff already knew my youngest daughter who is starting kindergarten and never attended the school before. It made her feel very special. So even though its a big town, you can find the small town feel somewhere :)I agree that no matter where you live there will be a communte unless you live right in downtown. And that everyone is going to love where they live :) Do you have Friends or family here that you would want to stay close to? I personaly love the North Phoenix area. I live just North of the Paradise Valley Mall, we are concidering a move toward Scottsdale to be closer to family but not for awhile. If I could get family to move closer this way....i would :) Good Luckat your interview!
Serena

I agree that everyone has their own preference as to where to live. We prefer to live closer in to the city than Gilbert or Scottsdale. My husband, son and I live in Tempe and wouldn't move if you paid us. It is a short commute to downtown and the airport (I used to commute to south Phoenix and it took me about 20 minutes with traffic) and is close to so many things. The ammenities of the city are not far but Tempe also has a lot to offer with ASU and Mill Ave. From what I've heard, the Kyrene school district is great (we haven't had experience yet - our son is only 1). The only problem with Tempe is the housing prices have gone up so much b/c it is land-locked. But is it a great location so you will get good appreciation value for a house. Good luck to you!
A.

Hi Karin,

I moved to Arizona last year from San Francisco. I am though very familiar with the Phoenix metro area as my family is all here. I am a realtor and can use all the business I can get. I just don't know very many people yet outside of my immediate family. I just wanted to let you know if you have any questions or just want to talk about areas I may be able to help. I work from home mostly as I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 5 year old. They are my first job..Ha! But if you like please call or email me. I would love to help.

A. E.
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