South Phoenix

I have lived here recently for 1 year and I plan on moving this time next year, I lived in another area of South Phoenix for 3 years.

I have lived in two homes in South Phoenix, one was a higher end home set in a new subdivision around 16th st. and Baseline that was surrounded by lower end homes. Bad idea. Either people don't respect anything or perhaps they are jealous but since the community was not gated, there would be many people trickling in to use our park and completely trashed it. Graffiti, shopping carts, and garbage were a constant occurrence until maintenance could come out to clean. The more you live toward the mountain however, it is usually really quiet at night and the skies are more darker. If you live near the Baseline Corridor there are many stores/strip mall type of places with Fry's, Ross, ACE, Target, etc. There really isn't a good Walmart in this area, only the Marketplace ones. I did like the value of getting a much larger, nicer home that was affordable but I can't say I would trade that again for a much nicer, safer area with good schools, low crime, and a welcoming community. When I lived in Chandler previously, Phoenix is a laugh in the dark in comparison. Chandler has a much more quiet, family friendly, affluent feel to everything compared to this area. People care more about their properties and children. I can't recall how many times I have called the police in the short year I have lived on this block.

I now live near 48th st and Roeser and I can't wait to get out of here and move to either Gilbert or San Tan Valley. Although the home is nice and affordable, the crime here is terrible. Just earlier this year a little girl that lives around the corner from us was murdered in her home, some homes that are being remodeled in front of our house were burglarized (for the water heater, appliances, etc), and I am fairly certain that there is a drop house on my street. At night, many people have dogs who bark incessantly, almost seemingly every house has one. Kids run wild in the streets with no supervision, littering, making a lot of noise, playing in people's yards, climbing fences, ringing doorbells and running away, asking neighbors for money late at night going door to door, trying to open your doors on Halloween night, etc., the list could go on. Street parking is a huge thing around here as it is most places but a lot of homes have 4 or more cars with no garage, driveway, or a very small driveway so they park mostly in the streets congesting traffic, dirtying the streets with oil, and depending if this aggravates you or not, parking in front of your house constantly. A BIG thing that I don't like is that there are no quality businesses around here, we literally have to drive to Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Tempe to go grocery shopping. The area is flush with payday loan places, check cashing places, Food City's, smoke shops, and liquor stores. You become accustomed to hearing police helicopters overhead looking for suspects.

Some good things: it is near South Mountain and Ahwatukee, it is close to AZ Mills and nightlife/Tempe/ASU, cheap (bigger homes for cheap that would be expensive elsewhere), if you live near the mountain there is a more quiet, dark (at night) atmosphere.

If you have to move here these are just some tips: homes along the canal provide a good walking trail and you have no neighbors in back of you, go in the evening to see how congested the neighborhood is, don't purchase a home in a subdivision that is not gated and surrounded by dumpy homes, avoid living near any of the strip malls (there is more crime and the area is more apt to be of a lower financial status). Preferably, homes in the gated community on the mountain are very nice and big and the riffraff are kept out! I have never had a problem with roaches but I have had several scorpions in my homes, and the area is ripe with termites which is normal but I just thought I'd mention it if it concerns you. South Mountain Community College can be a hit or miss, I have had some friends who have had a bad experience but I thought the school was okay. It is a pretty small school but they have a great new library and since it is small, the campus is very easy to navigate. I never had any problems here.

This area is an area that has a lot of hardworking families living a life in decent houses in a low to mid income lifestyle. Some good blue collar families, with some higher end houses that are not far away. Unfortunately, there is a lot of gang activity in the area. Night after night you just start getting used to police helicopters flying around your neighborhood. There was even a triple gang related murder that was just on the other side of the block from our house. Two different houses down the street were busted for making meth amphetamine. It really is too bad because we liked a lot of the people we met there. There really isn't any good places to eat around there and you have to drive a ways to find a decent restaurant. My family and I moved away from there after living there for only two years.

This street used to be full of kids and friendly neighbors. It's located almost on the edge of what's known as South Phoenix but also fairly close to the Salt River. Anyone who lives in Phoenix knows that South Phx. isn't the place to go after dark. Drug use and the crime rate has risen astronomically in the 10 years I lived there. This is no longer a street for the kids to play. It's gotten rundown and is no longer safe for most anyone. I miss being able to send my kids out to play with the neighbors kids. I can't trust that something will not happen to them. The police do their best but they can only do so much. I do see them patrolling but not as often as I'd like. The only advantages to living on this street is that it's just off Central Avenue with a major bus line that will help you get to downtown Phx or just about anywhere else you may need to go. Also there is an elementary school about two streets away. So if you do have kids, there will be a school nearby to enroll them at. I just can't recommend living here to anyone anymore.