Where to live near AZCOM

[moniagrl]

I am buying a townhouse near AZCOM but am not sure which areas are "good neighborhoods" I don't wan't my real estate agent to screw me over since i don't know the area. I have been looking at Glendale or Peoria so far.

Also i need to get some roomates and i wanted them to be from AZCOM. anyone know how i can put an add out to AZCOMers at school?? i will be in Phoenix next week or so too look at homes

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[mcataz]

All I can say is GOOD LUCK! No, in all seriousness, there are plenty of great properties but you won't find many townhomes in this area let alone Arizona. Houses are too cheap here so people just end up buying homes.

The bad news is that most affordable yet nice homes are not near campus. AZCOM is located in a wealthy suburb of Glendale known as Arrowhead. Glendale is known for having the largest number of millionaires in the state. And Arrowhead is the most expensive area of Glendale. Thus, most of the homes in the area sell for 225K on up.

The good news is that if you are willing to drive between 20-40 minutes one way to school, you can find a lot of great houses that are affordable. One of my friends bought a house near the I-17 and Carefree highway location. It's a beautifull and contemporary home that is 1800 square feet. I think she paid 165K for her home. Her drive to school is about 25 minutes one way.

The other area you might look at is near the Cave Creek exit and the 101 free way. There are some townhomes around there. Those are nice. They are near Paradise Valley Community College. I don't know how much they start for. Again, your drive will be about between 15-30 minutes one way depending upon traffic. However, that area is in Phoenix so you are closer to Phoenix and the camelback area.

If I were you, I would rent first and do some research. Arizona and Glendale are too big to choose a property without really knowing the area. Besides, I bet you could find a good deal if you lived here for 6 months.

 

[moniagrl]

mmmm i dunno about renting. i actually wanted to buy a single family home but since my parents are paying for it, they want me to get a townhouse because i won't have to do all the maintnance. ( but i get to pay the mortage)

they will sell it after i move and get $$$ from it. lucky them.

but anyways, i think a 20 minute drive is ok but i commuted as an undergrad adn it took 40 mins to an hour and i dont wanna do that anymore.

man i wish i could get a single family home now!!!

oh well...isin't paradise valley sorta far though?? i thought is was 40 minutes away at least. that was the area our real estate agent told us was pretty good but i think the drive is too long.


anyone have any other ideas. please help

 

[San_Juan_Sun]

A couple of ideas. Check out: www.azcentral.com for a really nice housing database.

Next, it is definately possile to live within a couple of miles from AZCOM at less than $130K. I know several students who do, as well as myself. No, we don't live in the ghetto, and yes, there is affordable housing close to the school (although what was previously said about the Arrowhead area is pretty true).

About the townhouse idea, it may not matter to you or your parents, but townhouses can be a bit tougher to resell when your 4 years are up. Not impossible, but a single home simply enjoys a much bigger market. Cheaper for you to buy, easier for you to sell.

If you are willing to commute, Surprise and Avondale will offer you more home fore the money. Several people in our class had homes built over the summer, and moved in prior to school starting.

Also, I don't know how it is getting roommates, but they are tons of fliers up on school bulletin boards looking for roommates. I don't know if they are few and far between, but it sure seems like eveyone needs a roomie to pay their mortgages. Maybe someone else can shed a little more light on this.

Lastly, don't be afraid of minor household repairs. It'll do you good to learn how to do them yourself.

 

[moniagrl]

now i really want a single family home...sniffle

 

[burs0028]

I live just north of Paradise Valley near the Paradise Valley mall. It's 16 miles from my apt. to AZCOM, but my commute is only 20min! You'll be driving against rush hour and the speed limits are 65 mph (most people drive ~70). The Paradise Valley area is great, and as long as you stay near hwy 51 your commute will be very quick. When my girlfriend and I first started looking for a place we were looking at living on hwy 17 about midway between AZCOM & ASU. Luckily the student services office told us that crime is really high in that area and directed us to look along the 101. After living here since Aug., I totally agree with what we were told. The farther north you stay from central phoenix, the better (at least along the 17, South of the 101). Apts in our area are really cheap compared to near campus. We live at Paradise Springs and pay 625/month for a 2bdrm, 2bath. I don't thing we could have found a better deal near school. Most people I know pay ~700 for 1bdrm apts. One other thing you should all be aware of when moving to phoenix....this is THE place to have your car stolen. No matter where you live it is a good possibility...I speak from personal experience. Make sure you have insurance for theft and consider where you'll be parking your car when looking at apts.

 

[azcomdiddy]

Houses under 130K near school...sorry not buying it. You do in fact live in a bad area and you don't know it OR your house was built in 1975. If you are looking for anything new and within 5-10 minutes away from school be prepared to spend a pretty penny. And who the hell has time to do repairs. You are in medical school. You don't have time to worry about every small little problem that goes wrong with your 1970's home. It's not like you come home from work at 5PM with nothing else to do like most people with jobs. As a former home owner, I can assure you that maintenance can be a pain in the a$$.

Avondale and Suprise are possibilities and I do know people who live there but once again, your information is slightly misleading because those locations particularly Avondale can be quite far.

I have noticed on SDN, that people really underestimate the driving time. If someone says something is 20 minutes away, just add 10 minutes and you will get an accurate idea of the true driving time. Most of the times they are quoting refer to non-rush hour times in which they are driving 15-20 miles over the speed limit. For example, PV Mall to the school is a lot further than 20 minutes. You would be lucky if it took you 10 minutes just from PV Mall to the 101 and 51 intersection. And then it's another 15-25 minutes to school depending upon traffic. So yeah, maybe if this person hit all the green lights and drove really fast the entire way, he might....just might make it in 20 minutes. Again, I call bulls....

My advice is to live near school. AZCOM has its fair share of busy work in addition to required class attendance. This isn't like the U of A where you can skip class and worry only about exams. We have tons of presentations and other nonsense that you are responsible for on campus so I would recommend living near school.

Now beware that someone will respond and say they live an hour away and they are doing just fine much like you already received "information" about houses selling for under 130K near the school. Someone will always chime in with some unusual response and make it out to see like what they are saying is normal for everyone.

Regarding crime, the general theory is that you shouldn't live south of Thunderbird. Honestly, I don't you should live South of Bell. Once you get near Thunderbird and Greenway, you are asking for trouble. If you have a Honda Accord, or an Escalade, you should probably worry about your car being stolen. Aside from that you are okay for the most part but get full insurance. That was good advice.

Yeah, yeah, I heard from friends about renting a little further away from school and getting great deals. That is until you actually check out those apartments. First of all, those apartments aren't new. And usually your neighbors at those apartments will be a little sketchy if you know what I mean. There is a reason why those places are so cheap. It's not because the apt. manager felt like being generous.. I say absorb the cost and live in a nice apartment near school. They apts. near school are newer, nicer and have mostly AZCOM and Midwestern students residing in them.

 

[San_Juan_Sun]

Originally posted by azcomdiddy
Houses under 130K near school...sorry not buying it. You do in fact live in a bad area and you don't know it OR your house was built in 1975. If you are looking for anything new and within 5-10 minutes away from school be prepared to spend a pretty penny.
My advice is to live near school...... AZCOM has its fair share of busy work in addition to required class attendance. This isn't like the U of A where you can skip class and worry only about exams. We have tons of presentations and other nonsense that you are responsible for on campus so I would recommend living near school.

Absolutely hilarious! Would you like to come over and see my mortgage statements? Under normal circumstances, I might think you were being serious, but then again, you're the person who said it takes 10-15 minutes to get to the 101/17 junction. LOL

Required class attendance? Riiiigghhhhtttt. (For those who don't know, only a couple hours per week of workshop for (physio and biochem), anatomy lab, and OMM are required attendance).

You seem addicted to taking the contrarian point of view. That's fine I guess, but you've been going from justifiable gripes to being ridiculous (like inferring that I don't know how much I paid for my house!). Too funny.

 

[jhug]

I have noticed on SDN, that people really underestimate the driving time. If someone says something is 20 minutes away, just add 10 minutes and you will get an accurate idea of the true driving time.........I might think you were being serious, but then again, you're the person who said it takes 10-15 minutes to get to the 101/17 junction. LOL

my kids can crawl to the 101 in less than 10 mins!!!!!

as far as house prices go, it is tough. My wife and i have looked around without a ton of success...but obviously my classmates have had better luck (and they were smart and used RE agents)

azdiddy did give some good advice on boundaries though...My advice is to live near school. AZCOM has its fair share of usy work in addition to required class attendance. i agree with the advice but the reason for it is bizarre...required attendance????

 

[kristing]

Okay - south Glendale is scary. I agree with not living south of T-bird. But I chose to live on the east side (Mesa - I grew up here) with about a 45 minute comute. (I live 37 miles away). Surprise is probably your best bet for cheap housing about 20 minutes away. BUT the problem with buying in Surprise (it's the far NW side - west of school) is that in your 3rd and 4th year if you have rotations anywhere but the west side you will be hating your life because of the commute. Avondale is SW and also nice and about 30 minute commute. But the same thing holds for long commute time 3rd and 4th year. I am loving life because ALL of my rotations (except surgery) are within a few minutes of of my house. In fact, there are lots and lots of rotations on the east side.

Central Phoenix is not all that scary. South Glendale is way worse. You can find stuff right in the middle of Phoenix (especially townhouses) for a decent price and have a commute time of 20-25 minutes. (But Phoenix is big and I would have to know more precise areas you are looking at to give you a better idea of what is good and what is not good).

One of the reasons there is so much property theft by the school is because it is right by the freeway, and it's about 5-10 miles or so from scary south Glendale. It's in a pocket of nice (Arrowhead) but I didn't want to live there because I knew about South Glendale. There isn't the ridiculous theft in the equivalent nice areas of the east side.

Oh - and one of our top ranked people in our class skipped ALL the time except the few required attendance classes. azcomdiddy is misleading you.

I went to almost all classes and don't regret for a second that I lived far away. If you are from a big city (LA, Chicago, NY) the commuting here is cake.

You can PM me if you have more specific areas you are looking at. I gre up here and I can most likely give you a good idea of the areas if you give me specifics.


kristin
MS3
AZCOM

 

[azcomdiddy]

Originally posted by kristing
(Mesa - I grew up here) with about a 45 minute comute. (I live 37 miles away).

If you lived near the Mesa/Tempe border like near Alma School and Main, you might make the trip from Mesa to 59th avenue in 45 minutes during non-rush hour. We are talking zero traffic. So realistically you are looking at an 60-75 minutes with rush hour going north on the 101 freeway. That's not close.

Just do the math. 60 MPH is a mile per minute. So you would have to drive 60 MPH uninterrupted to get there in exactly 37 minutes which is only 8 minutes off what you would normally get there in.. Now just add stoplights and traffic and you will see how ridiculous this assertion is. And if you drive to school in the morning, I can assure you that you didn't drive at a contnuous rate of 60 MPH on the 101 north in the morning especially when you get near McDowell and Thomas.

One of the reasons there is so much property theft by the school is because it is right by the freeway, and it's about 5-10 miles or so from scary south Glendale. It's in a pocket of nice (Arrowhead) but I didn't want to live there because I knew about South Glendale. There isn't the ridiculous theft in the equivalent nice areas of the east side.

How many colleges do you know of that lack security in the buildings during the day. Anyone can walk into the computer lab prior to 6 PM. There is no administrator that takes your ID or checks you in. The classrooms in Agave are not locked. There is no security in the builiding during the day. You wouldn't need the cast of Ocean's 11 to walk into Agave and remove a few computers and walk them to the parking lot just 30 yards away. Our bookstore didn't even have metal detector in the doorway. Anyone could walk out the door with textbooks and no one would know. The theft had nothing to do with the area. If Mesa CC had this type of security, you would see a burglary every week. Any schools that lacks that much basic security is going to experience theft whether it is located in Scottsdale or Glendale.

Oh - and one of our top ranked people in our class skipped ALL the time except the few required attendance classes. azcomdiddy is misleading you.

I knew someone would chime in with this response. I don't care what medical school you attend, there is always some genius who gets top grades and never studies or attends lecture. For the vast majority of us, we need to attend class if we want to do well. I don't consider passing as doing well.

I went to almost all classes and don't regret for a second that I lived far away. If you are from a big city (LA, Chicago, NY) the commuting here is cake.

Tell that to my married friend who lives in Chandler. He has to reside there because of his wife and her job. He hates living far from school. He has to leave at 6:30 to beat rush hour. If he forgets something at school, he can't come back for it. If we manage a study session at the library, he has to forgeit because he can't drive from home to the library really quickly. If he sleeps in and is running late, he is pretty much screwed. Yes, people live far from school but it's not as if they never experienced problems which you imply.

 

[azcomdiddy]

Originally posted by San_Juan_Sun
Absolutely hilarious! Would you like to come over and see my mortgage statements? Under normal circumstances, I might think you were being serious, but then again, you're the person who said it takes 10-15 minutes to get to the 101/17 junction. LOL

I would like to know the age and cross streets of this house. Both of which you conveniently forgot to include in you 130K estimate. Why do I have a feeling that your house is old and isn't near school. Just a guess.

Required class attendance? Riiiigghhhhtttt. (For those who don't know, only a couple hours per week of workshop for (physio and biochem), anatomy lab, and OMM are required attendance).

Oh, like that's not a lot of classes or anything. And those aren't including the "required" classes. We all know of professors who start taking measures when people stop showing up. Again, you failed to be thorough in your response, which is why I'm here.

You seem addicted to taking the contrarian point of view. That's fine I guess, but you've been going from justifiable gripes to being ridiculous (like inferring that I don't know how much I paid for my house!). Too funny. [/B]

No, it's just that I don't enjoy misleading students for the sake of putting a positive spin on my school. To suggest that there is plenty of affordable homes near campus is assinine if not downright mythology. I don't deny that you paid 130K. That's not what I implied. But I highly doubt your home is new and relatively maintenance free. I also question how "close" your home is to school. Like I said, I don't tell people what they want to hear. I tell them the truth. I can see that some have issues with that when I start exposing them.

 

[azcomdiddy]

Originally posted by jhug


my kids can crawl to the 101 in less than 10 mins!!!!!

Right but I highly doubt you can drive there in 10 minutes.

as far as house prices go, it is tough. My wife and i have looked around without a ton of success...but obviously my classmates have had better luck (and they were smart and used RE agents)

Your classmates were smart so I take it you were dumb in your search??????

 

[jhug]

not dumb...we just aren't serious enough to get ourselves an agent to do all the time-consuming searching. we looked up a few, some were to much $$, others were dives (much like you think ALL houses in the area are if they aren't 200K+)....but that isn't to say that there aren't great affordable houses out there.

Unlike malignants that speak about things they don't know anything about....i can say I HAVE BEEN to classmates houses that are affordable, AND i can say, again from experience that they are very nice, don't have things that need to be repaired, and are very close to school.

so to the original poster...it is possible to buy a nice, affordable home near azcom...i would suggest having an agent do the work for you. Follow azdid's advise as far as geography, take the rest of what he/she said with a grain of salt. He/she suffers from a huge case of SLOC.

 

[azcomdiddy]

Originally posted by jhug
[not dumb...we just aren't serious enough to get ourselves an agent to do all the time-consuming searching. we looked up a few, some were to much $$, others were dives (much like you think ALL houses in the area are if they aren't 200K+)....but that isn't to say that there aren't great affordable houses out there.

It depends on what you are seeking. I also did my homework as did several of my classmates. We all wanted a house that wasn't more than 5 years old. And we wanted one that was within 10 minutes driving distance from school which isn't far. I'm not willing to pay more than 170K-180K. Most houses int he area go for 200K plus. I'm still looking. And I'm no idiot. I watch this thing very closely. I don't just smile and nod my head and believe anything my classmates tell me.

Unlike malignants that speak about things they don't know anything about....i can say I HAVE BEEN to classmates houses that are affordable, AND i can say, again from experience that they are very nice, don't have things that need to be repaired, and are very close to school.

Right except you can't actually find one of these houses for yourself, so apparently your friends are far brighter than you are. I too have BEEN to a friend's house. However, he paid close to 180K for his house 2 years ago. And before you list terms like "affordable" be more specific. If it was so affordable, you would have purchased a home by now.

so to the original poster...it is possible to buy a nice, affordable home near azcom...i would suggest having an agent do the work for you. Follow azdid's advise as far as geography, take the rest of what he/she said with a grain of salt. He/she suffers from a huge case of SLOC.

This is coming from the guy who said it takes 20 minutes from PV mall to school. Try finding your own house first before you provide advice about something you know nothing about. When you do that, then you can come back here and tell everyone how "affordable" it is. Until then keep looking for that house.

Beware of most AZCOM members on SDN like JHUG. They are what I refer to as infomercial posters They embellish qualities about the school to sell it. Everything is not as easy as they try to make it seem. I'm just here to debunk the popular AZCOM myths that are propagated by many people in this forum. Thus far, Kadyra, creed and Lukealfredwhite are objective posters. You can trust them.

 

[San_Juan_Sun]

Alright, I give up. You've totally "exposed me". I'd like to come clean: I'm on SDN for the sole purpose of spreading propaganda about AZCOM. Tuition is kind of steep, and I get kickbacks from the school for each new sucker I lure in. It helps pay my gigantic mortgage bill, and gives me a great deal of satisfaction to screw others over.... well, it did that is, until diddy caught me. He, of course, in a brilliant expose has thrown our deception aside with his brilliant methods of proclaiming the "truth".

In all seriousness, does it bother you so badly that others like the school they chose? You seriously just come off as a malcontent. If you're unhappy at the school, you've got nobody to blame but yourself... well, and folks like me stooging for th admin.

 

[kristing]

Originally posted by azcomdiddy
If you lived near the Mesa/Tempe border like near Alma School and Main, you might make the trip from Mesa to 59th avenue in 45 minutes during non-rush hour. We are talking zero traffic. So realistically you are looking at an 60-75 minutes with rush hour going north on the 101 freeway. That's not close.
Just do the math. 60 MPH is a mile per minute. So you would have to drive 60 MPH uninterrupted to get there in exactly 37 minutes which is only 8 minutes off what you would normally get there in.. Now just add stoplights and traffic and you will see how ridiculous this assertion is. And if you drive to school in the morning, I can assure you that you didn't drive at a contnuous rate of 60 MPH on the 101 north in the morning especially when you get near McDowell and Thomas.

Oh my god you are hilarious. You discredit everyone. As if we are all lying. My name is Kristin, I am an MS3 at AZCOM. I grew up in Mesa and currently live next door to where I grew up (East of Alma School and Main, btw). IT DOES TAKE ME 45 minutes to get to school. And guess what? The speed limit is 65 on the 101. So guess what I drive? 68? Guess what else? I WAS A MATH MAJOR! I CAN DO THE DAMN MATH! AND I WOULD NOT LIE. How dare you imply I am.

My first 2 years I took the 202 to the 101. Now, when I have to get to school I drive the 202 to the 10 to the 17 to the 101 because the 101 N on the east side has become a parking lot and it DOES take me an hour now if I take it. BUT I DRIVE A DIFFERENT WAY AND STILL GET THERE IN 45 minutes. If you don't believe me, you can drive with me some day. (The speed limit most of the new way I go is 55 and I always drive less than 10 over, and I still get there in 45 minutes.)


How many colleges do you know of that lack security in the buildings during the day. Anyone can walk into the computer lab prior to 6 PM. There is no administrator that takes your ID or checks you in. The classrooms in Agave are not locked. There is no security in the builiding during the day. You wouldn't need the cast of Ocean's 11 to walk into Agave and remove a few computers and walk them to the parking lot just 30 yards away. Our bookstore didn't even have metal detector in the doorway. Anyone could walk out the door with textbooks and no one would know. The theft had nothing to do with the area. If Mesa CC had this type of security, you would see a burglary every week. Any schools that lacks that much basic security is going to experience theft whether it is located in Scottsdale or Glendale. [/QUOTE]

I wasn't talking about property theft at the school. How the admin decides to deal with theft on campus is their decision. I was talking about theft outside of campus. Like cars, stuff on your patio, etc. There is more crime on the west side in general. Glendale was the 2nd city in the country to get the triangulation system to determine where gunfire is coming from. Granted, the part where this is is south of the school, but it's still Glendale, and it is just some miles south of the school.


I knew someone would chime in with this response. I don't care what medical school you attend, there is always some genius who gets top grades and never studies or attends lecture. For the vast majority of us, we need to attend class if we want to do well. I don't consider passing as doing well.
[/QUOTE]

My response was because you said the following:

AZCOM has its fair share of busy work in addition to required class attendance. This isn't like the U of A where you can skip class and worry only about exams.
[/QUOTE]

Class attendance is not required except in a few situations. Don't change the argument.


Tell that to my married friend who lives in Chandler. He has to reside there because of his wife and her job. He hates living far from school. He has to leave at 6:30 to beat rush hour. If he forgets something at school, he can't come back for it. If we manage a study session at the library, he has to forgeit because he can't drive from home to the library really quickly. If he sleeps in and is running late, he is pretty much screwed. Yes, people live far from school but it's not as if they never experienced problems which you imply. [/QUOTE]

I'm sorry for your friend. I WANTED TO LIVE ON THE EAST SIDE. We had a choice and I chose to be here. I only brought it up because I wanted to give an option to this person who is looking for a place to live. I never said anything about not having problems living far from school, nor did I imply it. Again, I just wanted this person to know she/he had OPTIONS.

Who is this malcontent? And why did he go to AZCOM? He should transfer if he hates the school and his classmates so much.

 

[moniagrl]

mmm how did my innocent post turn into a full out battle????

anyways the things u guys sayd about location adn stuff are really useful and i appreciate all the info.



i wish i could live somewhere that has some AZCOM students living too but for that i would have 2 rent. sigh. oh well

i really don't want to drive more than 25 minutes to school. i actually wish i lived on campus but that isint gonna happen so sigh again.

are those who have houses/townhouses staying there for 4 years? or are you gonna do some of your 4th year rotations out of state?

 

[referee]

Originally posted by moniagrl
mmm how did my innocent post turn into a full out battle????

There is a reoccurring trend. AZdiddy appears to be rarely if ever wrong.

 

[tripleJ]

I'll second that

 

[mcataz]

I think the driving times and distances haven't accounted for rush hour. If you are driving in the morning (7:30-9:00 AM) you will incur some traffic for sure. So I doubt most people could make it from Paradise Valley to school in 20 minutes. But it's not as far as azcomdiddy suggests either. If you can leave past 9 AM, it's significantly faster.

I would get a realtor and look for single family homes near school. I think the cost will vary depending upon the timing and the size of the house etc. I don't think you can find most new homes for less than a 150K near school and that is probably pushing it.

I'm kind of like you in that I want to find something near school as well. I like being close by. It's a personal choice. What is right for someone else may not be right for you.

Good luck

 

[burs0028]

For the record, I stand by my statement that it only takes about 20 minutes for me to get from the PV mall to school. This thread has a title that will come up in future searches and I would hate for someone to discount living over here because they think it will take too long to drive to AZCOM. As Kristing stated the speed limits are relatively high--on both the freeways (65mph) and the major cross streets (40-45mph). If you get a place near the 51 as I have, you can drive for a mile or two down Cactus or Thunderbird, hop on the 51, and cruise all the way to school. Since AZCOM is located right off the 101, I can often average >60 mph on the trip. Yes, I actually did the math

As far as rush hour goes, I see plenty of traffic on the 101 every morning...going east. For this reason, I would encourage someone looking to save a little $$ by living away from campus to look at apts./homes east of AZCOM near the 101 or 51. The only downside is if you do need to drive to campus later in the afternoon...then you'll be spending 30-45 minutes making the drive.

 

[moniagrl]

 

[moniagrl]

so trafic moves west in morining and east in afternoon??? would be good to go against trafic 2 save time

 

[kristing]

traffic direction depends on where you're coming from and going to. It basically moves toward Phoenix in the morning, so from the East valley going west, it is slow and vice versa for the west valley. The opposite holds true for the afternoons. There are some weird exceptions to this - going north from the east valley in the am toward North Scottsdale on the 101 for some reason gets jammed.

It's very good to go against traffic to save time. The school is in the far NW valley, so if you are coming from the south or the east of it you are golden. It's also so far west that you won't be too nailed if you're coming from west of it.

Hope this helps!

 

[mcataz]

Originally posted by moniagrl
so trafic moves west in morining and east in afternoon??? would be good to go against trafic 2 save time

I don't think you can go by that because the traffic in Phoenix varies in sections. The 101 North is packed from the 202 to Indian School Rd. The 51 North isn't too bad if you leave past Northern Avenue. The I-17 North is horrible in the morning. The 60 freeway is the absolute worst in both directions in the morning and afternoon. The 101 West in the mornings is pretty nice so I can understand how some of those Paradise Valley residents could make it to school in 20-25 minutes.

You have to examine times. Phoenix isn't bad like other cities in that our rush hour ends relatively early. Rush our lasts from 7AM-8AM in the morning. The afternoon is worse in my opinion. Rush hour is from 4:00-6:30.

That is why I don't want to live far from school. If I want to guarantee my 8 AM classes, you have to leave at 6:30 to be safe. Traffic accidents occur a lot here. And when one of those happens, that pretty much kills your timing. It's a risk that I don't like taking. I can see people living near paradise valley and north Scottsdale but beyond that is a risk in my opinion.

 

[wbharris]

I too, can vouch that going west isn't bad at all. I live at Tatum and Union Hills, just south of the 101 and Desert Ridge, and about 1.5 miles east of the 51... and it takes me about 14-17 minutes to get to work every day... a piece of cake. Woody is right on the money in that the drive is relatively painless if you want to save a few bucks. And if you're like me, who likes to have a bit of a life on the weekends and hit the bars in Scottsdale, it's well worth living 20 minutes away instead of 40 minutes away from them. In fact, next year I plan on moving further into Scottsdale, down at Via de Ventura and the 101 (the apartment complex is called Via Ventura- it's awesome, with a great pool... I suggest you look into it). I timed it during morning rush hour, and it only took me 25 minutes... roughly 10 minutes tacked on to my current trip. To me, it's worth it, as Scottsdale is a nicer area, cheaper rent at most apartments (with some exceptions), closer to the bars and to my girlfriend's house.
I cannot dispute the claim that there are some night spots in Glendale, including Sanctuary, McDuffy's, and others. However, for the best taste of the Valley, Scottsdale is the place to be. There are countless bars... Dos Gringos, Maloney's, Devil's Martini, Martini Ranch, Radius, Sanctuary, Mickey's Hangover, Sugar Daddy's, and many, many more, not to mention great restaurants and the fact that you're in relatively close proximity to Tempe (ASU).
One might not want to live so far if they frequent the library or feel that they will spend a great deal of time on campus. I'm a first year, and I go to class at 8 and usually don't get home until 5 or 6 at night, especially if that day's fun includes Gross Anatomy lab or OMM, or even a trip to my preceptor in central PHX. Sure, if I lived on campus, I suppose I could walk home and eat lunch, but I typically just bring my lunch or go out to eat with comrades. Third quarter and all of second year, you're out early anyway, so you could theoretically be home in time for lunch. It's up to you. One of my best chums lives near school and rolls out of bed at 750 and rolls into class on-time (barely) just about every day at 8. I get up about 7, have one of my nice long showers, and eat a good breakfast while watching the news or reviewing some study materials, and I still make it in with pleanty of time to spare, usually allowing enough time to check my mailbox to see what goodies the profs crammed them with this time. Another great thing about the drive is that it gives one a chance to wind down before tests, as anxiety often builds surrounding exams. By driving that extra bit, I can't look at my notes and get psyched out... instead, I crank up the stereo and zone out. It's good for the head.
Let me sum up this rant of sorts: if you like to go out on the weekends, and see your self getting a lot accomplished during the day or at home and not at the library, then live in Scottsdale. If you see yourself living at the library as some folks do, or wanting to go home for lunch or a quick siesta (which I often do, and the distance doesn't stop me), and figure that you might as well set aside all delusions of bars for your medical school career, then live on or near campus (near is probably better than on- the apartments across the street are nice and reasonable).

Hope this gives a little different perspective on your query.

Will
MSI

 

[mcataz]

Originally posted by wbharris
I too, can vouch that going west isn't bad at all. I live at Tatum and Union Hills, just south of the 101 and Desert Ridge, and about 1.5 miles east of the 51... and it takes me about 14-17 minutes to get to work every day... a piece of cake. Woody is right on the money in that the drive is relatively painless if you want to save a few bucks. And if you're like me, who likes to have a bit of a life on the weekends and hit the bars in Scottsdale, it's well worth living 20 minutes away instead of 40 minutes away from them. In fact, next year I plan on moving further into Scottsdale, down at Via de Ventura and the 101 (the apartment complex is called Via Ventura- it's awesome, with a great pool... I suggest you look into it). I timed it during morning rush hour, and it only took me 25 minutes... roughly 10 minutes tacked on to my current trip. To me, it's worth it, as Scottsdale is a nicer area, cheaper rent at most apartments (with some exceptions), closer to the bars and to my girlfriend's house.
I cannot dispute the claim that there are some night spots in Glendale, including Sanctuary, McDuffy's, and others. However, for the best taste of the Valley, Scottsdale is the place to be. There are countless bars... Dos Gringos, Maloney's, Devil's Martini, Martini Ranch, Radius, Sanctuary, Mickey's Hangover, Sugar Daddy's, and many, many more, not to mention great restaurants and the fact that you're in relatively close proximity to Tempe (ASU).
One might not want to live so far if they frequent the library or feel that they will spend a great deal of time on campus. I'm a first year, and I go to class at 8 and usually don't get home until 5 or 6 at night, especially if that day's fun includes Gross Anatomy lab or OMM, or even a trip to my preceptor in central PHX. Sure, if I lived on campus, I suppose I could walk home and eat lunch, but I typically just bring my lunch or go out to eat with comrades. Third quarter and all of second year, you're out early anyway, so you could theoretically be home in time for lunch. It's up to you. One of my best chums lives near school and rolls out of bed at 750 and rolls into class on-time (barely) just about every day at 8. I get up about 7, have one of my nice long showers, and eat a good breakfast while watching the news or reviewing some study materials, and I still make it in with pleanty of time to spare, usually allowing enough time to check my mailbox to see what goodies the profs crammed them with this time. Another great thing about the drive is that it gives one a chance to wind down before tests, as anxiety often builds surrounding exams. By driving that extra bit, I can't look at my notes and get psyched out... instead, I crank up the stereo and zone out. It's good for the head.
Let me sum up this rant of sorts: if you like to go out on the weekends, and see your self getting a lot accomplished during the day or at home and not at the library, then live in Scottsdale. If you see yourself living at the library as some folks do, or wanting to go home for lunch or a quick siesta (which I often do, and the distance doesn't stop me), and figure that you might as well set aside all delusions of bars for your medical school career, then live on or near campus (near is probably better than on- the apartments across the street are nice and reasonable).

Hope this gives a little different perspective on your query.

Will
MSI

Will sounds like me about 4 years ago. I can vouch for this post. Scottsdale is definitely a lot nicer than Glendale. Arrowhead is a nice but boring suburb. It's far from everything for the most part. Scottsdale is a lot nicer and you will have many more amenities associated with a big city. There is just better places to eat etc. You won't find a lot of single people in Arrowhead either.

I'm glad he posted this, because his messages provides a good alternative for the young single person. If I was single, I would try to find some friends and live near North Scottsdale in a trendy apartment. You will meet a ton of people and have access to a lot of places.

I'm engaged and about to turn 29 shortly. So for me, living near school and focusing on my grades is pretty much all I have to look forward to now. But yeah, if I was still single and didn't abuse the Scottsdale nightlife when I was younger, I would probably live in North Scottsdale and do the drive every morning. I lived in Old Town Scottsdale with my best friend for 2 years at 25 and it was the best years of my life. Too much craziness! And what is fun about Scottsdale is that it isn't fraternity meathead college craziness. You will meet a lot of professionals in their mid-20's on up who enjoy going out yet can still hold a conversation.