My family and I are considering relocating to Queen Creek Arizona.

I would like to hear from anyone who lives in or near Queen Creek.

Is it a nice family oriented community?
What are the pros and cons of living there?

Thank you for any and all advice.

Christie

As a resident of Phoenix for over 20 years, it's good place to move, if you don't have to commute too far, or don't mind the commute. Here's a good website for the place:

http://www.queencreek.org/indexsite.shtml

I've only visited a quaint little farm out there, called:

http://www.schnepffarms.com/

but it tends to remind me of the midwest where I spent my childhood, except with a dry heat.

Hope this was helpful!

ceb,
Thanks for the info. Do you know how long a drive it is from Queen Creek to Scottsdale and Phoenix?

My husband is an Electrician and will be looking for a job in those areas.

Thank you for your input.

Our best friend is VP of a major Home builder and Queen Creek used to be way out in the sticks but they have alot of new development in QC but he just stated to me that the market is tanking BIG TIME and the ripple effect is hurting everyone associated with the home building and everything else..
Maybe in 6-12 months you can get yourself a really cheap home but I wouldn't move there unless your husband has a job sealed up there and also, have you spent a good amount of time in AZ?
The pro's of AZ are not much.. I like to visit but not to live there..
The con's..living inside your AC home 6-8 months out of the year and the traffic and the smog are horrific!
Queen Creek to Scottsdale.. could be an hour each way depending on traffic, it could be longer..you want a newer car so it doesn't overheat and break down when the temp is over 115 degrees..
I wish you all the best!

I realize that Arizona is hot..but NC is very humid.I am loving the idea of low to no humidity.

Anyone else have advice?

Christie

christiegr..
You asked for any and all advice and of course everyone knows that AZ is hot but it is also very humid during the summer due to monsoon season and it is 115+ with the humidity to match..
I think if you are considering relocating to a different state that you would also check the chamber;
queencreekchamber.org
queencreek.org
This was all dirt and ranches up till a couple of years ago and it is still rural..
Have you been to AZ during the summer for any length of time?
I would never relocate anywhere that I have not stayed at least a month to really see what it is like..

I grew up in Chandler, my BIL is from Queen Creek and yes it used to be all ranches and farms until recently. On my last visit there (4 months ago)I drove to to Queen Creek to check out the changes. The homes were pretty nice out there at a reasonable price.

Everyone knows Arizona is hot in the summer but despite the fact that there can be humidity during the monsoon season, it will never be like NC. I was just in Phoenix this past weekend for my uncle's retirement party. It was 107 and we were standing out my the car chatting in the parking lot. Yes, 107 was warm and I wouldn't be standing out in the hot sun for long but the great thing about it was I didn't have one drop of sweat on me. That certainly wouldn't happen in NC.

As far as staying inside 6-8 months of the year, that's not true. The really hot months are July, Aug, Sept. The end of May and June can be warm but not unbearable. The other 7 months of the year are great particularly the spring and fall. Seven months of good weather is a lot more than you will get in areas that put up with cold winters and humid summers. I do agree that Christie should make sure to visit Arizona in the summer, though.

Christie-The drive to from Queen Creek to Scottsdale would be pretty tough. Traffic has gotten bad but I guess the commute is all relative to the type of commute your husband has now. If he is an electrician then couldn't he look for work on the east side of the Valley such as Chandler, Mesa and Tempe so he wouldn't have to drive so far.

Paula,
Thanks for your input.

My husband and I are flying out there on July 6th for a few days to check it out.My husband is going to line up a few job interviews also while we are there.

We both like warm weather and during the Winter in NC both get seasonal depression.

I have found some companies that are closer to Queen Creek for my husband to call and see if they need help.The areas are Tempe,Chandler and Queen Creek,so hopefully he will find a job closer to Queen Creek.

Thanks all!

Christie

christiegr,
My husband & I plan to retire to AZ within the next year or 2. We visited Queen Creek in 12/04 and felt it was much too rural for us. Maybe in the last 18 months it has developed more, but I doubt it.

I agree that the heat & low humidity level (for the most part) is far superior to the winters (in our case) in the NE. Also we feel that the quality of life is far superior.

Prices in AZ have soared in the past few years but are now coming down quite a bit, even more so than most of the country. A house we saw in 12/04 has increased by 30% since then.

Good luck.

Suerich,
Thanks!We live in a rural area in NC (Fuquay Varina)although it has developed rapidly over the past few years.

It all depends on how close stores are to Queen Creek.We will be checking it out in a few weeks.

Christie

ttt

Christie,

Queen Creek is very rural and is about 30 miles from downtown Scottsdale, (where I used to live) but with the 202 being finished to the 101 it really cuts down on the drive time. Depending on what time of day you travel it's not too bad.

As for the heat, we only use our A/C 4 months out of the year and you can't beat the snow free winters. I love the look of snow but I hated the time it added to my drive to work/school when I lived in Wisconsin.

Tempe and Chandler would be a much closer drive for your husband and very pleasant places to spend time, too. And Queen Creek is only 12-14 miles from one of the best new malls in our area, the Chandler Fashion Square. Restaurants, shopping, movies, Home Depot/Lowes, furniture stores the works.

If you're looking for rural living close to a major city, Queen Creek is your best bet. Another option is Laveen, which is being built up, but it is straight down from the city and has some not good neighborhoods as neighbors, but I know people who enjoy living there and they have a little BBQ joint that you would swear was transported right out of a 1 horse town.

Finally there's the area where I currently live, Ahwatukee. It's just around South Mountain from downtown Phoenix, takes 25 minutes to get to Scottsdale in rush hour and is home to some of the nicest people in the Valley. Great schools and parks too. Homes are a bit more pricey here because it's such a great place to live, but Suerich68 is right, prices are coming down and continue to do so as the market slows. If you're in need of a good realtor, though I can connect you with the one who helped me sell my townhouse for a great price and will help me find a new one when I'm done traveling.

I've only visited Queen Creek so I can't comment on living there, but it is a nice place, too.

Good luck in your searches and let me know if you need more advice/help!

ceb,
Thanks for your help.

We have been researching the Tempe and Chandler areas online as my husband got a job offer in Tempe.

I guess that we will reseach more when we fly out in a few weeks.

Christie

Christie,

Tempe and Chandler are nice, but they do tend to feel more like you are "in the middle of things" rather than on the outskirts. If family oriented is what you're looking for and the job is in Tempe, then Ahwatukee may be your best bet. It's very close without being in the middle of it. Ahwatukee addresses are Phoenix addresses so you won't find listings for Ahwatukee perse, but if you ask a realtor they'll know the area. My zip code is 85044 if your looking up areas yourself, but there are other zip codes that would be classified as being in the ahwatukee area.

My best friend lives in Ahwatukee and really likes it. It's convenient to the freeway and to all the shopping in Chandler and Tempe. Both of her sons graduated from high school there and seems like they received a good education. I wouldn't call the Ahwatukee area rural, though. It's definitely a suburb although a nice one. I think you should check out several different areas to see what you like. You can get more house for your money in Queen Creek but it really boils down to what area feels like the right fit for your family.

Yes, sorry. I meant to mention that Ahwatukee isn't rural but its a nice little suburb that isn't in the middle of things like Tempe is.

I lived in Tempe for about 5 years and all I can say is it's hot, very hot. Overnight LOWS of 9o+ degrees are very common this time of year. One year while I lived there it hit 100 in March then set a record for 100 consecutive days of over 100 degree temps. They closed the airport for a few hours that July because it was over 120 and the planes are not certified to fly over that temp. During Aug and Sept it can be quite humid when the wind storms come out of the Southwest. Talk about seasonal depression!

ceb and Paula,

Ahwatukee sounds like where we currently live.I will have to add it to our list when we get out there.

Thanks,
Christie

TTT

CEB, what's the name of your Friend's bbq joint, and where is it?