I'm planning a trip out to the Phoenix area to see if it's a place I would want to relocate to. I've heard that Fountain Hills is one of the "50 Fabulous Places to Raise a Family" from the 1993 edition. Does anyone who is familiar with the area agree? What can you tell me about living there? Any help at all would be great!

I'm married, in my thirties with one child, so I'm not looking for nightlife as much as shopping, schools, etc. A description of the scenery would also help. Thank you!

I love Fountain Hills...it is just a tiny little village with gorgeous surrounding scenery. It has been developing for some time, but doesn't seem to be packed with people, traffic. You'd have to come out to see for yourself, but I would say you are headed into the right direction. I would imagine the schools to be very fine. You might find yourself driving eight to ten miles into north Scottsdale to shop or go to the doctor. Mayo Clinic is between Ft. Hills and Scottsdale and another hospital is a bit closer into Scottsdale, so plenty of medical care.

Fountain Hills is a loooong way out there...its main drawback, and a very long way from any nightlife.
The drive to Scottsdale's more active areas is about 40 minutes. Shopping is about the same, unless strip malls will suffice. The airport is, of course, an even longer hike.
As a place to live, FH is great if you're looking for a quiet, somewhat secluded area, cut off from most of the metro area by geographic barriers. Don't know about the schools. I do know quite a few retirees in FH (including my in-laws).
Select your neighborhood carefully in the Valley of the Sun. There's lots of variability. And home quality and value retention vary greatly from one area to the next.

Since we're off the topic of travel on this TRAVEL website.....

I'm planning to make meatloaf for dinner on Wednesday to see if it's a meal we would like to eat in the future. I've read that Ann Lander's published her meatloaf recipe in a 1993 column and lots of people think it's great.
Does anyone who is familiar with her recipe agree?
Please share your favorite meatloaf recipe. Any help at all would be great!

Yes,this is a travel website. As you can see in Shannon's posting, the very first sentence tells you that she will be "PLANNING A TRIP" which is the same as traveling, isn't it?

How else do you find out what an area is like before spending a lot of time and money to go there?

If it upsets you so much, don't read it! Better yet, go fuck yourself!

Wow! I didn't mean to upset anyone. Thanks for the info about Fountain Hills. It sounds really nice but it's a little more isolated than what I'm looking for.

To keep from upsetting more people, would someone please recommend a website that is for people planning to relocate, as well as travel? I don't know of any. Thank you

Shannon, this is an excellent website for getting the kind of info you're seeking. Unfortunately, the ability to post anonymously is a double edged sword. The site attracts a few cranks who love to try to stir people up with their rude comments.
Ignore them.
Your question is a good/reasonable one.
As for other websites, have you tried one of the search engines, like google.com, and probed something like, "relocate forum Arizona" or some similar combination of prompts?

Kev,

I appreciate it!

I haven't really tried a search yet, since I found this site, but I'm going to look for more. Thanks a bunch!

topping swear words

Relocated to Phoenix in 1997. I think it's a good idea to come out and visit before you decide. A couple of things that I can recommend is to check out local realtor sites and see if they have a relocation guide. I got one and it was invaluable. You might want to check out Phoenix on the web and see if the Visitors Bureau as a relocation guide.

As a rule of thumb the outskirts of the area seem to be the safest. (Before people argue -- yes, there are exceptions.) The worst weather as far as rain and flooding seem to be in Northern Scottsdale, Mesa and Tempe. Of course, we haven't gotten much rain lately.

Fountain Hills is isolated, but it is beautiful. You come over the mountain and it looks like a little oasis in the desert. It's very hilly, somewhat expensive but great. You would be a bit far from everything, but if work commutes allowed you to live there, you might enjoy it very much.

Other areas you might want to consider are northern Phoenix, northern Glendale and northern Peoria. Most people don't want to give the west side a fair shot. They think that Scottsdale is the be all and end all of the world. But, the west has great shopping, somewhat less traffic and some great home values. In fact area code 85308 which is in northwest Glendale has the highest concentration of millionaires in the state. It is located right off the 101 freeway. The 101 freeway is a good guide for picking someplace that's north. The 101 is still great to use and there are many shopping centers etc. along its path.

I hope this helps and welcome to Arizona.

Definitely check out scottsdale. It's a pretty city, but with all the shops, restaurants, & only 20 min to downtown PHX. Still a family place, but not as isolated as Fountain Hills. Many of my friends live in Chandler - where the working folk seem to live as the houses are cheaper. Steer clear of Glendale, Peoria, and right downtown. I love the PHX area.

What's wrong with the Arrowhead section of northwest Glendale? I say if the most millionaires per capita find it okay it must be okay.

I would avoid central and southern Glendale and Peoria like the plague. I would also avoid southern Scottsdale. The northern part of the valley traditionally gets less polution as the winds blow south.

Too bad Scottsdale Road is so DULL looking! Couldn't they have at least planted some nice palm trees all along that long boulevard?!?

It is great here and not really as far as everyone makes it out to be. Fountain Hills has changed in the last few years with more families moving in. The schools are smaller than the rest of the area and a new Middle school opens in August. We have been happy with the education our girls are receiving. You have to travel for major shopping, about 30 minutes to the mall and a new Target store is scheduled to open this fall. We love it here.

Fountain Hills WAS a long way out. There is hardly a break between Scottsdale and Ftn. Hills now. All the shopping you could ever want is only 6 miles away

Laughed hard at the meat loaf analogy. Good one.

People, there are many ways to research relocation destinations, primarily by GOING there. Local real estate agents and chambers of commerce have all kinds of area info on their sites. Try the U.S. Census site for demographic info. It ain't brain surgery, merely requires some initiative, effort and a modicum of self-sufficiency.

Fountain Hills is a very nice place to live in. Many retirees live and play golf there, but a bit far from most everything...restaurants; all main shopping, theatre, etc. I would recommend scouting out the north Scottsdale area voted "The Most Liveable City." Many young families have settled in there. With all the recent growth, Scottsdale has many great new shops and restaurants.