bod1984

Hi everyone!

It looks very likely that I will be taking a job and moving to the Phoenix area from the NE of England in the next couple of months, with my fiance.

The job I am taking is based in Chandler, we have been looking at renting in Tempe, specifically in one of the Mark Taylor apartment complexes along baseline road.

We're late 20's so would like to be in a relatively busy area, not too busy but also not a retirement block either!

Does anyone on here live in this area?
-What is it like?
-Are there bars and restaurants close by (walking distance / short taxi etc)
-Is the area nice (plenty to do and see, safe etc?)
-Is it going to be overran by students, or are we far enough away from the uni etc?

When we do make the move are there any meet ups that happen (I'm conscious that my fiance won't be working and she would be keen to start meeting people early on). Hopefully some of you might be "up for a pint"?

Also any general info or advice you can give on these areas or making the move would be greatly appreciated.

Noorah101

Hi and Welcome to BE!

Will she still be your fiancee when you relocate to the USA, or will you be married by then? I ask because there's really no visa for a fiance to join you in the USA, as there is for a spouse. What visa is she planning to get? Oh, after reading all the way through, you already know she won't be able to work...have you been cohabitating? Is she planning to get a B-2 visitor's visa with the cohabitating partner annotation?

Are you not planning to have a car? I can't really see anyone walking around much in the Baseline/Hardy block area. Taxi's are sort of unheard of, unless you call for one ahead to come pick you up, and if you're only going a block away, you'll get lots of grumbles from the cab drivers.

I think Baseline/Hardy is an OK area, but it really depends what you want to do and see. You aren't too far from downtown Tempe, where there are lots of shops, restaurants, bars, and more of a night life, but definitely not within walking distance. If you like hiking, you aren't far from South Mountain preserve, but again not within walking distance. Bicycling, maybe.

Baseline/Hardy is not near the light rail transit route, either. There might be lots of buses running in your area, though.

Hardy is a north/south link to the university area, but I'd say at Baseline you're far enough away not to be overrun by students. Students live closer to the university.

There is a meetup section on this site, so check that out. I know there are lots of Brits living in the Phoenix area, and I have heard of meetups here before. I never went to any (I'm not British).

Rene

bod1984

Hi Noorah101, thanks for the welcome and the reply!

She will still be my fiance when we come over, she will be applying for the B-2 visitor visa with documentation proving we cohabit here in the UK (mortgage documentation etc), once we are married (April '14) she will then transfer onto my E-2 visa as a dependent. After that she will hopefully apply for a permit to work in the USA.

We are planning on having a car yes, but for short trips to bars and restaurants etc on a weekend or evening etc we would like to be somewhere where we could walk to them so not having to have one of us drive and not be able to have a beer / wine etc.

If we were to look at renting closer to D'town Tempe / Mill Ave District, are they more populated by students or still relatively far away...in fact is the student atmosphere even that bad??? It just seems everytime Tempe is mentioned, the students are mentioned in what seems to be a negative manner.

Ideally, what we want from where we live is: A nice standard apartment (2bed+) on a complex with a pool, gym, BBQ facility etc, that is close (walking distance preferably) to bars, restaurants, shops, places of interest and parks etc. Maybe you (or someone) could suggest areas around Tempe / Chandler that would best suit the above criteria. We don't really want to be in a place where to do absolutely anything (even the most simple of things) we have got to drive.

Thanks again for your advice Noorah101

Noorah101

Unfortunately, the Phoenix metro area is just not set up for walkers. If you really want to walk somewhere, you have to live RIGHT NEXT to that area, for example, within a few neighborhood blocks (not city blocks) from Mill Avenue in Tempe.

Housing can be expensive near Mill Ave (by the way, I work right on Mill Ave, and I love the area, but I don't think I'd like right here...too congested and too "hip" for my taste. LOL). If you get an upscale condo near Mill Ave, you might avoid the students, since they might not be able to afford it. But yes, Tempe has a lot of students, because it's the university suburb. But if you live near enough to downtown Tempe (Mill Ave), you will have plenty of restaurants, bars, and also Tempe Beach Park nearby for things to do. Tempe Beach Park hosts a lot of events throughout the year, so that's good for entertainment. Also the light rail runs right through downtown Tempe, which is great for heading to downtown Phoenix for other events - sporting, music, plays, museums.

Maybe try looking at apartments or condos closer to downtown Tempe, Mill Avenue area, if you really want to be walking around more than driving. I'd stay away from anything on Apache Blvd. The light rail runs right along Apache, which makes it convenient to live there, BUT traffic is a nightmare because of the light rail, and Apache Blvd has some pretty dicey spots.

I live in west Mesa, it's about a 1/2 hour drive to work in the morning, and about 40 minutes drive on the way home. When it's not rush hour, it's only about 15 minutes. I absolutely LOVE working on Mill Ave, though.

Rene

Noorah101

Oh, I forgot to add....you mentioned Chandler as well.

If you live in a neighborhood around Ray Rd and 52nd St, for example, you might be within walking distance of some shops and restaurants, although more spread out than along Mill Ave. Not bars, though, except for the bars inside of restaurants.

I guess maybe it depends how far you consider an acceptable walk. Personally, in the heat of Phoenix, I prefer to keep walking to a minimum, except in the coolest winter months.

Rene

kodokan

Walking's not too much fun, but biking is a perfectly realistic way to get around much of the year, and would mean you could have a beer and still ride home (carefully, using quiet residential streets, knowing your sensible limits, etc). I bike a lot during the day for shopping and other errands, so it gives me a, say, 5 mile radius in which I don't need to get the car out.

I've found biking up to the end of May is fine heat wise - there's a reasonable amount of wind chill on a bike, so you get your own cooling breeze - and am expecting to restart by September. Personally, I'd bike more in the summer, but then I'd have to do it with the kids, and I'm a bit more conservative about evaluating how far/ how hot for them.

AZ_Alba

Tempe is most like the UK, with being able to walk between bars, restaurant, theatre, cinema, and Tempe town lake. Though the area to the east of Mill is ASU so a much younger crowd. The north end of Tempe also has the light rail running through and a lot better public transport due to the high student population.

Chandler has a small down town area with some town houses that are close by.
Down town chandler has about three bars and a number of restaurants as well as the arts center.

Mesa and Gilbert downtowns are pretty dead most of the entertainment is around the malls.

The other entertainment area is downtown Scottsdale