Gilbert

Hi pittididi,

I"m not a nurse yet, I start NS in Jan, but I have lived in Gilbert for eight years now. When I first moved here it was nothing but farmland and dairy farms, but not anymore. There's still a lot of farms, but most of the dairys are closing down and the development is CRAZY around here. It is also one of (if not the) fastest growing communities in the US. In the past year it's been insane, our housing prices went up something like 55%. The national average was somewhere around 14%. It got so bad that houses were selling way above market price, before they even got on the market. Luckily for you it's slowed down a lot, but the growth continues. It's a wonderful family area to live in. There's a lot to do and most of the people of Gilbert have at least a Bachelors degree (according to some census). We've finally started getting all of the chain restaurants like Damon's and Wild Buffalo Wings, etc. plus a lot of the really good whole food markets. Monday they opened up the new San Tan freeway to Gilbert Road, which connects it to all the other major freeways in town and will hopefully cut down on congestion. This spring they're opening a new hospital (state of the art) at Val Vista and Pecos, if you're familiar with the area. I'd say we're a lot different than Chandler in that Chandler has some very old areas and Gilbert is mostly new other than the farmhouses. You'll get the small town feel with all the conveniences of living in a large city. Just be prepared for the heat. You can't really understand how hot it gets here until you've lived through it :rotfl:

Any other questions, just PM me. Welcome to Gilbert, you'll love it here!!!

Keli

Ditto what Keli said. I grew up here and Gilbert wasn't even a "town"....well it probably was but not so much as to speak of. Now it's a wonderful place to live. Gilbert is a suburb of Phoenix with all the great stuff you'd expect from a town near a large metropolis. The farms (and the stink) still exist. We, in Tempe, complain when the wind blows "just right" to carry the farm smell our way.

There are at least two new hospitals going up in the east valley with many more already in operation. You will not have difficulty finding a job by any means! :yelclap:

I'm a lifetime resident of Gilbert as well, you will love it here! It IS hot in the summer, but there is no snow to contend with in the winter - quite a bonus.

Gilbert/Chandler/Mesa are all connected suburbs of Phoenix. You can easily drive between all of them in little time - as long as you're not trying this in rush hour.

Nursing jobs are everywhere here. Pay is great and availability of shifts are abundant. Both of my sisters are RNs. Check out Phoenix Children's Hospital and all the Banner and Catholic Healthcare ones - they seem to be the best, according to my friends and sisters.

Good luck with your move!

Thanx for all your replies ladies. What do you guys think of Queen creek area? Is it as "nice" as Gilbert and Chandler? It seems the housing prices are so much cheaper in Queen Creek.

We are actually building in Queen Creek right now. The traffic is going to be horrendous (all one lane roads with no lights, just stop signs, right now) but at least we can afford a nice big home out there. They are working on getting freeways in, and the 202 will be kinda close, but it'll still be a haul for hubby, who works in Phoenix.

Just depends on where you plan on working. If you're going to get a job at the new hospital at Val Vista and Pecos, it wouldn't be too bad.

I've lived in Queen Creek area for the last 8 years. I'm just east of the city limits. The traffic is bad here right now, but they are making improvements. They are going to start building a hospital in 07 and there are alot more grocery stores and strip malls on the way. I really like it out here, just the summers are a little too hot. I hope you have a good move and that you enjoy it once you are here. Good Luck.