Where should we live??

Forget moving to Phoenix. Come move here to Tucson. University Medical Center is a great hospital to work for. It's Magnet status and a teaching hospital. I've lived in Arizona sinse I was 12 and I'm 26 now. I've lived in Flagstaff, Sedona, Prescott, Phoenix, and now Tucson. Tucson is the best choice that I have made. The city is cleaner and slower paste than Phoenix. I had to chose when leaving Prescott where to live. It was either phoenix or tucson and I am so glad I moved to tucson. People are also nicer here in tucson. I like the monsoons that roll in every evening as well.

-Davd H.

oh. If you have to stay in the Phoenix area I would think that maybe St. Joeseph's would be a good hospital to work at. It's a teaching hospital. I would say move to Tempe, Chandler, Scottsdale, or Ahwatukee. Nothing else looks too grand to live in

My husband and I will be relocating to the Phoenix area. Any suggestions on where to live? We were thinking of Mesa, Tempe, Gilbert,Chandler... Any thoughts on the hospitals?

Any areas to avoid renting in greatly appreciated.

Need to rent a house that takes dogs, a pool would be a plus. Any leads would be great.

Dawn

Hi Dawn ...... first of all, welcome to allnurses!

I've always lived in the east valley (which includes those cities you mentioned ... Mesa, Tempe, Gilbert, Chandler, Scottsdale, etc.), so I'm a bit biased, as I think it's a great part of the valley and I love it.

But even the east valley is a huge area, so more specifics as to what you're looking for would help to narrow down an area that would fit you and what you need. Looking for good schools? Look at the Gilbert/Mesa area. Looking for a younger scene with a lot to do? Look at the Tempe/Scottsdale area.

If you're going to live in the east valley, there are a ton of great hospitals around, depending on the area you work in. Most all of the east valley hospitals are smaller, so if you're looking at working in a bigger teaching hospital, you might need to look at the hospitals in Phoenix, thus adding to your commute (it could be anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour, depending on where in the east valley you're commuting from).

Try to narrow down a city and then you can look at renting a house that allows dogs and has a pool (won't be hard to find that). Or you can narrow down a hospital you want to work at and then go from there.

Good luck to you and welcome to AZ!! :)

We moved to Surprise 2 months ago which is in the west part of the valley and really like it. It is quiet, lots of houses for rent, and has the lowest crime rate in the valley. We have a really nice 4 bedroom house that is 5 years old and pay $960; places with pools were $200-$300 more.

HOWEVER, I would base the move on where I was going to work. Commuting is tough in Phoenix, at least for me as I have only been here 2 years. To go from one side of the metro area to the other takes 45 minutes to an hour and when it is 110 out and the sun is beating down on your car, it is brutal.

Craig's List is a good place to find houses to rent- http://phoenix.craigslist.org/

We found our place here: http://www.desertwide.com/ and they have property all other the valley

This area is a great place to live except when it is 115 out!! Good luck on the move!

Thanks so much!! I think we are going to travel at first, they are offering a job at Arrowhead in Glendale. Anymore info would be great!!!

Thanks so much!! I think we are going to travel at first, they are offering a job at Arrowhead in Glendale. Anymore info would be great!!!

Glendale is in the west valley. I wouldn't recommend living in the east valley and working over there.

I'd stick with one side of town or the other and then chose where to work/live. Working in Phx and commuting from the west or east valley isn't too bad, as it's not too far. But commuting from the east valley to the west valley would be a nightmare and there's really no reason to do that to yourself as there are plenty of hospitals all over the valley.

Thanks so much!! I think we are going to travel at first, they are offering a job at Arrowhead in Glendale. Anymore info would be great!!!

I wouldn't hesitate to rent/buy in Arrowhead. We almost bought there (ended up in Goodyear) and it is quite nice with several hospitals within commuting distance. I agree with RainDreamer that one shouldn't try to live on one side of the valley and commute to the other. The area is huge and you could easily spend 1-2 hours driving across the valley in traffic. I would suggest coming out and taking a look at a variety of cities in the valley and find your fit!!

Thanks!!

PM me if you need more info about the Arrowhead area. I live there, and really like it.

We ended up in Mesa and we love it, thanks for eveyone's input.

Glad to hear you love it .... welcome to the East Valley!! :)