Chandler, Arizona

What are the good and bad neighborhoods of Chandler, AZ?
Profile photo for Marcy Paz Soldan Andrew
Marcy Paz Soldan Andrew
, lived in Chandler, AZ
Answered Jun 28, 2017
Chandler has many great neighborhoods, and it all depends on what you are looking for. Ocotillo is a great established neighborhood that has everything from apartments to million dollar homes, a golf course and fantastic clubhouse and restaurant. Fulton Ranch, just down the street is newer and also has some great amenities. If you are looking for something with a little more space and no HOA, there is a Circle G down on Riggs, and there are also several county islands where you can get horse property, that still come with water rights. Most neighborhoods south of pecos are good, and generally the further south and east you go the newer the neighborhoods will be- research the builders for the neighborhoods you’re considering. Fulton and Maracay are two of the better quality builders in the area, but there are several that are good. Most of the neighborhoods around downtown are a bit rundown and smaller homes, but there are still some nice areas close to downtown as well. There is a gated community right behind the San Marcos Hotel and golf course that has some pretty fantastic homes, and mature landscaping. If you have your own plane, Chandler Airpark is a great neighborhood that has its own landing strip and hangar. If you're looking for something really nice, but a little more affordable, I would recommend looking in south Gilbert or Queen Creek- the further south and east you go, the more you can get for your money.

What advice would you give to someone who is moving to Chandler, AZ?

• Air conditioning is the most important thing to have. In your car, in your house/apartment/condo/whatever… You need that AC to keep working. Make sure you always have enough extra cash to pay for emergency AC repair.
• Avoid turning the AC completely off, especially for long periods of time during the summer. It might not turn back on again. Instead, set it to about 80 degrees every time you leave the house, and turn it cooler when you get home.
• If you have young kids, make sure they’ve taken swim lessons, or sign them up quickly, because just about everyone has a pool out here, and over 750 kids in Arizona have drowned since 2000. The risk of drowning in Arizona was twice the national average, as of 2016.
• If your car engine overheats, turn on the heat and open the windows. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it’s getting the heat out of the engine.
• Never leave your kids in a non-air-conditioned car for even five minutes (except during winter). You could get arrested, or your kids could die, or both.
• If it’s over 120 degrees out, avoid wearing flip-flops or crocs. Your shoes may melt.
  Always keep extra water in your car, and carry at least one bottle with you. Refill it at drinking fountains or in sinks to save money. You should finish at least 1.5 of those regular-sized plastic water bottles a day in the winter time, unless you’re also drinking other beverages, and 3 is not unreasonable in summertime. You may also want to buy some water-flavoring, if you’re getting tired of the taste of water.
• Leave ice-packs on your seat-belt-buckles in the car during summer, if you want to avoid burning your hands. Also, put a towel over the seat while you’re gone. You do not want leather seats, unless they have that fancy seat-air-conditioner function. - If you have a car that lets you turn on the AC before getting into it, use that function.
• If you have asthma, and there’s a dust storm, pull the neck of your shirt up over your face.
• If someone says they saw a “huboob” they mean a huge wall of dust.

Moving to the Phoenix/Chandler area. What should I know?

It is going to be far hotter than you will imagine. You will need a towel to cover your steering wheel and seat, plus a sun shield in the window. You will need to drink far more water than you are used to. You may find yourself shifting your grocery shopping to the early hours to get away from some of the heat.

You can be in cool weather in the mountains within an hour or so. There are gorgeous parks even in the city. I think you will find it very different and quickly fall in love, especially as it begins to cool off next winter, and the rest of the nation is buried in snow and ice.

If you can get a place to live near the trolley system, you are set to go down town without relying on the car.

Moving to the Phoenix/Chandler area. What should I know?

Chandler is big, geographically. The Phoenix Metro area as a whole is pretty cookie cutter. Corner strip malls and gas stations abound. Avoid driving much by living close to work. Housing is cheap and plentiful with foreclosures very high. Deals can be had. May can be very hot, 90+ is not uncommon. Stay hyrdated. Park in the shade whenever possible. Pets need to be indoors and have plentiful water, never leave them in the car. You'll likely be miserable your first summer here. The heat sucks. You never really get used to it, you just deal with it. I've been here since 96 and I still despise the heat but I know how to deal with it. Public transportation sucks, we're a victim of car culture. The light rail goes nowhere near Chandler. Tempe and Scottsdale are the nightlife spots, Phoenix has small pockets of urban renewal but overall is lacking due to urban sprawl and migration out of the downtown area. Our state lacks the rich culture of the much older east coast cities and states. The political climate is a mess, we're much too conservative for my taste. Overall I'd say there are more cons than pros to Arizona, but that's just my opinion. I'd move but I'm stuck here for various reasons. I'd offer things to do, but I'm outdoorsy and they'd mostly fall in that spectrum.

If you're going to buy a house, I'd highly recommend one that has the following features:

A high efficiency air conditioning unit

Gas for hot water + cooking

An orientation that puts your bedroom and living areas on the north or south and most certainly not on the west where the sun sets as the afternoon sun is the worst

Passive cooling features such as shade trees, etc to block sun from the house

Double or triple pane windows

Lots of ceiling fans

A pool if you're so inclined

Xeriscape landscaping to reduce unnecessary water usage

Living in Chandler Arizona VS Gilbert Arizona [EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW]