The absolute explosion in population across the south-central and southwestern states is driven by one most critical characteristic. The housing and cost of living are much lower as compared to wages for Peoria than in the cities of the West Coast and the Northeast. People come here and can buy a home. If they remained in San Francisco, Los Angeles, or New York that was/is unfathomable. This makes Peoria, and cities like it, the new center for the American dream. 

Suburbs like Peoria handle their growth by constructing homes and apartment buildings at a torrent pace. That means duplicating styles for speed of construction and reduction in costs. The apartment buildings give singles/couples or young families a soft landing and the inexpensive housing is the next step up the ladder. While the designs might not reflect extremely creative design thinking, they make it possible for working class families to own their own homes. Once you're past the starter options, Peoria moves into more custom developments, so if you can hold out, it does get better!


The Financial Ratio

LookyLOO Review of Peoria

Peoria is a highly rated suburban city and so you can expect tons of family activities, parks, pools, good schools, and all the things a growing population of families needs to get through a week. Downtown Peoria is in the midst of an effort at creating a more dense social experience for locals and Old Town is leading the way. While Phoenix remains your destination for big nights out there are more casual restaurants and bars available in town so you don’t always have to hit the road to enjoy yourself here. Perhaps most importantly for baseball fans Peoria is also is home to spring training for the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners who play at the Sports Complex so expect to hit up some games if you move here. 

If you want to see what's happening in Peoria check out the [calendar of events](https://www.eventbrite.com/d/az--peoria/events/).

We highly recommend visiting Peoria and staying in the community in a [VRBO](https://vrbo.com/affiliate/p4JS4ZC) rather than a hotel to get a feel for what it's like to live among the locals. You can receive discounted fares on travel via our [partnership with Expedia](expedia.com/affiliate/9NZ8LBQ) as well 

Lifestyle 

As was noted cities like Peoria give off a real vibe of the new America. Middle class (and some upper class) families working hard to climb the ladder in a way that can be invigorating if you come from a region of the country that is so expensive no working class family could reasonably expect to afford to live. That means younger families are here in droves and there is something exciting about that in the way the bigger northern and western cities likely felt at earlier stages in their growth. While retirees might bely the idea of a "younger city" it holds true outside the 55+ communities. 


Younger City Energy

Why You Should Move Here Now?

**Forsaken357**
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉

We moved from Oregon to Peoria last September. A little south of Vistcancia off Happy Valley road. It is definitely growing quickly and the infrastructure having a hard time keeping up. We like it. New restraunts and a nice movie theater just went in. Great neighbors and nice house. Missing the green sometime but the desert can be beautiful. Good luck with your move.


For more reviews of Peoria from locals check out:[The Reviews](https://lookyloomove.com/locations/peoria/reviews)


Cookie Cutter Growth

Reviews of Peoria from Locals

Peoria is largely built around master planned communities. A couple of the really popular ones include Westwing Mountain, which not surprisingly is built partly up Westwing Mountain. It has amazing trails for hiking and biking and plenty of luxury homes and custom homes up the mountain line. Vistancia is another higher-end master planned community. Divided into four sections it has The Village for more town-like living, Blackstone, which is a golf community, Trilogy which is a 55+ age-restricted area and Northpointe at Vistancia, which is under construction now. The entire neighborhood is filled with parks, walking trails, community centers and your own grocery store, coffee shops and elementary school so when the kids are young you can truly live in the “town” that this neighborhood feels like. 
- Westwing Mountain
- Vistancia
- Fletcher Heights


Families

Westwing Mountain

The Phoenix area is a dream come true for many retirees and snowbirds. Low cost of living, mild climate and safe streets make it perfect for a move. Ventana Lakes is one of the popular age-restricted neighborhoods here. It has lakes for those who like to head out on a boat and do some fishing or just enjoy the water. There are great walking paths around the water and neighborhoods and community center with all the amenities for enjoying time with neighbors and friends. Trilogy in the Vistancia planned community is another 55+ development. It feels like you’re living in a resort with a beautiful golf course, and tons of recreation opportunities including health club, pool, spa, and the Taproom for enjoying a cocktail and meal with friends. https://vistancia.com/the-communities/trilogy/
- Ventana Lakes
- Trilogy at Vistancia


Retirees

Ventana Lakes

Peoria

**Forsaken357**
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉🦉

We moved from Oregon to Peoria last September. A little south of Vistcancia off Happy Valley road. It is definitely growing quickly and the infrastructure having a hard time keeping up. We like it. New restraunts and a nice movie theater just went in. Great neighbors and nice house. Missing the green sometime but the desert can be beautiful. Good luck with your move.

**ThisMeansWine**
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉

I live in North Peoria in the Meadows neighborhood. This is about 20 min south of Vistancia near Lake Pleasant and Happy Valley.

Pros

Everything is nice and new. Extremely clean. New homes, new communities. Low crime.

Nearby shopping centers have everything: Lake Pleasant/Happy Valley (Sprouts, Fry's, Aldi, Target, Home Depot, Lowe's, Kohl's, plenty of restaurants, etc.). Costco, P83, and Arrowhead Mall nearby too.

Restaurants: plenty of chain and non-chain options near P83. Char on Lake Pleasant and Happy Valley is great.

Neighborhoods are quiet, lots of families. Good parks (Paloma, HOA parks).

20 min drive to Westgate for nightlife, food, and events (concerts, football games, etc.).

Cons

Not very "small town" like if that's what you're looking for.

Expect to commute if you work more than 20 miles away. Would not recommend this area if you work in the East Valley.

Crazy home prices and almost exclusively HOA neighborhoods.

**parasitic-cleanse**
1y ago
🦉🦉🦉

Peoria is a weird city that runs pretty far north/south. North Peoria is nice but there are not very many apartments, or affordable areas to live. A typical house runs $2k/month minimum in the area now, apartments will be above $1400 in most complexes. Peoria has some sketchy areas around El Mirage just keep an eye on the crime maps.

Peoria, Arizona

No, The Other One

Looklyloo Score: 86