Whats a good town to live in near Phoenix?

Mesa is a good town

It depends on the income level you have, and the amenities you seek. If you are fairly well-off Paradise Valley could be the place for you, or North Scottsdale, or the Arrowhead area of North Glendale. Those are some of the ritzier places in the Phoenix area. If you want a nice bedroom community, suitable for raising kids, almost anywhere in the Valley will do well, but try North Phoenix, or Glendale (north of Northern Ave) or Mesa. Tempe is a college town, and has lot to offer younger folk, including a lively night life. Old Town Scottsdale combines a bit of the ritziness of Scottsdale with the college liveliness of Tempe. Down Town Phoenix is great for urban style living with some of the nicest new loft apartments, and close to all the amenities of down town, such as the museums and sports facilities. Stay away from south Glendale, west Phoenix (known as Maryvale), the south part of Phoenix between Southern Ave and Van Buren Street and 24th st to 35 ave. And stay away from Sunny slope area of Phoenix as well. These last are rather depressed, and hard-core neighborhoods. Goodyear, Surprise, and Queen Creek are all nice bedroom communities, but they are a heck of a morning commute to Down Town Phoenix, and way far away from anything interesting like the sports venues or concert halls. but property can be found cheap in those cities because they were the heart of this last great housing boom. You can now pick up properties for a song and a dance in the areas outlying Phoenix. Hope that helps.

Queen Creek is nice and slowly developing into an up and coming new place for families - pretty views out there of the mountains. Commuting in Phoenix to work can be difficult so don't live too far from your work location. Glendale and Peoria are nice too with areas of different economic levels also.

Mesa is pretty nice because i live there too but I've noticed one thing....its old person central. Its not that i don't like them its just that I've noticed theres alot of them here. Like others have said Queen Creek is nice. Yes it has alot of trouble with rush hours but it is a newer community that is growing and it is a place for families. And yes it also has a beautiful view of the superstition mountains and others near by.

Paul and Pepper are both right in that you don't want to have a long drive to work. If you work in aerospace, nightclubs, manufacturing or information systems then the east valley cities of Tempe, Scottsdale and Mesa would be ideal. If you work in health care the west valley job opportunites in Glendale, Goodyear, Peoria and Surprise are overwhelming. It just depends on your career goals. No matter where you live you will get more bang for your buck in Arizona.

I live in Goodyear and I love it here.