North Phoenix & Anthem Make Top 25 List of Best Places to Live in the Valley
When someone makes a list of the Top 25 best places to live in the greater Phoenix area, they’re probably not leaving many places out. Nonetheless, North Phoenix and Anthem both made the new list, published by Niche, a web site that ranks U.S. schools and neighborhoods.
In the No. 10 spot was North Gateway, defined by Niche as a broad swath of the I-17 corridor from Tramonto through Sonoran Foothills down to Fireside at Norterra. Anthem came in at No. 14, taking a hit on its C- night-life ranking.
The rankings—no doubt fodder for discussion if not argumentation—considered such things as quality of local schools, crime rates, housing trends, employment statistics, night life and access to amenities, from sources such as Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the FBI. See the full list and some highlights below.
At the top of the list: Chandler, Gilbert and Ahwatukee Foothills, which each got overall A+ ratings. No. 4 through No. 9 each got overall A ratings.
Local highlights:
No. 10: North Gateway
Population: 22,986
Median Home Value: $321,941
Overall Rating: A-
Housing: A-
Good for Families: A-
Public Schools: A-
Jobs: B-
Commute: B+
Nightlife: B-
No. 14: Anthem
Population: 22,571
Median Home Value: $298,700
Overall Rating: A-
Housing: B
Good for Families: A-
Public Schools: A-
Jobs: B+
Commute: B
Nightlife: C-
The full list:
- Chandler
- Gilbert
- Ahwatukee Foothills
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Paradise Valley
- Desert View
- Paradise Valley (separate section)
- Litchfield Park
- North Gateway
- Camelback East
- Peoria
- Queen Creek
- Anthem
- Deer Valley
- Mesa
- Phoenix
- Fountain Hills
- Encanto
- North Mountain
- Goodyear
- Rio Vista
- Carefee
- Cave Creek
- Laveen
Several of the Top 25 got C grades for cost of living, including Anthem and North Gateway. The least competitive category: weather (looks like everybody got an A+).
