Phoenix is the largest metropolitan area in Arizona and 5th largest city in the country with a population of 1.6M people. When you include the entire Phoenix Metropolitan area it triples that and is right at 5M people which makes it one of the top 10 most populous metros in the entire United States.
So when it comes to where you want to live in the Phoenix Metro It can be a daunting decision because there are many large suburbs and they are all very different and that is why in this video I thought it would be helpful to narrow it down to five.
So when were coming up with these top suburbs were looking at some key factors. Those factors are population, median Home Price, average drive time to downtown Phoenix, public school ranking and last but certainly not least - what that suburb has for restaurants, nightlife and other entertainment
#5 on our list is the City of Queen Creek. Queen Creek Arizona is a suburb located 39 Miles to the Southeast of Downtown Phoenix. With a population of 78K people your going to spend an average of 51 minutes getting into the heart of downtown Phoenix. With and average Price of right around $737K. As far as Schools go, Queen Creek is above average and was given a B+. As far as restaurants, dining and other activities. Queen Creek is thriving with new restaurants, shopping and parks. You can't go far without finding something new and trendy and exciting to do in Queen Creek. With all that it has going for it Queen Creek would have been on the top of this list but that 39 mile drive into Phoenix Takes it down a few spots.
#4 on our list of suburbs here in Phoenix is the City of Tempe. Tempe sits just a few miles from the city of Phoenix being separated by Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport and is the gateway to the East Valley in Phoenix. Tempe has about 183K permanent residents, I say permanent because it is also home to Arizona State University. Which is one of the largest universities in all of the United states with a massive enrollment of 73K students as of 2023. The Average home price is 645k which is above average in the Phoenix Metro. As far as the public school system Tempe is above average and ranked as 14th best district in Arizona. Tempe has a ton going on as far as things to do year around from paddle boarding on Tempe Town Lake, To shopping and dining on Mill Ave and Tempe market place. Even some of the neighborhoods further from the cool downtown are being developed with some great breweries and other dining areas.
#3 on our list is the suburb of Scottsdale Arizona. Scottsdale is a City 13 Miles East of downtown Phoenix. Your going to spend an average of 23 minutes getting to the heart of downtown Phoenix. Scottsdale has a population of about 247K and the average home price is about 1.4M. It probably would have taken the top spot on this list but there are some affordability issues with Scottsdale. The public school ranking in Scottsdale is an A and 2nd highest rated in all of Arizona. Now when it comes to dining, nightlife and entertainment you are going to have a hard time finding a better place than Scottsdale Arizona. The city has several bustling districts such as Old Town Scottsdale and Kierland Commons and is the epicenter of Arizona's tourism season from the months of December to April.
The #2 suburb on our list today is Chandler Arizona. Chandler is a city 25 miles Southeast of Phoenix and on average is a 25 Mile drive. With a population of about 280K residents it is one of the largest suburbs in the Phoenix metro. Chandler has the top rated public school system in all of Arizona with and A Rating. This suburb southeast of Phoenix has a median house price of $630K. Chandler is most notable for a thriving tech job market and with that comes a ton of development. You'll have great shopping, dining and restaurant options all over town but especially in downtown And Chandler Fashion Square.
And the #1 suburb on this list today is Gilbert Arizona. Gilbert Arizona is a suburb located Southeast of downtown Phoenix by about 24 miles and the average drive into downtown takes about 35 minutes. With a population of 281K residents Gilbert is the 5th largest city in Arizona. The average home price in Gilbert is around 665K. Gilbert has some stellar public schools and is ranked #3 in Arizona with and A rating. Gilbert also has some major parks like Gilbert Regional Park. A new surf park coming and a slew of new developments on the horizon. From an entertainment and dining perspective Gilbert is hard to beat, there is a thriving downtown with tons of restaurants, nightlife and coffee shops. You also have some other booming dining and entertainment areas like SanTan Village and Agritopia. Overall Gilbert is a really cool part of the Phoenix Metro
Now how about some honorable mentions. Some that didn’t make the list today but are also great places to live here in Phoenix Are Peoria, Mesa, Glendale and Paradise Valley just to name a few. There are so many great places to live in the Phoenix area
So tell me what am I missing, what are your favorite suburbs in the Phoenix metro. You can tell me in the comments below.
