What BestPlaces Users Say about Surprise
As a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, Surprise has a population of over 134,000 people and is known for its affordable housing and retirement communities. It also boasts a variety of recreational activities, including several golf courses and parks. However, like any city, there are pros and cons to living in Surprise. To get a better understanding, let's take a look at some user reviews from BestPlaces.net.
According to "Janet" on BestPlaces.net, Surprise is a great city for families, stating, "We have been living in Surprise for 10 years now and we absolutely love it. Our neighborhood is safe and quiet, and there are plenty of parks and community events for families to enjoy." Similarly, "Mark" agrees, saying, "Surprise is a great place to raise a family. The schools are good and there's plenty of outdoor activities to keep the kids busy."
On the other hand, "Samantha" has a different perspective, mentioning the high heat and lack of diversity as downsides of living in Surprise. She says, "The summers here are brutal, and the lack of diversity can be a bit frustrating. It feels like everyone is either retired or raising a young family, and there's not much for young adults or singles to do." "Joseph" echoes this sentiment, writing, "Surprise is a great place if you're retired or have young kids, but as a single person, I find it pretty boring. There's not much nightlife or cultural activities here."
In summary, the general consensus from these user reviews is that Surprise is a great place to live for families and retirees, with plenty of outdoor activities and a safe community. However, for young adults and singles, it may not offer as much in terms of diversity and entertainment.
based on 52 ReviewsGet to know Surprise with the latest comments and reviews from people who live in or have visited Surprise
Surprise Under the surface - 7/20/2008
I have lived in Surprise Az. for 10 Years now. The Town had a Population of
16,000 back then. Most of those Residents lived in a square mile area and
alot of Crime came from that area. Now the City enjoys a population of over
100,000 and the City has turned into Bedroom community U.S.A. Nobody knows
Anybody. Everybody Works someplace else. the Design of the City lends itself
to Major traffic backups am/pm. There is nothing for the Youth to do here and
the Police are very rough with them. So with tempature's well over 110 degrees for four Months,Humidity riviling the east coast For Two of those
months and a Police Dept.with a Savage attitude towards our own citizens be
them Young or Old. Most People stay indoors most of the Year.Don't get Me
wrong We have everything and if We don't, its on its way. We are a big City
now.But We still have a Backwards way about doing things. So if You are looking
at Surprise Az. as a
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Small town feel but still not worth it - 7/14/2008
My husband and I have been here for almost six years now and it has been a good place to raise a family(so far)It has some stuff to do I guess but mainly you spend half of your time driving down Bell rd or Grand ave just to get to the freeway which is a joke anyway.I have to say that the people are all really friendly and everyone seems to always have a positive attitude. For some reason though and it might be because everyone is all coming from somewhere else but there are some HORRIBLE drivers here and their not all old folks from Sun City either.If you have little ones then you will fit right in because everywhere I look there are toddlers and babies and more and more pregnant women. Not too much to do with them except go to the library ( again!) or sign them up for a class through the city, there are some other things opening I hear but who knows.My biggest gripe is the DUST!! It is soooo dirty here! Don't bother to wash your car cause it will be filthy again in an hour.Not to
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Loving Surprise - 4/20/2008
We moved here 4 years ago from the Midwest. Our home is well-built, the community is family-oriented with parks, MBL Spring Training stadium, Dream Catchers Park for Developmentally Delayed children. the main park has two 2 dog parks, a fishing pond, play park, tennis courts,etc. There is always something going on. Homes are affordable for the first-time buyer and reasonably priced for the
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Surprise- a great place for families. - 4/3/2008
Surprise is a great place for kids to grow up. There is a lot of things to do from the new tennis rec center, thorugh many activities from Park and rec. The White Tank mountains are only a few miles away if you want to go hiking or camping, pricing on homes are good, the school system is good even though in the past it didn't have a great reputation it has really
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Not as stifling as Phoenix, but still the desert - 3/22/2008
The city of Surprise, much like many of the continuously developing exurbs on the fringes of the Phoenix metroplex, has a notable amount of open land causing a minor but welcome temperature drop of at least 10 degrees from the official measurements taken at Sky Harbor Intl. Airport.
Precious little of this open land remains in an unfettered native state, most acreage being in various stages of development, though there is quite a large percentage of active farmland that has some type of crop most of the year. This provides a noticeable, and pleasant, cooling effect in Autumn and Spring adding to the amount of time you can comfortably spend out of doors enjoying the many activities offered by the area (parks, golf, fishing, etc.)
That said, this is still the desert and should not come as any "surprise" that it is hot much of the year and dry all year, save for the brief respite brought by the monsoon storms. However, the same monsoonal changes exacerbate
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Get over it or get out!!!! PLEASE!!! - 3/16/2007
There are obviously many people who have not lived in very many other places that write these negative comments. My job has taken me to seven major cities in my many years, and PHX is by far the best. I've lived in the northeast, midwest and south. Don't tell me that a Buffalo winter, or a humid Atlanta summer are better than the climate here. EVERYTHING is air conditioned here!!! Overall, a good cost of living, a diverse economy, great restaurants, major league sports, and for those that want it cooler, just drive a couple hours to the mountains. I could go on and
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Up and Coming Area! - 8/20/2006
The Surprise, AZ area is a newer, up and coming part of the Metro Phoenix - Northwest Valley. This area was previously a farming community, but will soon be somewhat comparible to other Metro Phoenix areas: Gilbert, Chandler, ETC. I have lived in Surprise since 1999, and I will say that the population explosion was to be expected. It happened so suddenly! I am happy to report - that although our local Surprise Government could have planned for the future a little better, they seem to now be on track to get the City where it needs to be. In most of Arizona, at the present time, if anyone decides to reside here, he or she will have an opportunity to help shape/decide how this place will end up for future generations. It is still that NEW! As I drive to work every morning, I am reminded of this as I pass field after field of green crops land. The particular crop land parcels I drive passed are supposedly protected from becoming rooftops/businesses. You see, the farm land that is
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Moving to your area!! What likes and dislikes? - 8/6/2006
I am moving to your area from Thousand Oaks, CA. I would like to hear about the city demographics etc. I have seen that some people post there is a Meth problem in the Surprise area would anybody like to comment on that. I love Thousand Oaks but as a teacher I can not afford to stay out here. Looking forward to
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It's no SUPRISE at all! - 8/3/2006
My husband and I have lived here for just over six years. It was much quieter then, not nearly as much traffic as it is now. We came from North Phx and bought our 1st home because we could - for under 100K we bought a small, 3/2.5 home. Not bad. Not bad to see that I can get just over double for it now. But with that came huge population growth. It's like a mini melting pot. Everyone here is from everywhere else which doesn't make it bad. Honestly, local Arizonan's have their own "culture." It's hard to meet trust-worthy people, there is major crime for such a small area, meth-addicts all over and they will steal from you blind if they can find away, it's hard to drive because Bell (Hell) Rd makes it difficult to get anywhere, no major freeway access WHATSOEVER. We want to leave but have to wait for the market to pick up again as everything literally took a dive after 12/05. Anyway, people from the midwest and other colder climates seem to like it here, but if you are from
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