Surprise, Surprise, Surprise...

Most folks who visit Arizona, and in particular the Phoenix area, probably don’t put much thought into the part of town they are in. Just as in the Denver area with its suburbs such as Littleton, Arvada, Lakewood, etc. Phoenix has Scottsdale, Goodyear, Surprise, and many more. When I first came down to work Spring Training last year I honestly had never heard of Surprise but it’s the kind of place that makes you understand why so many people are flocking to the desert Southwest to live. At first glance I was mistakenly under the impression that it was primarily a retirement community and in fact there are a lot of seniors who live here. But Surprise surprises with its vitality and diversity. This year I’ve noticed the number of kids and young families and the community seems to be growing by leaps and bounds. Census data put the population of Surprise at 30,000 in 2000 but today it’s grown to more than 117,000. Locals tell me that new elementary and high schools are being built all the time. I know in Denver many municipalities are seeing their populations aging and new families can hardly afford to move into the area due to extravagant home prices. That problem doesn’t seem to have hit Surprise and home prices are probably half to two-thirds the Denver equivalent.

Surprise also seems to be very smart about investing in the community. The parks and libraries are outstanding, the roads and physical infrastructure appear relatively new and well-maintained, and the area is relatively free of trash and very clean. And, for whatever it means, I haven’t seen a single homeless person or panhandler anywhere though I’m sure if I went toward other parts of Phoenix they’d have the same problem Denver has.

So far the only downside I can see, and the locals confirm this, is that the summer heat can be brutal and outdoor activities are fairly limited from April/May through September. Of course that’s the trade off - we’re hearing about the horrible winter conditions in the Northeast while down here temps are pushing 80 degrees. I saw my first rattlesnake out sunning itself yesterday totally oblivious to me as I walked by so I guess if you don’t like such critters this may not be the best place for you. But heck, Colorado has rattlers too.

Anyway, if you do journey down this way you might want to take a close look at the Surprise area - if you do it might just live up to its name.