What Is It Like Living In Buckeye?
Buckeye is a clean, quiet, and safe city with a beautiful view of the mountains. It was founded in 1988, and by then, it was called Sidney. Its location near Buckeye Canal led to its name changing in 1910.
According to census estimates, Buckeye is located in Maricopa County and has about 69744 residents. It is in the westernmost outskirts of the Phoenix metropolitan area, close to Phoenix.
Buckeye has a stable economy, several top school districts, affordable housing, and popular parks and recreation areas. It is also situated close to a municipal airport, five highways, and the railroad. Residents enjoy a rural feel, and most own their homes.
Affordable Housing Compared to Major Metro Cities
The cost of living in Buckeye is lower than the national average. It is 2% less than the US average. Factors considered on the cost of living are; utilities, transportation, healthcare, housing cost, grocery items, and miscellaneous goods and services.
Buckeye’s cost of living is 2% lower than Arizona’s.
City Medium Home Price Cost per annum
Buckeye $222,700- $478,885
Los Angeles $795,000- $949,000
New York City $373,000- $654,300
Austin, Tx $579,000
Popular Master-Planned Communities
Buckeye is a rapidly growing city with builders and developers purchasing undeveloped land and building new residential communities. Homes for sale in Verrado and Tartesso are in high demand and are among the most popular master-planned communities in the West Valley.
It also has known neighborhoods that build construction and resale homes with different designs and price points. Median-priced homes range between $200s and $479s by neighborhoods like Festival Foothills, Sundance, and Suncity Festival, while some from Blue Hills, Valencia, and Estrella’s Garden have homes costing in the low to high $100s.
There are different home styles, from Current and Mediterranean Revival to Spanish Revival and Modern Pueblo. For homes being currently built, there are also customizable options.
Buckeye has about 30 strategized or already built master-planned communities like Verrado that only give resort-style facilities for its residents. The facilities include; clubhouses, swimming pools, multiple neighborhood parks, on-site schools, a walkable main street district with shops and restaurants, golf courses, and easy reach of White Tank Mountain Trails.
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Convenient Highway Access
All four new ramps connecting Interstate 10 and loop 303 are open. This enables the drivers to make direct connections between I-10 and Loop 303. Widening I-10 from Loop 303 to State Route 85 to Verrado Way in Buckeye gave the residents direct access to interstate 10.
It promotes economic development as businesses can run better with efficiency in the flow of people, goods, and services.
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Great Buckeye Schools
Education quality in Buckeye is fairly good. Based on public school graduation rates, teacher-to-student ratios, enrollment rates, and reviews by parents and students, the schools in Buckeye do comparatively well on national, statewide levels.
Seven school districts serve Buckeye. Some school districts include; The Odyssey Preparatory Academy, Agua Fria Union High School District, and Buckeye Elementary School District. The schools ensure inhabitants have access to quality education. Some of the top public schools include The Odyssey Preparatory Academy- Sienna Hills Campus, Palo Verde Elementary School, The Odyssey Institute for Advanced and International Studies.
The school districts make it easier to understand the material they teach. Schools feed their students and give them supplies if they need them.
A newly refurbished Buckeye Education Center campus is situated at Estrella Mountain Community College. The education center gives adults the chance to take ongoing education courses, job training programs, academic courses without moving far from home. Extra services throughout the city to keep people involved and active are also provided in Buckeye.
The programs include before-and-after-school, youth sports, and summer school lineups. Senior Services and Community Center give community seniors programs to improve their independence and complement their quality of life through fitness classes, wellness events, and social outings.
Livability
Factors such as education, crime, cost of living, and attitude of residents are what is considered for a city’s livability. From past reviews, Buckeye scores 75% in livability.
The crime rate and accident occurrence are low, meaning it is a safe and great place to live alone or with your family. Home value is 10% lower than the US average.
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Employment
Buckeye’s household income is 14% higher than Arizona’s and 6% higher than the US average. The city has thriving small businesses and large enterprises, thus a diverse employment base. The present job growth is 2.26 percent and is anticipated to grow to 17.40 percent. The most solid areas of employment are the service sector and the construction/maintenance sector.
Implementation of Nikola Motor Company to have its hydrogen-electric semi-truck facility and company headquarters in Buckeye will result in approximately 2000 jobs by 2024.
Outdoor Attractions
Buckeye is a sanctuary for outdoor and wildlife enthusiasts of all ages. It offers many options to consider. Some of the attractions include; Robbins Butte Wildlife Area, Skyline Regional Park, Desert Botanical Garden, Verrado Golf Club, Historic Gillespie Dam Bridge, and Buckeye Hills Regional Park. The White Tank Mountain Regional Park has biking and climbing trails for those residing there to enjoy.
Buckeye Hills Regional Park has 4000 acres of natural desert, showing beautiful sights of the Sonoran Desert rolling hills and the Gila River riparian area. For golf lovers, they have more than 200 golf courses in the Valley perimeters and various premier courses in the boundaries of Buckeye to enjoy.
At the Sundance Golf club, one enjoys all-encompassing sights of the White Tank Mountains to the north and Estrella Mountains to the South. Verrado Golf Club displays 36 holes of championship golf designed by PGA star and Ryder Cup Captain Tom Lehman.
Even though the city has numerous small-town attractions and entertainment options to keep residents busy, the distance to Downtown Phoenix is 35 miles, which gives residents easy access to big-city facilities and added dining, entertainment, and shopping chances.
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History
There is a 40-year custom of the Buckeye Days affair featuring a cattle drive parade along Main Street, a steak cook-out dinner, the senior pro rodeo show at South Buckeye Equestrian and Events Center, a wild west show, and street dances.
There is also a Buckeye Valley Museum where people view local artifacts from the earliest days, impressive collections of pre-Columbian pottery, and historic photographs.
Challenges such as accessibility of amenities are being solved by the growing number of developments in the area. Buckeye is an excellent place to live. It is quiet, peaceful, with no congestion. People are friendly, and there are few crimes and accidents. Their cost of living is also fair and pocket friendly. It is generally a great place to live.