17 Reasons Not to Move to Queen Creek, Arizona (Voted by the locals!)

A colorful sunset over a neighborhood in the desert of the American southwest. The sky has warm golden colors on the horizon with cool blue tones in the clouds at the top of the image.

Queen Creek is one of the faster-growing cities in Arizona and could be considered idyllic and comfortable by some, but for those who live there, it’s an area filled with flaws. Its linear growth rate has made this place home to nearly 66,151 people as of 2022.Opens in a new tab. So, with all the individuals and families residing in this city, what are some reasons they should have considered before moving here?

There are often many different factors that take place in deciding which cities to move into. Here are 17 reasons not to move to Queen Creek, Arizona.

17. Bunnies!

Something that might not seem like it would be that big of a deal is the bunnies that can be found almost everywhere in Queen Creek. At some point in time, a pair of bunnies must have gotten loose in the city, and now there’s a bit of an infestation that no one seems to be able to control.

Bunnies are able to reproduce at a rate that is unlike many other animals, and though they’re adorable, they are always bouncing around leaving surprises on lawns and jumping out in front of cars, causing potential accidents.

16. Losing Farmlands

The growth of this city has caused a lot of the once beautiful, flourishing farmlands to be diminished in order to make room for more homes and businesses.

These lands are not only gorgeous to look at but also provide level space in order to see the surroundings behind them. Once the last of the farmlands are gone and there’s nothing but buildings in their midst, some real luxuries to see so much beauty will be lost.

Though there are still a few here and there, the infrastructure desired will eventually cause the scenic farmlands to be built over and destroyed. So, if you want to move here because of the scenic land, you will regret doing so in the future.

15. Animals

If you are an animal lover this could be the place for you, but beware that everyone else here is also an animal lover. Almost every household has some kind of pet, with the most popular type of pet being dogs. I can almost always guarantee that a dog will bark right as you’re trying to go to sleep and continue doing so sporadically throughout the night until it’s almost time for you to get up in the morning.

On top of that, you will always be able to find scorpions, lizards, and snakes everywhere you go, whether it be inside your house, in your yard, or simply walking down the street. Be careful, as they could be very dangerous and harm you if you aren’t.

14. No Variety

Several cities in Arizona are very similar in the sense that the residents are usually white, conservative, and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Though it has a bit of diversity because of how close it is to the Mexico border, the majority of Queen Creek follows this trend as well. Not that it’s necessary for every community to have different ethnicities, races, and sexual orientations, but given this area’s current and potential future growth, it’s easy to notice there isn’t much variety in the demographic.

13. Hiking

Queen Creek is in an ideal location for some things, but not for others. Hiking may be one of those if that’s something you’re really aiming to live by. The nearest place to do any decent hiking is a good drive away, and even then, there are only a couple of hiking trails available.

Many would recommend you try and get your hike in as early as possible to avoid the beating rays of the sun, but if you were to live in the Queen Creek neighborhoods that are furthest from the mountains, taking the drive into account would make that wake-up call a little more unbearable.

12. Lack of a Nearby Freeway

This city is very much out of the way from normal state traffic, which could be both a blessing and a curse. For those wanting to travel distances fast without using so much gasoline, the freeway is the way to go. However, the nearest entrance to the 202 is quite a drive from anywhere near Queen Creek.

11. Restaurants

The choices of restaurants in this area are limited, with prices only ranging from dirt cheap to overly expensive. Options for places to eat are also very similar to each other so you have to travel further for any kind of variety.

There are several hole-in-the-wall restaurants which, frankly, can be the best food you’ve ever had. However, with so many lining the streets, it’s not hard to realize how much you’re missing when slightly further north, there’s a lot more with better quality and atmospheres.

10. The Wash

The Wash is a network of dirt and paved paths that run through the city. These shortcuts are convenient when traveling from place to place on foot or biking.

However, the wash can also be very hard to live around because it attracts all different kinds of insects and wildlife like mosquitos, snakes, lizards, squirrels, and more. These creatures can more easily find their way into homes in the humid marshland close by.

Also, during monsoon season The Wash starts to fill up with water, which is dangerous for those that live and are traveling nearby.

9. Proximity of Schools

The district that covers Queen Creek has been recognized as one of the best districts in the area, and the schools in the district are great. But these schools are also very far from a lot of the neighborhoods in the city.

The area I was residing in was quite a distance from any of the notable schools that people told us about.

8. Unpaved Walkways

While I was living here, I did a lot of walking and biking to get from place to place. Unfortunately, a lot of the destinations I would try to get to wouldn’t have walkways and instead had dirt paths.

These paths would, a lot of the time, be very hard to ride on because of the potholes, rocks, sticks, and construction that were blocking the areas that would make my bike ride shorter. Not to mention how dangerous it can be on busy roads and lack decent lighting a lot of the time.

7. Confusing Roads

The state of Arizona runs on a grid system of roads with convenient names that make it easy to know where you are and where your destination will be located.

Queen Creek is one of the cities that has a road that contradicts the rest of the grid, called Rittenhouse, that cuts across the city diagonally. This can make some commutes easier to arrive at on time, but for the people new to the area and only following the grid patterns, the drive could be much more difficult than necessary.

A lot of the roads and streets don’t have effective lighting, which I was able to notice right away because I was on my feet and riding my bike pretty much the whole time I was living here. It feels more confusing to travel the roads when you can’t see where you’re going or where you’ve been, but also adds potential danger because motorists can’t see you.

6. Snowbirds

An annoyance that many Arizonans have to deal with is the snowbirds. A snowbird is someone that only lives in Arizona throughout the nice months during the winter and then moves away during the super hot months of summer.

When snowbirds are only here during some parts of the year, the neighbors don’t get as much time to become familiar with them, which brings down the property values for everyone else, and creates awkward disunity within the area.

5. Desert Problems

There are a few catches that come with living in the desert that a lot of people don’t have to worry about,= but those in Queen Creek do. Every year they have to watch out for several environmental changes that could cause issues if the proper precautions aren’t handled seriously.

One is the dust storms. These come about when the summer sun has dried up the dirt and soil enough so that any wind storm can come along, pick it up, and thrash it around in what the locals call a “haboob”. These storms can range from mild, to very dangerous, and cause problems in cars, homes, and even give people “valley fever” if too much of the dust is inhaled.

Another catch is the monsoons that come around close to the winter months. Rain pours down everywhere and can cause lots of water damage, uproot plants, and harm individuals if they are outside at the wrong time.

4. Traffic

The growth within the city has made it so there are a lot more cars on the road whether it’s drivers just passing through or visitors wanting to partake in the amenities Queen Creek has to offer. These drivers come from all over the country, so their driving could very well be different than what the residents are used to, which means that car accidents are becoming more common.

There are also so many stop signs and stop lights everywhere that it makes the traffic constantly backed up more than necessary. Most of the city is filled with family-friendly neighborhoods with children that could run out at any moment, so the average speed limit is only around 25 miles per hour on the majority of streets, which also slows down traffic.

3. The Weather

The weather in Queen Creek is an issue in this city and the entire state of Arizona. The only seasons they have here are summer and slightly cooler summer. Since there’s nothing but year-round heat, it never truly feels like it cools down enough to spend a lot of time outside.

Everyone knows the sun is terrible, but they never really know just how dangerous it can be. It can cause burns, dehydration, and heat stroke, which can at times be lethal if the situation is bad enough. Not to mention how harmful it can be to property and foliage if they aren’t sufficiently taken care of.

However, it can feel worse in Queen Creek than in most of the rest of the state because there aren’t many trees that provide shade from the blistering heat. The sun also heats up the roads all day long so stays hot at night, and the road is even hotter the next day, causing extra wear on tires and shoes.

2. Construction

With Queen Creek being a fast-growing area, it’s pretty much guaranteed that frequent construction will be involved. In the time I was able to live there, I’d never seen such a quick progression of construction take place anywhere else, and it’s only going to get worse.

Along with the sheer amount of noise so much machinery makes, it’s horrendous to step outside with a new house being built the next neighborhood over.

On top of all that being annoying and inconvenient, construction around here also takes forever to be completed. There’s never a specific deadline, at least not one that’s given to the public, so it always feels like once they start something, everything around it will be out of commission for the next several months at least.

1. Overcrowding

The state of Arizona as a whole is growing at an exponential rate, and with this, the cities inside the state are growing as well. Queen Creek is one of them, and it is experiencing a lot of the same issues as more major cities. It’s an area that once had a lot of room because of the beautiful farmland and is now being overrun with people.

There’s such constant construction and too much emphasis on building as many things as possible as fast as possible. It’s to the point where it’s all almost on top of one another.

The more things that are built, the more charm Queen Creek once had is lost in the craze. Those of us that have lived here wish that people could have just left well enough alone and miss the peaceful community we used to have, but we are aware that it’s now a thing of the past.

Nathan Aydelotte

Hello! I'm Nathan, the lead editor for Suggested by locals. I grew up in the Boise, Idaho area and have lived here most of my life. I enjoy being close to the mountains where I can go hiking, camping, and mountain biking.

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