COMMUNITY PROFILES / MASTER-PLANNED COMMUNITIES

 

Throughout the Valley of the Sun, welcoming neighborhoods nestled in fine master-planned communities reflect the warm hospitality and casual elegance of the Southwest. The variety of architectural styles and community settings can accommodate every imaginable taste, lifestyle, and budget. Newcomers are able to select from a wide array of patio homes, charming villas, luxury townhouses, posh condominiums, elaborate estates, or ranch-style single-family homes. Many homes feature archways that lead into charming courtyards or privacy walls that ensure seclusion for artfully landscaped yards, covered patios and ramadas, sports courts, and pristine pools.

​

Some of the metropolitan region’s larger master-planned communities such as Sun City and Sun City West, Estrella Mountain Ranch, Arrowhead Ranch, Anthem, DC Ranch, and McDowell Mountain Ranch can provide all the amenities and conveniences of a small town. Schools, libraries, churches, shopping and services, recreational facilities, lush local parks, and connecting pathways create a true “community” atmosphere.

​

The following is just a small sample of the increasing number of residential villages, subdivisions, and planned communities that are available throughout the Valley.

​

East Valley

​

Ahwatukee Foothills Village
Pecos Road, Interstate 10
Tempe
www.ahwatukeehoa.com
Officially a Phoenix Urban Village, this magnificent master-planned development at the very edge of the city of Tempe boasts upscale residential enclaves. Residents can choose from such neighborhoods as The Foothills, Club West, Lakewood, Mountain Park Ranch, Mountain Ranch Estates, Pecos West, and Pointe South Mountain.

 

Augusta Ranch
Baseline & Ellsworth Roads
Mesa
www.augustaranch.org
Recreational parks, a lush golf course, and linking pedestrian paths complement the peaceful community environment for single-family and multi-family residences.

 

Circle G
North Gilbert Road
Queen Creek
www.circleg.com
Set against the rare beauty of the San Tan Mountains, Circle G offers an oasis of lovely homes and recreational amenities.

 

Dobson Ranch
South Dobson Road
Mesa
https://www.dobsonranchhoa.com/
Waterfront properties crown the diverse home sites surrounded by vast recreational amenities in this established but popular East Valley community.

 

Gold Canyon
South Kings Ranch Road
Gold Canyon
https://www.gcgr.com/
Beautiful homes nestle at the foot of the Superstition Mountains, surrounded by bike paths, hiking trails, and the velvet fairways of top-rated golf courses.

 

Las Sendas
Thomas & Power Roads
Mesa
https://www.thetrailhead.org
Set against the scenic foothills of East Mesa, this 4,200-acre community offers upscale properties surrounding the spectacular golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr.

 

Ocotillo
Queen Creek Road
Chandler
https://theocotillo.nabrnetwork.com/
Featuring 167 acres of sparkling lakes and water features, the mixed-use community of Ocotillo offers exceptional residential, commercial, and business opportunities.

 

Power Ranch
Power & Queen Creek Roads
Gilbert
https://www.mypowerranch.com/
Creating an intimate small-town atmosphere for family living, residential villages enjoy a large community park, sparkling lake, and elaborate clubhouse.

 

Red Mountain Ranch
East Teton
Mesa
www.rmrcc.com
Recreational amenities include the country club with 18-hole Pete Dye-designed golf course, tennis courts, Olympic pool, fitness center, and clubhouse.

 

Sunland Springs Village
South Springwood Boulevard
Mesa
https://sunlandsprings.com/
Active-adult living in a recreational golf-course community that provides Superstition Mountain views includes a wide selection of housing that ranges from single-family to twins and condominiums.

 

Superstition Mountain
South Ponderosa Drive
Apache Junction
https://www.superstitionmountain.com/
Nestled within the privacy of this guard-gated enclave, 36 holes of a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course complements Tuscan-style residences in a lush desert setting.

 

Val Vista Lakes
East Lakeside Drive
Gilbert
www.valvistalakes.org
Residents of this family-oriented enclave enjoy exceptional recreational amenities that include spacious sports parks, bicycle paths, a lagoon swimming pool with a beach, and a multi-million-dollar clubhouse filled with sports facilities.

​

Northeast Valley

​

Adero Canyon
13225 North Eagle Ridge Drive
Fountain Hills
https://www.aderoscottsdale.com/
Lavish residences are surrounded by world-class resort amenities that include tennis courts, swimming pools, a health/fitness center, and fine dining. The nearby town of Fountain Hills provides commercial conveniences, community theater, a library, and some of the Valley’s most anticipated special events.

Anthem Community Council
3701 W. Anthem Way, Ste. #201
Phoenix-Maricopa County
https://www.onlineatanthem.com/
Just beyond the lights of Phoenix in the pristine high desert are three communities nestled in an award-winning development: Anthem Country Club, the Anthem active adult community, and comfortable family living at Anthem Parkside.

​

Bellasera Community Association
7350 E. Ponte Bella Drive Scottsdale

Scottsdale
http://azbellasera.org
The prestigious community of Bellasera covers 290 acres of scenic high desert at the foot of imposing Lone Mountain.

 

The Boulders
34631 N. Tom Darlington Drive

Carefree
https://www.theboulders.com/
On the edge of Carefree, the award-winning Boulders Resort and golf-course community allow residents to enjoy access to resort amenities. Nearby, El Pedregal Marketplace offers upscale shopping, fine dining, and live entertainment in the open-air courtyard.

 

Cadence
13985 S. Ellsworth Rd.
Mesa 480-748-4000
https://cadenceaz.com/
Cadence at Gateway is an intimate community of 464 acres in Mesa’s gateway corridor. It’s a community of quaint neighborhoods, parks, the main street parkway with shopping, office, and employment centers, and a trail system that is designed to connect the community. The Square is the center of the community with a visitor’s center, great room and meeting rooms, pools, tennis and bocce courts, a garden area, and indoor and outdoor fitness areas.

 

DC Ranch
Thompson Peak Parkway
Scottsdale
https://dcranch.com/
Sprawling near the foot of the McDowell Mountains, this community of beautiful, family-oriented neighborhoods provides every amenity within walking distance. Designed to offer the intimacy and sense of connection of a small town, DC Ranch has developed a spectacular nine-acre indoor/outdoor recreational complex.

 

Desert Highlands
10040 East Happy Valley Road
Scottsdale
https://www.deserthighlandsscottsdale.com/
Magnificent custom homes are nestled on pristine, generous high Sonoran desert lots that command breathtaking fairway, city light, and mountain views in this private golf club community near Carefree.

 

Desert Mountain
37700 Desert Mountain Parkway
Scottsdale
https://www.desertmountain.com/
Known for its opulent homes and world-renowned Jack Nicklaus golf courses, Desert Mountain is home to a variety of exclusive residential communities.

 

Desert Ridge
21001 N. Tatum Boulevard
Phoenix
https://shopdesertridge.com/
Planned to cover a complete 5,700 acres, this sprawling community creates a balance of residential villages with resort, shopping, and entertainment development.

 

Dove Valley Ranch
33750 North Dove Lakes Drive

Cave Creek
https://www.dovevalleyranch.com/
Beautiful homes enjoy an unspoiled high-desert landscape, recreational amenities, and close proximity to the golf course of the same name designed by Robert Trent Jones II.

 

Eastmark
10100 E. Ray Rd,
Mesa 480-625-3005
https://www.eastmark.com
Designed as a community within a city, Eastmark covers 3200 acres of land. The communities planned neighborhoods include everything from schools and shopping to community-centered parks and recreational facilities. Its location is right in the heart of one of the fastest-growing areas in the Phoenix metro area, offering its residents the ultimate in convenience and amenities.

 

The Estancia Club
27998 North 99th Place
Scottsdale
https://www.estanciaclub.com/
Nestled on the northern slope of Pinnacle Peak, this prestigious North Scottsdale community is known for its stunning homes, environmental sensitivity, and Tom Fazio-designed golf course.

 

Gainey Ranch
7600 Gainey Club Drive
Scottsdale
https://www.clubcorp.com/Clubs/Gainey-Ranch-Golf-Club
Nestled in a peerless centralized Scottsdale location, Gainey Ranch provides an award-winning 27-hole golf course, lake vistas, fine shopping, and distinctive properties.

 

Grayhawk
8620 E. Thompson Peak Parkway
Scottsdale
http://grayhawk.com/
Nestled between two award-winning golf courses along with a wealth of amenities are upscale homes, villas, townhomes, and condominiums from renowned builders.

 

Kierland
Greenway & Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale
https://www.kierlandcommons.com/
This elegant, mixed-use development is in a convenient location in the central corridor of North Scottsdale, which combines exclusive shopping, entertainment, and dining with residential development.

 

Legend Trail
9462 East Legendary Lane
Scottsdale
https://www.legendtrailgc.com/
Spectacular recreational and residential opportunities include 640 unspoiled acres of high desert preserved as open space and the recreational jewel of the Rees Jones-designed golf course.

 

McCormick Ranch
9248 N. 94th Scottsdale Road
Scottsdale
https://mrpoa.com
Scottsdale’s ground-breaking development transformed 4,300 acres of arid land into one of the Valley’s first and finest resort and residential communities. The collection of fine homes are complemented by bike paths, fine dining, golf courses, tennis courts, and 130 acres of sparkling lakes.

 

McDowell Mountain Ranch
Thompson Peak Parkway
Scottsdale
www.mmrtrailtalk.com
This family-oriented community features a wealth of amenities including trails, parks, community center, swimming pool/spa, sports courts, and splash fountain.

 

Scottsdale Mountain
12112 N. 136th Street
Scottsdale
https://www.scottsdalemountain.net/
Set against the foothills of the McDowell Mountain Preserve, the community offers handsome homes that command spectacular landscape views.

​

Scottsdale Ranch
10585 North 100th Street
Scottsdale
https://www.scottsdaleranch.org/
Waterfront estates, beautiful tennis villas, patio homes, and townhomes surround Lake Serena and recreational amenities.

 

Stonegate
11551 East Mountain View Road
Scottsdale
https://stonegate-scottsdale.com/
This premier community provides all the seclusion of a gated resort lifestyle with tennis courts, pool/spa, community center, and hiking trails.

 

Tatum Highlands
1600 W. Broadway Rd. Ste 200
Phoenix
https://www.tatumhighlandsca.org/
This handsome residential development in a variety of architectural styles harmonizes with a 20-acre recreational park in a pristine desert environment just two miles from Tatum Ranch public golf course.

 

Tatum Ranch
Cave Creek Road & Dixileta
Phoenix
https://www.tatumranchgc.com/
Covering 1,500 acres in the Sonoran desert between northeastern Phoenix and Cave Creek, 30 attractive neighborhoods are filled with beautiful homes.

 

Terravita
34034 North 69th Way
Scottsdale
https://www.terravita.com/
Nearly 825 pristine acres of high Sonoran desert beauty create the scenic backdrop for lovely homes and recreational amenities that include a golf course, fine dining, and a community center with fitness area.

 

Tramonto
Carefree Highway at I-17
Phoenix
https://www.tramontocma.org/
Single-family residences and prime sites for custom homes join a retail town center, fine hotel, and abundant recreational amenities for a convenient yet serene lifestyle.

 

Troon North, Troon Village
25000 North Windy Walk Drive
Scottsdale
https://www.trooncc.com/
Nestled among the boulders just north of Pinnacle Peak, these upscale communities boast highly acclaimed Troon golf courses that are surrounded by neighborhoods filled with luxury homes that command superb views of fairways and landscapes.

 

The Verdes
25609 N Danny Lane, Rio Verde
Four Peaks Boulevard
Rio Verde
https://www.rioverdearizona.com/public/visit-us/location
These two “sister” active-adult communities surround beautiful homes with golf courses and award-winning clubhouses. The town of Fountain Hills provides nearby amenities.

​

​

COMMUNITY PROFILES / EAST VALLEY

​

Taking in the communities of Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Apache Junction, Sun Lakes, Ocotillo, and Queen Creek—the sprawling East Valley has experienced phenomenal growth in recent decades. While Arizona’s abundant sunshine and the natural beauty of the high desert continue to play a role in the area’s expansion, newcomers appreciate an array of advantages. Welcoming neighborhoods, broad streets, new residential and commercial construction, convenient access to regional freeways, progressive school districts, and first-rate municipal services are all part of East Valley living.

One of the most significant resources and economic boosts for the entire Valley of the Sun is located in this quadrant. Arizona State University in Tempe ranks first in size in Arizona and consistently vies for the position of the largest four-year public university in the entire nation. Outstanding libraries, museums, galleries, special events, and performing arts are all aspects of ASU enrichment. The combination of additional jobs for construction and staffing, as well as considerations of dollars poured into the economy by students, represents another staggering contribution.

Services

Manufacturing concerns have taken a leading role in the East Valley, multiplying almost exponentially in the leading communities of Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, and Gilbert. The area has developed a reputation as a home for high-tech firms, from giants like Intel and Motorola to highly successful small companies. An expanding freeway system enhances accessibility throughout the East Valley and greatly reduces travel time to key destinations. Interstate 10, the Los Angeles freeway connection, winds it way through the East Valley on the path south to Tucson. The Superstition Freeway or Highway 60 crosses the East Valley to provide exits at every major crossroad in every community between Tempe and the outskirts of Apache Junction at the foothills of the Superstition Mountains. Loop 202 or the Red Mountain Freeway enhances Tempe’s accessibility to the central and western sections of the city of Phoenix. Loop 101 cuts a wide swath through bustling Tempe into Scottsdale and across the northeast Valley into Northwest Phoenix. Sky Harbor International Airport is conveniently located on the border of Tempe and Phoenix.

Keeping pace with a growing economy and record-setting residential development, the East Valley is home to many new schools and first-rate healthcare facilities. These communities share the benefit of excellent primary and secondary public education systems, high achievement test results, and close proximity to the resources of Arizona State University. The Mesa Unified School District has gained national recognition for excellence in curriculum and support services. The cities of Mesa, Chandler, and Gilbert offer a local community college campus, ensuring convenient opportunities for continuing education and an affordable beginning to a four-year degree close to home. Other institutions of higher education in the East Valley include Arizona School of Health Sciences located in Mesa as well as Remington College, Collins College, the College of the Humanities & Sciences, the International Institute of the Americas, and Lamson College in Tempe. The cities of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Tempe also provide extension services and classes for the University of Phoenix.

​

State-of-the-art healthcare is accessible throughout the East Valley, anchored by Mesa General Hospital and the Chandler Regional Hospital in Chandler; the Banner Desert Medical Center, the Banner Baywood Medical Center, and the Banner Baywood Heart Hospital in Mesa; and Tempe St. Luke’s Hospital. Emergency care, walk-in treatment centers, medical centers, family practice clinics, and skilled professionals in every major specialty are available to meet every need from routine to advanced. Just a few miles from home are exceptional regional resources such as Phoenix Children’s Hospital and the world-renowned Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale.

 

Lifestyle

The many East Valley communities provide something for every resident, embodying everything “bright and beautiful” about the Valley of the Sun. New construction of community and cultural centers, fine retail malls and outlets, housing developments, and recreational amenities are expanding. Residents of this region also enjoy close proximity to one of the most diverse and popular recreational areas in the Valley, the Superstition Mountains. Famous for the legend of the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine, this rugged area is a natural playground for hiking, rock climbing, picnicking, visiting historic sites, horseback riding, and boating. Winding through the mountains is the historic and scenic Apache Trail, created in the early 1900s as a transport route into the Roosevelt Dam area. The 78-mile scenic byway parallels the ancient travel route of the Apache Indians through the Canyons of the Salt River, running along the mountain’s southern edges. The Roosevelt, Apache, and Canyon lakes offer water sports in scenic settings surrounded by towering cliffs and the hauntingly beautiful Sonoran desert.

The legacy and spirit of the “Old West” are alive in the East Valley, where ranches feature horseback riding adventures and cowboy-style cookouts, wagon and hayrides, petting zoos, mock gunfights, and other attractions. Gilbert draws visitors and residents to its annual rodeo extravaganza, one of the most impressive celebrations in the entire nation. Chandler’s outrageous Ostrich Festival is rated among the “Top Ten Unique Festivals in the United States,” while the award-winning Tempe Festival of the Arts stands in a class of its own as one of the largest arts and entertainment festivals in the entire Southwest. Just beyond the outskirts of Apache Junction, visitors flock to the annual Arizona Renaissance Fair.  Nearly 2,000 costumed characters create constant mayhem and merriment in this 16th-century European Country Faire, one of the nation’s largest.

​

Adding a degree of sophistication to the East Valley is the City of Tempe. Music fans will find an eclectic lineup of concerts at the Marquee Theatre, while Gammage Auditorium at Arizona State University is a showcase of Broadway’s greatest hits. The Downtown Tempe Community is an active group that maintains a full calendar of special events from the Tempe Festival of the Arts to Arizona’s only outdoor ice-skating facility. World-class arts, important galleries, fascinating museums, shopping districts, the factory stores of Arizona Mills, and fine restaurants are all available in this friendly, progressive community. Mesa adds Fiesta Mall and a virtually endless variety of commercial centers and plazas to the East Valley scene, while Chandler boasts one of the Valley’s newest and most sought-after retail centers, Chandler Fashion Center.

​

The housing selection throughout the East Valley is abundant and attractive, from cozy bungalows in the well-established sections of Tempe and Mesa to elaborate, upscale residences in handsome new residential communities. Ahwatukee Foothills Village, whose residents boast one of the highest incomes per household in the entire Valley of the Sun, continues to draw new residents to exceptionally beautiful neighborhoods. Although the village actually falls under the jurisdiction of the City of Phoenix, it is aligned closely in geography and spirit with the East Valley cities—particularly with Tempe. Sun Lakes provides an active adult community with picturesque boulevards lined with stately palm trees and a wealth of recreational amenities. Considering the close cooperation between area residents, businessmen, and local governments, the East Valley seems ideally suited to manage the rapid growth that continues to transform this vibrant region. Expansion continues into the far reaches of once-sleepy rural areas like Queen Creek, spring to life with fine golf courses and residential neighborhoods.