Area Information
The Valley of the Sun
Phoenix, Arizona is the nation’s sixth most populace city with about 1.5 million residents and encompasses more than 430 square miles. It is also the core around which twenty-plus communities have grown and are collectively known as the “Valley of the Sun.”
Located in the Sonoran Desert, Valley residents enjoy pleasant, spring-like temperatures nine months out of every year. Temperatures in the summer are hot, often breaking 100 degrees in July and August. But, as the saying goes, “it’s a dry heat.” Humidity is almost nonexistent here until August, when the monsoons bring welcome rain to the desert. The average annual rainfall is only 7.66 inches.
Residents of the Valley of the Sun enjoy an active, outdoor lifestyle all year long. There are over 1,000 tennis courts and 150 golf courses. The five lakes within a short drive from metropolitan Phoenix offer water-skiing, power boating, sailing and fishing. Raft trips down the Verde and Salt rivers are also popular. A series of mountain ranges that encircle the Valley are a recreational mecca for hikers, bicyclists and horseback riders. Warm weather also attracts several major-league baseball teams and their fans for Cactus League spring training. Click here to view an online Metropolitan Phoenix Relocation Guide.
Northeast Valley
The Northeast Valley of the Sun consists of Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Fountain Hills, Carefree/Cave Creek and the Desert Ridge area of Phoenix. These communities feature a wonderful resort lifestyle and are the Valley’s most fashionable and higher priced areas. Upscale housing in the Northeast Valley often includes golf courses, mountain preserves and mountainside elevations. Please click here to see an informative video about the Northeast Valley.
Scottsdale
Scottsdale is a major commercial and employment center in the Valley, second only to Phoenix. In addition to the approximately 237,000 permanent residents of Scottsdale, an estimated 6 million visitors flock to this resort destination every year. Over 69 hotels and award-winning luxury resorts host leisure travelers and convention goers year-round.
However, the city’s “resort” lifestyle extends far beyond the grounds of its expansive hotels. Many housing developments feature golf courses and recreational complexes, with shopping and other amenities just a bike ride away. Large, master planned communities often include a mix of residential offerings, including condominiums, townhomes, patio homes and single-family homes.
Because the city is bordered by Phoenix to the west, Tempe to the south, and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community to the east, new development continues to expand rapidly toward Scottsdale’s northern city limits. The neighborhoods of North Scottsdale, nestled in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains, are some of the most desirable neighborhoods in the Valley of the Sun. Click here for more detailed information about some of these neighborhoods, including McDowell Mountain Ranch, DC Ranch, Grayhawk, Troon and more.
Paradise Valley 
The town of Paradise Valley, located just north of landmark Camelback Mountain, is comprised mainly of high-dollar homes nestled against the hillsides or hidden behind oleander-covered estate walls. Commerce here is limited almost entirely to a handful of award-winning destination resorts. Paradise Valley has the highest home prices in the Valley with many houses in the several million dollar range. The town’s country club atmosphere creates a sense that this is paradise found.
Fountain Hills
Tucked into the McDowell Mountains at an elevation several hundred feet above Phoenix, Fountain Hills enjoys crisper air, slightly cooler temperatures and a more secluded existence than other parts of the Valley. The centerpiece of the city is the world’s tallest fountain, shooting water 560 feet into the air. Housing options include the 950-acre SunRidge Canyon and the community of Eagle Mountain, 500 acres in southwestern Fountain Hills. Both planned communities feature scenic golf courses and recreational facilities and a selection of custom homes. The Firerock Country Club and the CopperWynd Tennis and Health Resort both offer condominiums, single family and custom homes. To keep the city’s residential feel, Fountain Hills’ economic development strategy is designed to attract small companies, corporate offices and companies that employ less than 200 people.
Carefree/Cave Creek
Situated approximate
ly 20 miles north of Scottsdale at an elevation of 2,500 feet, next door neighbors Carefree and Cave Creek represent a slower, laid-back lifestyle where the old west exists side by side with urban sophistication. Cooler temperatures and the serene, saguaro-studded landscape, decorated with natural outcroppings of massive sand-colored boulders attracts outdoor enthusiasts to such activities as hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, golfing and jeep touring. With a combined population of approximately 8,650, Carefree and Cave Creek both offer unique shopping and dining opportunities, as well as accommodations ranging from beautiful resorts to quaint bed & breakfast inns. Golf courses here and in the surrounding foothills are woven into the landscape, making them some of the most scenic in the state.
Desert Ridge
Desert Ridge is located in Northeast Phoenix, less than a mile from Loop 101. With over 5,700 acres, it includes residential housing, an 800-room resort, two 18-hole golf courses and a 1,000 acre commerce park. With the Desert Ridge Market Place Shopping Mall as its centerpiece, this upscale community offers housing in a variety of styles and prices.
