Top Five Neighborhoods to Reside in Arizona

Beginning with the very best, the Arcadia neighborhood, located off 56th Street and Camelback road in Phoenix, AZ, is one of the finest neighborhoods in the entire state. Arcadia boasts a wide array of both mansions and very large ranches, some of which are the few that remain in the city that actually still have horses and other farm animals. The neighborhood is very quaint and offers world class housing, but be prepared to pay for it.

The average home in the astute Arcadia district runs about $1-million or higher. There are several nearby schools which are considered to be some of the best public schools in the state, including Arcadia High School. Smaller streets and a very safe quiet area are the main amenities that this district has to offer. There are no Home Owners Associations; however there is a strict mandate of city code that is very well enforced to keep the area looking pristine and beautiful.

This district is centrally located and borders Scottsdale Arizona and East Phoenix. It is surrounded by small and quaint shopping complexes and is also bordered to the south by parks and the Salt River Canal, which runs adjacent to it and is great for biking, jogging or walking during the wee morning hours. Finding a house that is for sale here is quite another story. However if you do wish to live in one of the nicest areas in the state be prepared to wait in line for a home that is for sale, as this area is very high demand and is very upper class.

The small town of Gilbert is not so small anymore. It is considered to be one of the fastest growing suburbs in the state and in the country for that matter. There is money in Gilbert, plenty of it. The average income here is $60k per family, so it is no surprise that while small, everything is pretty new and really nice.

There is not a whole lot to do in this town, with the exception of a few parks, manmade lakes and HOA gated community offerings. But, it you are looking for affordable new housing that is in a quiet and safe neighborhood that has little crime, you have certainly found it in Gilbert. Although it is a bit removed from the freeway and is considered Easy Valley, Gilbert is still a nice little pocket of luxury that is tucked into a really big city.

While this suburb of Phoenix is more than a hundreds years old, it really had not seen much growth up until about ten years ago when people began to flock here in the hordes. Think of Chandler like it is: a newly-developed, low-crime, Soccer-Mom community that offers quietness and a pace away from the fast forward living that is found in the Phoenix Metropolitan area. There are a few okay golf courses and plenty of eats, but make sure you do not go out too late because everything here closes by 10pm—with the exception of the few cowboy bars that it has.

Chandler is your all-around, new-build family town. There are plenty of schools nearby and the place is pretty freaking safe. Downsides are that it borders Tempe and Mesa and sometimes the crime sifts over from those areas. Other than that you can live pretty well in Chandler for pretty cheap and it is a really nice city. The average house will run you about $250k, or you can rent for about $1000 per month.

Natural Wonders:

Located in Northern Arizona, the Mogian Rim attracts millions of visitors each and every year. People come from all over the world to see in-person one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Grand Canyon is a very large and very beautiful carved canyon that spans several states. You can even take helicopter tours or train tours, and you can pay for a horseback-guided tour that will take you all the way down the steep slopes to the canyon floor. If you find yourself visiting Arizona, make sure you set aside some time to see the Grand Canyon, it is simply breathtaking.

Scottsdale is one of the largest and most beautiful and most talked about suburbs in the state of Arizona. What began more than a hundred years ago as small desert town with dirt roads has seen dramatic growth and development over the years, culminating into a forefront of the best of the best that Arizona has to offer for those who are seeking a culturally lavish and a pristine residential atmosphere.

Scottsdale has so many amenities and features that I could not possibly cover them all. But to break it down I have chosen the best of best to highlight in this guide. First of all Scottsdale features two sections, North Scottsdale, which is newer and has more money, and South Scottsdale, which is older and becoming more refined each and every day. South Scottsdale offers one of the most attractive nightlife’s in the country (see my guide on the top four nightclubs in Scottsdale) aside from this the southern part of this city has several great high schools and elementary and middle schools, and one of the largest community colleges in the nation.

The new Waterfront project by Fashion Square Mall is amazing and decadent. Featuring more than 400 stores and restaurants, celebrities are quite often seen shopping and dining here. North Scottsdale is a bit more uppity; a new section of the city that is filled with HOA housing subsections that are all mostly new-builds. The 101 freeway (newly built as well) offers quick transportation from both ends of the city, but watch out for photo radar cameras which will snap a photo and issue you a ticket if you go 11 or more MPH over the set speed limit.

Both ends of Scottsdale offer five star hotels and eats, and plenty of shopping. Good shopping in North Scottsdale is found at the newly opened Kierland Commons—where there are about 130 stores and restaurants. Scottsdale also boasts about 65 golf courses, some public and some private, including the astute TPC Princess Golf Course which hosts the Phoenix Open every year.

The Biltmore area in Phoenix, located near 24th Street and Camelback Rd, and north of there, borders the high-class Arcadia District. But the Biltmore serves as a haven for the wealthy in Phoenix. Houses on average are priced from $500k to $10-million or more, and yes many of these homes are very nice mansions. The typical housing community in the Biltmore is gated and usually has its own private golf course. Many of the valley’s celebrities find their housing here, including Glenn Campbell (the Beach Boys) Wayne Gretzky and Jordan Hormel (Hormel Foods).

Biltmore Fashion Park is next door featuring some of the most high-end stores in the state. While this place screams, “I have Money,” the grander of it is diminished by the fact that one travels merely blocks and they are in the heart of Phoenix, which is not so nice when compared to million dollar homes. PCDS (Phoenix Country Day School) is nearby, one of the priciest and most astute private schools in the state. Camelback Mountain is also around the corner which offers some of the best hiking, climbing and repelling to be found in the Phoenix area.

Other Great Places to Live in AZ:

Quite possibly one of the largest college towns in the US, Tempe hosts Arizona State University and Tempe Town Lake as its main attractions. The city has undergone much change and upgrades since the new mayor took office. The crime rate is far lower, the businesses have been cleaned up and the world famous shopping on Mill Avenue has grown in leaps and bounds.

Housing prices are in par with the national average, but actually finding a house that is for sale may be challenging. There are plenty of great places to visit as well as ample jobs for seekers. Make sure to visit Tempe Town Lake, a huge manmade beach that is simply put, astounding.

Sedona, Arizona is a young, vibrate, hip and happening small town that is filled with gorgeous and natural red rock formations, and lots of alternative-lifestyle people. It hosts two world class resorts, the Four Seasons and Miamo Spa—which is quite often frequented by the world’s best-known celebrities and VIPs.

When in Sedona make sure that you go on a scenic hike, enjoy horseback riding on trails and of course, do forget to visit one of only four natural equinoxes in the US. This place is great to visit, but actually finding a home that you can afford as well as employment will be very challenging.