Scottsdale Arizona Real Estate Attractions
Situated in the southwestern portion of the United States, Arizona is a member of the "Four Corners" states. The state is home to the Grand Canyon, several National Forests, Indian Reservations and numerous monuments and parks. Known for its desert landscape, mountainous regions and plateaus, Arizona is also popular for having the biggest stand of Ponderosa Pines.Arizona has one of the nations largest gross national product, amounting to $187 billion. Relying heavily on its copper, cattle, cotton, citrus and tourism industries, the state offers amazing business and employment opportunities. Arizonas largest employers are the state government and Wal-Mart.
For recreation, Arizona delights its millions of residents and visitors with activities like hiking, swimming, hunting, boating and fishing. The state is conveniently accessible via highways and freeways as well as served by several airports, public bus transit systems and light rail system.
Arizona Residential Real Estate
The largest city in Arizona is Phoenix while Paradise Valley is considered to be the wealthiest. In terms of population, Tucson has the most number of residents, reaching one million in 2007.Since there are more sellers and buyers, particularly of single family housing units, there are many Arizona residential properties to choose from. Depending on the city or village, median home prices can range from $250,000 to $600,000. There are over 2.5 million housing units recorded as of 2005, with a percent change of 16.2 percent from 2000. Most residential homes are owner-occupied although the number of rental homes is considerably increasing.
Residential properties for sale include town houses, condominium units, single- and multi-family units. These housing units are primarily located in residential neighborhoods, near school and park districts.
Scottsdale is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. Scottsdale has become internationally recognized as a premiere and posh tourist destination, while maintaining its own identity and culture as "The Wests Most Western Town." However, despite this motto, in the 1970s, most construction of new horse corrals was prohibited. What had, in the twentieth century been vacant desert, was converted to urban or suburban environment. As of the 2000 census, the city is the 83rd largest city in the United States, with a population of 202,705. According to 2007 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 240,410, moving Scottsdale into the 77th position on the 100 largest cities list.
History Of Scottsdale Arizona
Scottsdale was originally inhabited by Hohokam. From circa 300 BC to 1400 AD, these ancient civilizations farmed the area and built some of the most ingenious irrigation canals the world has ever known. The name Hohokam translates as "vanished," as the civilizations mysteriously disappeared without a trace.Before European settlement, Scottsdale was a Pima village known as Vaá¹£ai Svaá¹£onÄ, meaning "rotting hay." Some Pima remained in their original homes well into the 20th century. For example, until the late 1960s, there was a still-occupied traditional dwelling on the southeast corner of Indian Bend Rd. and Hayden Rd. By now, however, all Pima have either moved into modern homes within Scottsdale (mainly in South Scottsdale), to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, or elsewhere.
The Hohokams truly unbelievable legacy was in their creation of more than 125 miles (200 km) of canals to provide water for their agricultural needs. The remnants of this ancient irrigation system were adapted and improved upon in 1868 by the first Anglo company to stake a claim in the Valley of the Sun, when Jack Swilling set up the Swilling Irrigation Canal Company.
Twenty years later Scottsdales future would turn sharply upwards, when a U.S. Army Chaplain, Winfield Scott, paid the paltry sum of $2.50 an acre for a 640 acre stretch of land where the city is now located. Winfields brother, George Washington Scott, was the first resident of the town that was then known as Orangedale and later changed to Scottsdale in 1894.
In 1937, internationally renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright set up his "winter camp" at the foot of the McDowell Mountains, creating what is now known as Taliesin West. Scottsdale, and the rest of Phoenix, have seen an everlasting influence from Frank Lloyd Wright. Many buildings throughout the region were designed by the famous architect. Today, a Frank Lloyd Wright memorial stands in North Scottsdale and a major street bears his name.
During the 1950s through the 1970s, several large manufacturing companies in the Scottsdale and Tempe areas used the solvent trichloroethylene (TCE) in their manufacturing and operating processes. In 1981, TCE began to show up in two Scottsdale drinking wells, and in 1983, the Indian Bend Wash superfund site was listed on the Environmental Protection Agencys National Priorities List. Physical construction of cleanup systems was completed by 2006, with soil cleanup expected to be completed in five years and groundwater cleanup completed in 30 years.
Real estate development had begun in what is now the Old Town area, and moved south. With Phoenix bordering the west and an Indian reservation bordering the east, the town (which is now the long, narrow, extreme southern portion of Scottsdale) developed its narrow shape, stopped by Tempe in the south, and an enormous privately owned ranch, McCormick Ranch to the north. Indian Bend Wash, a rarely flowing river (completely dry otherwise), bisected the city lengthwise, and the normally dry riverbed carried a significant river of water during what were supposed to be rare periods of heavy rains, so called "99 year floods", flowing into the long dammed up Salt River. As the city was home to mostly lower middle class suburbanites, there was no money for bridges over such a rarely running, normally dry river, so even major roads that crossed it simply ran right down into the river bed and out the other side.
When the wash flowed, it flowed for days, and there were no crossings: one had to drive to Tempe and over the Salt River to get around it. Schools had to be closed because the teachers couldnt get through. It flowed several times in the 60s during a succession of floods that were only supposed to occur every 99 years, and became the bane of city residents. How the city dealt with it, and what happened to McCormick Ranch shortly thereafter cemented Scottsdales status among the cities of Tempe, Mesa and Phoenix.
As Indian Bend Wash flowed more and more frequently in the late 1960s, federal tax dollars were allocated to allow the Army Corps of Engineers to cement Indian Bend Wash as a large canal, and build bridges over it, similar to the storm drains of Los Angeles, but using wider canals. Doing so would allow the condemnation and purchase of the houses that had been built in the wash that the Federal government was required, under the Federal flood insurance laws at the time, to rebuild each time the wash flowed.
However, it was believed that grass would channel the water as effectively as a cement canal, and a vote was held to determine whether the city should use the federal money allocated for the cement canal to build a system of parks and golf courses in the bottom of Indian Bend Wash instead of a cement canal. Because it would bisect the long narrow city, this system of parks and golf courses would be within biking range of nearly every child in the city and very near houses and condos in which retirees might want to live.
However, the Army Corps favored the canal as a tried and true approach, the idea of grass to channel flood water in a wash was untried, the grass would have to be watered, and the mud from the now more frequently flowing wash would have to be removed from the parks when it flowed, increasing maintenance costs. Although it would require increased property taxes to maintain that the cement canal would not, and was somewhat controversial at the time, the city voted to install the system of parks and golf courses in the Wash, a move that was seen as bold, by a city that was at that time, not particularly wealthy. The park and golf course system was built in such a way as to minimize damage when the water flowed, placing buildings up high on berms, and leaving the remainder as grass, ponds or streams, relatively immune from water damage. The system worked as a flood control channel, and has been retained as parkland or golf courses ever since. The success of the park and golf course system paid off: because the parks and golf courses followed closely on the heels of the mass production of affordable heat pump air conditioners in the 1950s, Scottsdale quickly became a city to which families and retirees wanted to move. The city, still relatively poor, overspent on the park system, building the El Dorado public pool in a protected berm at one edge of the wash, for example, and ran out of federal money to build all of the bridges over the wash. However, the channeling of the wash allowed condos to be built in places along its newly narrowed western border, and money from the taxes paid on the newly usable land was used to finally complete the bridges years later.
Its money having been spent on the park system, the city of Scottsdale allowed the downtown area, immediately to the east of the central shopping district on Scottsdale Blvd. to decay, and by the early 1970s, the area became a swath of old abandoned wooden buildings with broken windows. However, shortly after the park system was built, Ms. McCormick, the owner of McCormick Ranch, died, and instead of preserving the ranch as mostly scrub land, the McCormick ranch/Scottsdale Ranch area of Scottsdale was developed into homes and business parks, and began to generate tax revenues for the city. Because of the rising status of the city from the newly-built parks and golf course system, the developers were able to upgrade the houses they built in what became the McCormick Ranch/Scottsdale Ranch portions of the city, which opened up Scottsdale to the north and added a wide eastern portion, bulging on the middle of the map shown above. The nuveau riche that quickly filled these more expensive homes became the butt of many jokes and the source of the "Snobsdale" nickname: both made by the lower middle class residents remaining in south Scottsdale, and the "old money" residents of
Paradise Valley and portions of Phoenix around Camelback Mountain who refused to move to Scottsdale; in spite of the relatively sparse recreational facilities of those areas. Nevertheless, the tax money that the city received from the development of McCormick Ranch was used to purchase the dilapidated area adjacent to Old Town via its powers of eminent domain, demolish the few remaining wooden buildings that had not by then been burned to the ground by vandals, and build a performing arts center and a restaurant row in place of part of it. The upscale locally owned restaurants that had been leaving the downtown area because of the blight were invited to be the first tenants in the restaurant row if they stayed in the area in the difficult years in which it and the arts center were built, and when the arts center and restaurants opened in the late to mid 1970s, it became another draw for the city.
Seeing the once narrow city of Scottsdale fan out to the north and east, the city council of Phoenix, feeling threatened by Scottsdales success in attracting residents, in a late night city council meeting, unexpectedly annexed a then undeveloped six foot wide, miles long stretch of county land north of Phoenix, immediately to the west of McCormick Ranch, effectively extending that western boundary for miles. Because city services would have to be provided on any annexed land, the merely 6 foot wide limit allowed Phoenix to annex the portion inexpensively, yet the annexation effectively blocked the increasingly successful Scottsdale from annexing over the strip, thus preserving the mostly straight western boundary of Scottsdale that exists today. Furious at the late night secretive manner in which the annexation was accomplished, the city council of Scottsdale annexed an adjacent strip on what was now "its" side.
During this period, the city government of Scottsdale was seen as one with progressive ideas. The city passed one of the earliest sign ordinances, restricting the size and height of signs and billboards, ostensibly using its power to protect the safety of residents it claimed were getting into traffic accidents craning their necks to see higher and higher signs, but widely believed to be implemented for aesthetic reasons. The ordinance was highly controversial at the time, and Scottsdale had to defend it in front of the U.S. Supreme Court, but now such ordinances are widespread. Scottsdale also contracted out its fire department, in what was to be a wave of the privatization of operations of city government that never really materialized. Freed of traditions, and afraid of lawsuits if it used the dark red color of firetrucks of other cities in the U.S., the company that took over the contract painted the fire engines a fluorescent greenish yellow to make them more noticeable.
From its official incorporation in 1951 with a population of 2000, the town of Scottsdale has grown to a 2004 Census estimate of 221,792. It is now Arizonas fifth-largest city, and one of its most celebrated. Scottsdale is commonly defined by its high quality of life, and in 1993 was named the, "Most Livable City," in the United States by the United States Conference of Mayors.[3] This title is notoriously lampooned across the state because of the high cost of living in Scottsdale. It is continually ranked as one of the premier golf and resort destinations in the world, with a sizable portion of tax revenue being derived from tourism. It is also home to the FBR Open Golf Tournament held at the Tournament Players Club, which carries the distinction of the best-attended event on the PGA Tour. In 2006, Scottsdale will begin hosting a second PGA Tour event, known as the Frys Electronics Open. The city continues to see rapid growth, mainly in the northern areas of the city.
Cityscape of Scottsdale Arizona
The city is loosely divided into four areas: South Scottsdale (McKellips Road north to Chaparral Road), Old Town (Downtown) Scottsdale, Central Scottsdale (also known as the, "Shea Corridor"; extends from Chaparral Road north to Shea Boulevard), and North Scottsdale. The real estate market in Scottsdale is among the most expensive in the United States. In 2005, both Scottsdale and Paradise Valley were among the top ten markets in the nation for luxury home sales, and the only two cities outside of California. Paradise Valley was ranked ninth with $637 million in luxury home sales, while Scottsdale was ranked tenth with $594 million in luxury home sales.
South Scottsdale has been known for many years as more or less the working class region of Scottsdale, although today it is transforming into a dynamic urban area. It contains the major nightlife for the area and is a major art center of metro Phoenix. The median resale home price is $291,500, compared to $667,450 in North Scottsdale. South Scottsdale will also soon be home to a new research center for Arizona State University.
Old Town Scottsdale is an area with many streets, stores, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, and western art galleries evoking the old cowboy era. New development is being built in the area. The Scottsdale Waterfront Residences anchor the once desolate Arizona Canal banks, and no less than five new ultra-luxury condominium towers are under construction. There are over 20 hotels in the area, including The Mondrian Scottsdale (formerly The James Hotel), the Hotel Indigo, the Scottsdale Marriott Suites Old Town, and the Hotel Valley Ho. Three new hotels are also planned to open in Scottsdales prime nightclub district, the W Scottsdale Hotel and Residences, the Ritz Carlton Paradise Valley, and the 1 Hotel and Residences. Scottsdales main cultural district is also in this area, which includes the high-end Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall, one of the twenty largest malls in the United States, and the newly constructed Shops at the Waterfront, both of which offer eclectic variety for shoppers and diners.
The Shea Corridor, so named because it a region of north-central Scottsdale in close proximity to the east-west running Shea Boulevard, and is primarily a residential section of town, with suburban-style businesses and shops. Real estate in the Shea Corridor (Central Scottsdale) has increased during the 1990s, and overall, the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale real estate market has seen the largest gain in home prices in the nation, with a 38.4% increase in value.
North Scottsdale is currently the most actively developed area of Scottsdale, and is one of the most expansive and expensive areas in Scottsdale. The citys borders rapidly expand to the east and west in this area, containing the McDowell Mountain range. Homes in North Scottsdale see median values of $667,450.
Annual cultural events and fairs
The Wests Most Western Town prides itself in its rich Western cowboy history, preserving while heavily promoting its plethora of "western" activities and events. The renowned Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show has been a Scottsdale tradition since 1955. Today, the show attracts thousands of visitors and tourists, hoping to catch a glimpse of nearly 2000 purebred Arabian and Half-Arabian horses competing for various prizes and recognition. The show also features over 300 vendors and exhibitions, and over 25 demonstrations and shows.
Perhaps the most famous present-day cowboy event is the Scottsdale Jaycees Parada del Sol, an annual month long event held in Scottsdale since 1954. Originally named The Sunshine Festival, the PRCA Rodeo was added in 1956. Cowboys and cowgirls from across the nation converge in Scottsdale to participate in this cultural and historical event. The event begins each year with the Parada del Sol, the worlds largest horse-drawn parade with over 150 entries in any given year.
North Scottsdale hosts the Barrett-Jackson Auto Show, an auto enthusiasts and collectors auction, in January of every year. The show features many exotic automobiles, and attracts car enthusiasts from all over the world.
