The Towns of: Scottsdale, Paradise Valley

Scottsdale was named by the New York Times as "The Beverly Hills of the Desert" and is considered to be one of the most luxurious resort destinations in the nation, Scottsdale has become internationally recognized and is regarded as one of the most expensive and posh areas in the United States and a premiere tourist destination.

It is home to the FBR Golf Tournament (formerly the Phoenix Open) which carries the distinction of the best-attended event on the PGA Tour.   It is also famous for hosting the world-renowned Barrett-Jackson Auto Show.  Once filled with Arabian horse farms, it today is home to  the largest Arabian horse show in the world. The Thursday evening art walks feature the finest artists while the five star restaurants are destinations in themselves.

Scottsdale is divided into three distinct areas.

North Scottsdale,

Central Scottsdale and

South Scottsdale- Old Town.

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North Scottsdale is where most of the new home growth is. It has sprawled to the edge of the preserved McDowell Mountains and continues to creep north well into the Tonto Forest areas. Most of the city's newest golf courses are located in North Scottsdale. The varied desert mountain terrain has been utilized to create some of the most beautiful and popular courses in the world.

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Central Scottsdale is generally considered to be between Chaparral and Shea. The area has two large shopping centers, one at the intersection of Shea and Scottsdale and the other at Shea and 90th Street. The gently sloping Shea corridor leading out past the Mayo Clinic to Fountain Hills has several smaller planned communities with and without golf courses. The views up to the hills and down to the city are enviable. The Indian Gaming Casino Arizona at Talking Stick is adjacent to the 101. The first Master planned community, McCormick Ranch, was built in the 1970s and was soon followed by others. Many of the homes today are still horse properties with magnificent Arabians routinely seen. The area was once the premier Arabian horse breeding center and each winter hosts the largest Arabian show in the country. Today many of  the older homes in Central Scottsdale (built in the 70's and 80's on acre lots) are being demolished and replaced by larger modern family homes. Homes in the Scottsdale and neighboring Paradise Valley school districts are very much desired for their school ratings.

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Paradise Valley in 1889 when the Rio Verde Canal Company turned this open grazing area into irrigated farmland;  three surveyors were so taken by the beauty and tranquility of the desert landscape that they named the area Paradise Valley. It claims Mummy Mountain as it's own and sits in the winter shadow of Stevie Nicks' "great beast" Camelback Mountain. It is about 15 square miles and has unique zoning in that it is purely residential with one home per one acre lot minimums. The residents have been successful in maintaining their original mission to maintain a residential community in a quiet country like setting with little government intervention. An exception to the exclusion of commercial growth is the Cosanti Gallery, built by Paoli Soleri prior to the town's incorporation. Today artisans there craft bronze and ceramic wind-bells which are world famous. A list of residents is akin to a Who's Who in the corporate and celebrity world. PV is home to several well known resorts with low profiles and multi stars. As the older homes are being demolished and larger ones built, the city fathers are waging war on height and size limits attempting to continue to preserve as much of Paradise as possible.

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Click here for more information on the city of Scottsdale

Click here for more information on the city of Pardise Valley