AREA OVERVIEW
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Phoenix is different than most
other cities. Although it is the hub of the major businesses
in Arizona and holds most of the major events, it shares many
amenities with the other surrounding communities like Scottsdale,
Tempe, Mesa, Glendale and others.
When Phoenix was first being
built, the leadership decided to develop Phoenix in different
neighborhoods. They split Phoenix into different areas that
all had separate shopping/business hubs. For instance, the
Biltmore area at 24th and Camelback is one of the most popular
areas in the state, yet it is 5-8 miles away from downtown
Phoenix. To this day, the city of Phoenix still develops and
manages the city within the neighborhood community theory.
The new areas of Phoenix, like Anthem and Desert Ridge, are
being developed in this way to help bring a sense of distinct
community to each area. Even today when you ask a Phoenician
where they live in the city, they will probably tell you something
like Arcadia, Anthem, Biltmore, Camelback Corridor, North
Central, South Mountain, Baseline Corridor, or Paradise Valley
to name a few.
The great part about Phoenix
is that you have the amenities of the big city, yet you have
the enjoyment of suburbia and the pristine beauty of nature
no less than a half hour away.
Schools: For the most part, Phoenix
School Districts are hit and miss. You have to truly dig deep
and research the best schools available in the area you are
looking in. There are many people in Phoenix who send there
children to private school, because of their dissatisfaction
with the schools in the older areas. I can tell you that the
best elementary school district in the City of Phoenix is
Madison Elementary School District. |
SCOTTSDALE
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| Scottsdale is known as the very
affluent part of Arizona. Therefore it has the large homes,
desert mansions, sprawling golf courses and beautiful scenery
that only the Sonoran desert can provide. Scottsdale was developed
as "The West's Most Western Town" and is known by
many as the best resort city in the world. Some Scottsdale Residents
believe that the population doubles in January, February and
March when the weather is perfect for golfing and tanning out
by the pool.
Scottsdale is divided into four distinct areas.
The first is south Scottsdale, which is where most of the
original Scottsdale homes were built in the 1950's, 60's and
70's. Then there's Old Town Scottsdale, that has all the art
galleries, dining, entertainment and shopping you could possibly
ask for. This is the most popular part of Scottsdale, since
it caters directly to the affluent crowd that resides and
visits Scottsdale. The third area is basically north of Camelback
road all the way to Bell/Frank Lloyd Right Blvd. This area
is full of many different communities that build in value
as you get further north. Most of the homes were built in
the 1970's and 80's. There is a mix of affluent and middle
class neighborhoods in this area. The fourth and final area
is known as the most affluent area of town and holds most
of Scottsdale's gorgeous world class golf communities. It
is the heart of the Sonoran desert and the homes in the area
reflect the affluent image that Scottsdale holds.
One of the best parts about Scottsdale is
the city built an extremely large park that snakes along Hayden
road. It is full of baseball fields, dog parks, lakes, golfing,
trails, basketball courts and much much more. At anytime during
the week, you will find people on their roller blades, fishing
in the lakes, taking their dog for a walk or riding a bike.
It's really one of the true gems that Scottsdale provides
for the community.
Schools: Scottsdale school district is one
of the best school districts in the nation. There testing
averages are the best in the state. There isn't a large amount
of diversity in these schools, so it makes for an unexposed
environment for many children who go to school in the Scottsdale
school district. By in large, you will be very happy with
your child's educational experience in Scottsdale.
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TEMPE
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| Tempe is a unique community. It
is home to the fourth largest University in the United States,
Arizona State University. Many of the people who live in Tempe
are either students or are staff that work at the university.
It is unique because of it's culture. It doesn't fit in with
the rest of the communities in the area. It is heavily influenced
by the college culture that surrounds it and the places they
come from. There are many apartments and rental communities
that tailor to the highly transient population that resides
in Tempe.
Tempe is small, yet is a big player when it
comes to sporting events and overall culture in the Phoenix
area. It has been home to every major event in Arizona since
the 1960's, including Super Bowl XXX, the Fiesta Bowl, NFL
Arizona Cardinals Football, ASU Football, NCAA Tournaments,
Cactus League and some of the biggest concerts in Arizona
history. Although recently, there have been other major events
held in Downtown Phoenix, such as the 2001 World Series and
others.
Tempe is always on the move to be a progressive
city. Recently, Tempe has been developing something called
the Tempe Town Lake or the Rio Salado Project. It is the largest
development project in Arizona history. The north side of
Tempe is split by the Salt River, which has been dry for several
decades now because the water has been diverted to the farming
communities. So Tempe decided to build two deflatable dams
at the east and west side of the city and then fill the river
bed with water. They've basically turned a river into a lake
and in doing so, they are making one of the most progressive
development projects in the nation. The best part about the
Tempe town lake is the Fourth of July celebration. They've
only held it for two years now and in the second year, decided
to hold it on both the third and fourth because of all the
people who flooded the area to see the fireworks on the lake.
Schools:Tempe school
district tests around the national average for their Stanford
9 test scores. The diversity level in Tempe is very high.
Tempe is an interesting mix of students, there are children
of professors, a high Native American population, a larger
than normal African American population and many Hispanics
in the area. Tempe has good schools and is a great place to
raise your children, but you have to research the things that
matter to you most. |
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