Ask residents here what they love most about living in Arizona and you’ll find as many answers as stars in the big open desert sky. For some it’s the Sonoran Desert with its wild open and beautiful vistas. For others it’s the lakes and golf courses that offer a delicious escape from the work-a-day world. Others claim that the real reason to live here is the culture and the affordable Phoenix housing market.

Rich History

Just as the Hohokam adapted the area to suit their needs so did the later inhabitants of the area. Phoenix’s modern history actually begins in 1868.   Jack Swilling organized the building of a canal and was able to divert enough water to raise a few crops. From there, Phoenix quickly developed into a town.  Cotton, cattle, citrus and copper known locally as the “Four Cs” were the cornerstones of its early twentieth-century economy. Before World War II Phoenix had been a sleepy little southwestern town.  Best known for having a climate that offered relief to asthmatics. In 1940 the city’s population was a mere 65000 and the largest of the surrounding towns was Mesa with 7000 people.

With the advent of WWII and the ensuing military buildup defense contractors searching for land water and a willing work force found everything they wanted in fledgling Phoenix. The defense contractors moved in bringing educated employees and a wealth of new jobs. Farmland and desert scrub were cleared to build massive plants that flew the banners of Goodyear Aircraft Corp. Today, AiResearch, Motorola, Sperry, Rand and General Electric are still among the city’s largest employers.

During the post-war years word began to spread that contrary to Saturday matinee Westerns Phoenix was a civilized city.  With abundant sunshine and recreational pleasures to spare. Phoenix began to see another boom.  This time fueled not by cattle or the mining industry but by lifestyle and economic opportunities.

A Great Place for a New Beginning

Many new to Phoenix are pleasantly surprised to find this city of the American Southwest is home to an international community.   The different languages heard on the street is reflective of modern-day Phoenix. Spanish is often heard here indicative of a city with a Hispanic population that comprises 34% of the city’s population.  While the mix of languages commonly heard around Arizona State University in Tempe attests to the college’s international influence on the area. The Phoenix calendar is filled with festivals and events that reflect residents’ Hispanic African-American,  Oriental, Native American and Anglo cultures. Hispanic and Native American heritage is especially influential and is expressed throughout the region.  In addition the Valley has a reputation as a popular retirement destination and the retirement community scene here continues to grow. Arizona has about one million residents 55 years old and older with a combined economic impact of about $16.8 billion.

New residents come to start a new job go to school or make a fresh start.  Only now they drive SUVs and minivans instead of the covered wagons popular in the late 1800’s. Phoenix has exploded to become the nation’s sixth most populous city with about 1.5 million residents. Unlike other cities that have grown slowly over time, Phoenix catapulted to this position in relatively short order. From a modest 17 square miles and population of 100000 in 1950 Phoenix has grown to encompass more than 430 square miles and the city’s population has grown exponentially.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau the Phoenix metro area is home to four of the fastest-growing suburbs: Buckeye with a growth rate of 23 percent Surprise with a growth rate of 22 percent Goodyear with a growth rate of 13 percent and Avondale with a growth rate of 8 percent annually.

Sunny Days Ahead

The three primary reasons people move to the Valley of the Sun are wages, weekends and the warm weather.  Nine months out of the year Valley residents enjoy pleasant spring-like temperatures. Summer brings the heat with temperatures often breaking 100 degrees during July and August with little humidity.  The monsoon season begins in August and helps replenish the water table and help bring back more moderate temperatures.

While the city of Phoenix is situated in the desert Arizona is far from being a dry desolate land. Vast canal works including the Central Arizona Project diverts water from the Colorado River over 200 miles away to help the desert bloom. Also, the reserves of runoff water provided by rain and snow in the northern mountain range of Arizona are accessible thanks to Roosevelt Dam just northeast of the Valley. As a result, the city’s waterworks landscaping designs for parks golf courses homes and boulevards often include palm olive pine and citrus trees. The sweet scent of orange blossoms fills the air in March and April. Roses poppies and hundreds of other flowers bloom almost all year.

Outdoor Fun

Economically, ethnically and culturally diverse Phoenix’s 300-plus days of sunshine a year make it a perfect match for an active on-the-go lifestyle. Those who call Phoenix home are often found outside enjoying the city’s natural beauty.   The area’s parkland outdoor and recreation facilities more than 1000 tennis courts, 150 golf courses, bike paths,  running paths and equestrian trails. Dozens of hiking clubs lead the way through the mountain ranges that surround the city while softball baseball and soccer leagues for all ages and skill levels abound.

Phoenix is home to the largest municipal park in the world. Covering 16,500-acres, South Mountain Park serves as the city’s southern border. A Mecca for hiking, biking and horseback riding South Mountain Park is the largest link in the chain of desert mountain parks known as the Phoenix Mountain Preserve.  After-work hikes to the top of Piestewa Peak and Camelback Mountain are a popular pastime while another 1700 acres of traditional city parks some with golf courses serve as oases of green throughout the city.

Trailered boats are a common sight as they zip along the Valley’s thoroughfares on their way to one of the five lakes that are just within a short drive from Phoenix. Water-skiing, power boating, sailing and fishing are popular water sports.   While raft trips down the alternately tranquil and turbulent Verde and Salt rivers are also popular.

Business

Phoenix is also a critical location for the semi-conductor industry.  As the third largest semi-conductor city in the nation,  Phoenix seals the international deal by bringing in talent from all over the world to keep on top of cutting edge technologies.  Leading private sector employers include Motorola Inc. US Airways Chase Bank Banner Health systems American Express travel related services Avnet Dial Corporation Apollo Group and Wells Fargo. Among the many companies with corporate or regional headquarters in the Valley are Intel Corp U-Haul International Phelps Dodge Corp. MicroAge Inc. Allied Signal and Boeing.

Tourism

New residents aren’t the only ones who flock to Phoenix. Tourism is one of the metropolitan area’s leading businesses and employs about 250000 people year-round to support this thriving industry. Those who live here find the relationship with tourism is a profitable one both financially and personally.  As a result restaurants retail centers and recreational outlets targeted to tourists are available to them all year. Large-scale conventions and trade shows are held in the Phoenix Civic Plaza. The convention and meeting industry is an important one injecting more than $5 billion into the area economy.

The ease of getting to and from the Valley boosts its status as a popular vacation and convention destination. Once visitors find they have arrived there are approximately 50000 motel and hotel rooms available in properties ranging from five-star resorts in Scottsdale to genteel bed and breakfast inns to sleek business hotels in downtown Phoenix. The airport system includes Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport which is the seventh busiest in the country for passengers and the eighth busiest in the world for takeoffs and landings. Nearby Deer Valley and Goodyear airports are also busy and contribute to the more than 300000 jobs that are provided by the Phoenix airport system.

Communities in the Area

Just as Phoenix is the hub of commercial activity in the Southwest it has also become the center around which more than twenty communities have grown in an area collectively known as the “Valley of the Sun.” Some of the Valley communities are well known beyond the Arizona state line.  Scottsdale is a popular resort destination and Tempe is the home of Arizona State University. Paradise Valley is a town as idyllic as its name and Sun City is home to active retirees.

Two communities with large populations that deserve a second look are Mesa and Glendale the state’s third and fourth largest cities after Phoenix and Tucson. Just to the southeast Chandler and Gilbert are becoming well-known magnets for both young families and high-tech manufacturing firms.  Located above the Valley to the northeast in the McDowell Mountains and only fifteen minutes from the nearest city is Fountain Hills prized by its residents for its solitude. The sister communities of Cave Creek and Carefree to the north comprise another secluded area with rustic ranch spreads and million-dollar adobe homes.  The West Valley communities of Peoria, Avondale, Tolleson and Litchfield Park offer family-oriented lifestyles and affordable housing. The outlying farming communities of Goodyear, Buckeye and Surprise are rapidly mirroring the expansion of the closer-in West Valley communities.

To meet the strong demand for new homes in Phoenix and the Central Arizona area home builders have had to keep up with demand. Shea Homes is a leading Arizona builder and winner of numerous local and national awards, including the Professional Builder of the Year and America’s Best Builder awards. Shea Homes was ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction among New Home Builders in Phoenix.”  It should come as no surprise then that Shea Homes has designed homes in more than 20 neighborhoods throughout the region from Chandler and Maricopa to Gilbert and Peoria.

“Many of the potential buyers that visit our communities ask about our model homes because they include so many options and added features both inside and out” says Ken Peterson the Arizona Division Vice President of Shea Homes Sales and Marketing. “We are very happy to be able to offer these homes for immediate sale. They are an incredible value and are located in some of our most popular amenity rich neighborhoods many nearing close-out which makes these homes one of the last opportunities to live in these communities.”

Finding That Dream Home

With the constant influx of newcomers to Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun come new ideas and new ambitions creating a vibrant atmosphere that frees people to pursue their vision of the American Dream. Finding a place to live is one of the most exciting experiences a newcomer to the Phoenix area can have. With the help of a trained real estate professional those new to the area can be assured of making an informed decision about one of the most important investments ever made in their lives – the purchase of a home.  Using a realtor’s expertise and knowledge to as you learn the Phoenix housing market will make your home buying experience a pleasant one.