Scottsdale

Scottsdale is a city located in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA. Named by the New York Times as "The Beverly Hills of the Desert" and by Travel Channel as one of the most luxurious destinations in the nation, Scottsdale has become internationally recognized and regarded as one of the most expensive and posh areas in the United States and a premiere tourist destination. Old Town/South Scottsdale has many streets emulating the cowboy era, stores and primarily western art galleries. Scottsdale's number of art galleries is second only to New York City. It will also soon be home to a new research center for Arizona State University. Old Town/South Scottsdale extends from McDowell Road at the city's southern border, north to Osborn Road. Downtown Scottsdale/Civic Center/Fashion Square is very close to Old Town Scottsdale, overlapping only a mile south on Scottsdale Road. This area includes many restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. Streets are usually filled with walking traffic after 10:00pm on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, as Downtown Scottsdale has one of the highest concentrations of bars and nightclubs in the country. Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall is one of the ten largest malls in the nation, with many high-end tenants including Neiman-Marcus, Nordstrom, Macy's, Burberry, Lacoste, and Louis Vuitton. Loosely, this area extends from Osborn Road north to Chaparral Road. Central Scottsdale, an area where many shows and movies, such as Silk Stalkings, Beverly Hills 90210 and Clueless have come to shoot neigborhood scenes. Real estate in central Scottsdale is certainly booming, ranked as one of the "top 10 hot spots" by Fortune Magazine. Encompassing areas such as McCormick Ranch have seen real estate values jump from $4-500,000 to $700,000. Central Scottsdale routinely sees the demolition of older homes and new ones constructed. Some areas, such as Gainey Ranch, remain very expensive and highly desirable in the Phoenix area real estate market; homes in this area see median values in the $1-2 million range with many exceeding $5 million. This area extends from Chaparral Road north to approximately Shea Blvd. This area shares many similarities with the neighboring community of Paradise Valley, Arizona. North Scottsdale, where most new home construction takes place. North Scottsdale is by far the most expansive area in Scottsdale. The city's borders rapidly expand to the east and west in this area, occupying the McDowell Mountain range, now preserved from development by the city. Most of the city's dozens of golf courses are located in North Scottsdale, utilizing the varied desert mountain terrain to create some of the most beautiful courses in the country. Homes in North Scottsdale see median values in the $6-700,000.00 range, with most in the area exceeding $3-4 Million in value. Many of the most expensive homes in Scottsdale are located here, selling over $20, sometimes $25 million. This area is also famous for hosting the world-renowned Barrett-Jackson Auto Show. North Scottsdale also attracts car-enthusiasts from all over the world for its collection of luxury car dealerships including Maybach, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Saleen, Lotus, McLaren, Aston Martin, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and Maserati.