Living in Scottsdale: A Neighborhood-by-Neighborhood Guide

Scottsdale stretches about 31 miles from its southern edge near Tempe to open desert in the north, so choosing a neighborhood here means choosing a terrain, a street pattern and a drive. Below, the major areas run south to north along Scottsdale Road, the city's spine, as the land rises from the flat valley floor to boulder-strewn foothills. Drive times to Old Town are approximate and assume light traffic.

Old Town

Location and terrain. The city's historic downtown covers just over one square mile of flat, walkable streets. The Arizona Canal runs through it, creating the Scottsdale Waterfront and the Soleri Bridge and Plaza, a pedestrian bridge designed by the architect Paolo Soleri.

Architecture and layout. A compact grid mixes Western-style storefronts, the Little Red Schoolhouse (built in 1909), the mid-century Hotel Valley Ho, and newer condominium and mid-rise buildings near the canal. Just north, the Villa Monterey historic district (built 1961 to 1969, around Chaparral and Miller roads) preserves a neighborhood from that era.

Amenities and landmarks. The 21-acre Scottsdale Civic Center holds the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art and Scottsdale Stadium, spring training home of the San Francisco Giants. Western Spirit: Scottsdale's Museum of the West is close by, galleries on Main Street and Marshall Way have held ArtWalk on Thursday evenings since 1975, and Scottsdale Fashion Square anchors the north end. The city runs a free trolley.

Drive to Old Town. You are already here.

McCormick Ranch

Location and terrain. This central Scottsdale community runs from Indian Bend Road north to the Shea corridor. The ground is flat and green, with a series of man-made lakes and open spaces that connect to the Indian Bend Wash Greenbelt, an 11-mile chain of parks, paths and golf courses built for flood control.

History and layout. Fowler and Anne McCormick assembled the ranch in the 1940s and 1950s, and it was sold to developer Kaiser-Aetna in 1970. Curving streets wrap around lakes and fairways, with more than 25 miles of bike paths.

Amenities and landmarks. McCormick Ranch Golf Club has two 18-hole courses, the Palm and the Pine. City parks include Mountain View, Comanche, Shoshone and Zuni, and McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, with train rides and railroad museums, sits on Indian Bend Road.

Drive to Old Town. About 10 to 15 minutes.

Gainey Ranch

Location and terrain. Gainey Ranch sits in central Scottsdale near Scottsdale Road and Doubletree Ranch Road. The land is flat, planted with palms and citrus around green fairways.

Layout and architecture. Begun as a master-planned community in 1980, it is guard-gated, with neighborhoods that wind around the golf course and range from condominiums to large single-family homes.

Amenities and landmarks. Gainey Ranch Golf Club has 27 holes in three nines (Lakes, Dunes and Arroyo), and the Grand Hyatt Scottsdale Resort, formerly the Hyatt Regency, sits on the property.

Drive to Old Town. About 10 to 15 minutes.

The Shea corridor

Location and terrain. Shea Boulevard crosses central Scottsdale east toward Fountain Hills, and the land climbs gently toward the McDowell Mountains as you go.

Layout and architecture. Expect established neighborhoods and master-planned communities, including Scottsdale Ranch, about 1,100 acres just east of McCormick Ranch, built around Lake Serena.

Amenities and landmarks. HonorHealth Scottsdale Shea Medical Center and Mayo Clinic's Scottsdale campus both sit on Shea. Scottsdale Ranch Park has a tennis center with 24 lighted courts. Farther east, the Lost Dog Wash and Sunrise trailheads open into the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, and Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West sits a short drive north.

Drive to Old Town. About 15 to 25 minutes, depending on how far east you are.

Grayhawk

Location and terrain. Grayhawk lies along Thompson Peak Parkway, west of Pima Road and just north of the Loop 101, on open desert with views of Pinnacle Peak and the McDowells.

Layout and architecture. About 1,615 acres mix condominiums, townhomes, villas, single-family homes and custom estates, in both gated and ungated enclaves.

Amenities and landmarks. Grayhawk Golf Club has two courses: Raptor, designed by Tom Fazio, and Talon, designed by David Graham and Gary Panks. Thompson Peak Park, HonorHealth Scottsdale Thompson Peak Medical Center and the preserve's Gateway Trailhead are nearby, with the Scottsdale Airpark to the south.

Drive to Old Town. About 20 to 25 minutes.

DC Ranch

Location and terrain. DC Ranch climbs into the McDowell foothills around Pima Road and Thompson Peak Parkway. DMB developed it in partnership with the Marley-Corrigan family, opening in 1997, and protected thousands of acres for the adjacent preserve.

Layout and architecture. Homes take their cues from the Sonoran Desert in earthy colors and materials, from condominiums to custom estates. More than 50 miles of landscaped paths link 47 neighborhood parks, the Desert Camp and Homestead community centers, and preserve trails. A Covenant Commission reviews architecture and landscape design.

Amenities and landmarks. Market Street at DC Ranch, at Pima and Thompson Peak, is the shopping and dining hub, and Market Street Park hosts a spring concert series. The Country Club at DC Ranch has its own 18-hole course.

Drive to Old Town. About 20 to 25 minutes.

Silverleaf

Silverleaf is a gated neighborhood within DC Ranch, higher on the McDowell slopes. Opened in 2002, it covers about 2,000 acres with roughly 700 custom and semi-custom homesites, many of an acre or more, in Mediterranean architecture. The private Silverleaf Club has an 18-hole Tom Weiskopf course and a spa. Plan on about 25 to 30 minutes to Old Town.

Troon and Troon North

Location and terrain. In far northeast Scottsdale, Troon sits east of Alma School Road around Troon Mountain, and Troon North wraps the northern foothills of Pinnacle Peak between Pima Road and Alma School Parkway. Expect the city's most dramatic terrain: granite boulders, arroyos and saguaros.

Layout and architecture. Custom homes, townhomes and villas sit on irregular lots that follow the land, in guard-gated, gated and ungated neighborhoods.

Amenities and landmarks. Troon North Golf Club on Dynamite Boulevard plays the Monument and Pinnacle courses, and the Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North is nearby. Pinnacle Peak Park's trail runs 2 miles one way with about 1,300 feet of cumulative gain (no dogs or bikes), and the Tom's Thumb and Brown's Ranch trailheads are a short drive.

Drive to Old Town. About 30 to 40 minutes.

Before you choose

Spend a weekday morning and a Saturday night in any area you are considering. Drive to the grocery store, the trailhead and Old Town at the hours you actually would, and the map will make sense quickly.