East Valley Communities
Chandler Gilbert Mesa Queen Creek Sun Lakes Tempe
SOUTHEAST VALLEY
Taking in the communities of Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Apache Junction, Sun Lakes, Ocotillo, and Queen Creek—the sprawling East Valley has experienced phenomenal growth in recent decades. While Arizona’s abundant sunshine and the natural beauty of the high desert continue to play a role in the area’s expansion, newcomers appreciate an array of advantages. Welcoming neighborhoods, broad streets, new residential and commercial construction, convenient access to regional freeways, progressive school districts, and first-rate municipal services are all part of East Valley living.
One of the most significant resources and economic boosts for the entire Valley of the Sun is located in this quadrant. Arizona State University in Tempe ranks first in size in Arizona and consistently vies for the position of the largest four-year public university in the entire nation. Outstanding libraries, museums, galleries, special events, and performing arts are all aspects of ASU enrichment. The combination of additional jobs for construction and staffing, as well as considerations of dollars poured into the economy by students, represents another staggering contribution.
Services
Manufacturing concerns have taken a leading role in the East Valley, multiplying almost exponentially in the leading communities of Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, and Gilbert. The area has developed a reputation as a home for high-tech firms, from giants like Intel and Motorola to highly successful small companies. An expanding freeway system enhances accessibility throughout the East Valley and greatly reduces travel time to key destinations. Interstate 10, the Los Angeles freeway connection, winds it way through the East Valley on the path south to Tucson. The Superstition Freeway or Highway 60 crosses the East Valley to provide exits at every major crossroad in every community between Tempe and the outskirts of Apache Junction at the foothills of the Superstition Mountains. Loop 202 or the Red Mountain Freeway enhances Tempe’s accessibility to the central and western sections of the city of Phoenix. Loop 101 cuts a wide swath through bustling Tempe into Scottsdale and across the northeast Valley into Northwest Phoenix. Sky Harbor International Airport is conveniently located on the border of Tempe and Phoenix.
Keeping pace with a growing economy and record-setting residential development, the East Valley is home to many new schools and first-rate healthcare facilities. These communities share the benefit of excellent primary and secondary public education systems, high achievement test results, and close proximity to the resources of Arizona State University. The Mesa Unified School District has gained national recognition for excellence in curriculum and support services. The cities of Mesa, Chandler, and Gilbert offer a local community college campus, ensuring convenient opportunities for continuing education and an affordable beginning to a four-year degree close to home. Other institutions of higher education in the East Valley include Arizona School of Health Sciences located in Mesa as well as Remington College, Collins College, the College of the Humanities & Sciences, the International Institute of the Americas, and Lamson College in Tempe. The cities of Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, and Tempe also provide extension services and classes for the University of Phoenix.
State-of-the-art healthcare is accessible throughout the East Valley, anchored by Mesa General Hospital and the Chandler Regional Hospital in Chandler; the Banner Desert Medical Center, the Banner Baywood Medical Center and the Banner Baywood Heart Hospital in Mesa; and Tempe St. Luke’s Hospital. Emergency care, walk-in treatment centers, medical centers, family practice clinics, and skilled professionals in every major specialty are available to meet every need from routine to advanced. Just a few miles from home are exceptional regional resources such as Phoenix Children’s Hospital and the world-renowned Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale.
Lifestyle
The many East Valley communities provide something for every resident, embodying everything “bright and beautiful” about the Valley of the Sun. New construction of community and cultural centers, fine retail malls and outlets, housing developments, and recreational amenities are expanding. Residents of this region also enjoy close proximity to one of the most diverse and popular recreational areas in the Valley, the Superstition Mountains. Famous for the legend of the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine, this rugged area is a natural playground for hiking, rock climbing, picnicking, visiting historic sites, horseback riding, and boating. Winding through the mountains is the historic and scenic Apache Trail, created in the early 1900s as a transport route into the Roosevelt Dam area. The 78-mile scenic byway parallels the ancient travel route of the Apache Indians through the Canyons of the Salt River, running along the mountain’s southern edges. The Roosevelt, Apache, and Canyon lakes offer water sports in scenic settings surrounded by towering cliffs and the hauntingly beautiful Sonoran desert.
The legacy and spirit of the “Old West” is alive in the East Valley, where ranches feature horseback riding adventures and cowboy-style cookouts, wagon and hay rides, petting zoos, mock gunfights, and other attractions. Gilbert draws visitors and residents to its annual rodeo extravaganza, one of the most impressive celebrations in the entire nation. Chandler’s outrageous Ostrich Festival is rated among the “Top Ten Unique Festivals in the United States,” while the award-winning Tempe Festival of the Arts stands in a class of its own as one of the largest arts and entertainment festivals in the entire Southwest. Just beyond the outskirts of Apache Junction, visitors flock to the annual Arizona Renaissance Fair. Nearly 2,000 costumed characters create constant mayhem and merriment in this 16th-century European Country Faire, one of the nation’s largest.
Adding a degree of sophistication to the East Valley is the City of Tempe. Music fans will find an eclectic lineup of concerts at the Marquee Theatre, while Gammage Auditorium at Arizona State University is a showcase of Broadway’s greatest hits. The Downtown Tempe Community is an active group that maintains a full calendar of special events from the Tempe Festival of the Arts to Arizona’s only outdoor ice-skating facility. World-class arts, important galleries, fascinating museums, shopping districts, the factory stores of Arizona Mills, and fine restaurants are all available in this friendly, progressive community. Mesa adds Fiesta Mall and a virtually endless variety of commercial centers and plazas to the East Valley scene, while Chandler boasts one of the Valley’s newest and most sought-after retail centers, Chandler Fashion Center.
The housing selection throughout the East Valley is abundant and attractive, from cozy bungalows in the well-established sections of Tempe and Mesa to elaborate, upscale residences in handsome new residential communities. Ahwatukee Foothills Village, whose residents boast one of the highest incomes per household in the entire Valley of the Sun, continues to draw new residents to exceptionally beautiful neighborhoods. Although the village actually falls under the jurisdiction of the City of Phoenix, it is aligned closely in geography and spirit with the East Valley cities—particularly with Tempe. Sun Lakes provides an active adult community with picturesque boulevards lined with stately palm trees and a wealth of recreational amenities. Considering the close cooperation between area residents, businessmen, and local governments, the East Valley seems ideally suited to manage the rapid growth that continues to transform this vibrant region. Expansion continues into the far reaches of once-sleepy rural areas like Queen Creek, spring to life with fine golf courses and residential neighborhoods.
MASTER-PLANNED COMMUNITIES
Throughout the Valley of the Sun, welcoming neighborhoods nestled in fine master-planned communities reflect the warm hospitality and casual elegance of the Southwest. The variety of architectural styles and community settings can accommodate every imaginable taste, lifestyle, and budget. Newcomers are able to select from a wide array of patio homes, charming villas, luxury townhouses, posh condominiums, elaborate estates, or ranch-style single-family homes. Many homes feature archways that lead into charming courtyards or privacy walls that ensure seclusion for artfully landscaped yards, covered patios and ramadas, sports courts, and pristine pools.
Some of the metropolitan region’s larger master-planned communities such as Sun City and Sun City West, Estrella Mountain Ranch, Arrowhead Ranch, Anthem, DC Ranch, and McDowell Mountain Ranch can provide all the amenities and conveniences of a small town. Schools, libraries, churches, shopping and services, recreational facilities, lush local parks, and connecting pathways create a true “community” atmosphere.
The following is just a small sample of the increasing number of residential villages, subdivisions, and planned communities that are available in the Southeast Valley
Ahwatukee Foothills Village, Pecos Road, I-10, Phoenix/Tempe. http://www.ahwatukeehoa.com/ Officially a Phoenix Urban Village, this magnificent master-planned development at the very edge of the city of Tempe boasts upscale residential enclaves. Residents can choose from such neighborhoods as The Foothills, Club West, Lakewood, Mountain Park Ranch, Mountain Ranch Estates, Pecos West, and Pointe South Mountain.
Augusta Ranch, Baseline & Ellsworth Roads, Mesa. http://www.augustaranch.org/ Recreational parks, a lush golf course, and linking pedestrian paths complement the peaceful community environment for single-family and multi-family residences.
Circle G, North Gilbert Road, Queen Creek. http://www.circleg.com/ Set against the rare beauty of the San Tan Mountains, Circle G offers an oasis of lovely homes and recreational amenities.
Dobson Ranch, South Dobson Road, Mesa. http://www.dobsonranchhoa.com/ Waterfront properties crown the diverse home sites surrounded by vast recreational amenities in this established but popular East Valley community.
Gold Canyon, South Kings Ranch Road, Gold Canyon. http://www.gcgr.com/ Beautiful homes nestle at the foot of the Superstition Mountains, surrounded by bike paths, hiking trails, and the velvet fairways of top-rated golf courses.
Las Sendas, Thomas & Power Roads, Mesa. http://www.thetrailhead.org/ Set against the scenic foothills of East Mesa, this 4,200-acre community offers upscale properties surrounding the spectacular golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr.
Ocotillo, Queen Creek Road, Chandler. http://www.oca-az.com/ Featuring 167 acres of sparkling lakes and water features, the mixed-use community of Ocotillo offers exceptional residential, commercial, and business opportunities.
Power Ranch, Power & Queen Creek Roads, Gilbert. http://www.powerranch.com/ Creating an intimate small-town atmosphere for family living, residential villages enjoy a large community park, sparkling lake, and elaborate clubhouse.
Red Mountain Ranch, East Teton, Mesa. http://www.rmrcc.com/ Recreational amenities include the country club with 18-hole Pete Dye-designed golf course, tennis courts, Olympic pool, fitness center, and clubhouse.
Sunland Springs Village, South Springwood Boulevard, Mesa. http://www.sunlandsprings.com/ Active-adult living in a recreational golf-course community that provides Superstition Mountain views includes a wide selection of housing that ranges from single-family to twins and condominiums.
Superstition Mountain, South Ponderosa Drive, Apache Junction. http://www.superstitionmountain.com/ Nestled within the privacy of this guard-gated enclave, 36 holes of a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course complements Tuscan-style residences in a lush desert setting.
Val Vista Lakes, East Lakeside Drive, Gilbert. http://www.valvistalakes.org/ Residents of this family-oriented enclave enjoy exceptional recreational amenities that include spacious sports parks, bicycle paths, lagoon swimming pool with beach, and a multi-million-dollar clubhouse filled with sports facilities.
