Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun - A Great Place to Live
This is the beginning of a series of blogs about the Phoenix area, affectionately known as the "Valley of the Sun".
Phoenix is a relatively new city from the historical standpoint. The Phoenix metropolitan area, or Valley of the Sun, is comprised of many cities with Phoenix at its core. In addition to Phoenix, there is Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, Gilbert, Chandler, Paradise Valley, Peoria, Glendale, Cave Creek and Carefree. Lest we not upset others in the area, we must point out that over the past decade some other towns and cities that are further out from the center of Phoenix have been growing at a phenomenal rate, and surely have many citizens that commute into the Phoenix core. They include Goodyear, Avondale, Tolleson, Surprise, Queen Creek and Buckeye. We, as real estate agents, tend to specialize in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe, so most of the info will cover those cities. We will cover some of our other cities in the future as well. Phoenix was ranked # 6 on Forbes Magazine's list of "Best Places to do business." Scottsdale was ranked #7 in Money Magazine's list of "Best Places to live." There are many other great rankings for Valley cities that we will discuss during the series.
The Valley of the Sun is so named because Phoenix has more than 300 sunny days a year and an average temperature of 74 degrees - an unbeatable combination that has made the city a prime destination for tourists, business and industry. The Valley part is also as obvious, as the view in all directions includes mountains. 
The remainder of the series will be broken into the following sections with more detail in each separate blog.
History and famous Phoenicians The history of the area is not like that usually found in the American history text books - like that of eastern cities and our nation's founding. Phoenix wasn't incorporated until 1881, and Scottsdale, although named officially in the 1890's, wasn't incorporated until 1951. The Valley's history lies in its Indian origins. Phoenix and Scottsdale were originally inhabited by the Hohokam. From circa 300 BC to 1400 AD, these ancient civilizations farmed the area and built some of the most ingenious irrigation canals the world has ever known. The name Hohokam translates as "vanished," as the civilizations mysteriously disappeared without a trace. The most accepted theory for their disappearance is prolonged drought.
Famous Phoenix area people include: Barry Goldwater (Senator), Steven Spielberg (Filmmaker), David Spade (actor/comedian), Alice Cooper (Musician), Sandra Day O'Connor (Supreme Court Justice), John McCain (Senator), Wayne Newton (Mr. Las Vegas). Countless others may not have been born here, but make the Valley their home.
Sports- This is a sports town coming into its own. Phoenix has long been a town with fans of other teams. There is such a large number of people moving here from other major cities that you can find many bars or clubs with their own "hometown" fan base. That is changing as new "Original" Phoenix teams are added. Phoenix has the 4 major professional sports teams: Arizona Diamondbacks, Phoenix Coyotes, Arizona Cardinals and Phoenix Suns. Other major professional sports teams include the Phoenix Mercury (WNBA), Arizona Rattlers (Arena Football), Arizona Sting (Lacrosse). Add to that rabid ASU Sun Devil fans, Cactus League Spring Training Baseball, Arizona Fall League Baseball, and Phoenix International Raceway, home of auto racing including premiere NASCAR events. The Phoenix area is known for its golf, and that is capped off by the FBR Open (formerly the Phoenix Open) on the PGA Tour.
Museums, the Arts and Parks: Phoenix may not have the classic, columned buildings many people think of as art museums, but we have some great institutions nonetheless. The Heard Museum is considered the foremost showcase of Native American art and culture in the U.S. The Phoenix Art Museum, AZ Science Center, Pueblo Grande Museum, Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix Zoo, Scottsdale Center for the Arts, & Ballet Arizona all offer great cultural experiences, as well!
Local Education: Arizona State University (ASU) is a dominant force in the Valley, especially in Tempe, where its main campus is located. Founded in 1885, the university has grown to be the largest in the country based on enrollment. It currently has four campuses throughout the valley, with another being built in South Scottsdale. The university is highly recognized for its engineering and business programs, and has been an integral part of space exploration with NASA. Thunderbird - The Garvin School of International Management, located in Glendale, AZ - is globally recognized as the premiere school for International Management. The University of Phoenix and - many Community colleges - also provide educational opportunities.
Local places of interest, restaurants: The Valley is known for outdoor activities. If golf is your game there are well over 100 courses throughout the Phoenix Metro Area, with more than half in Phoenix and Scottsdale. If hiking gets your blood flowing, there are numerous mountain park opportunities including Camelback Mountain, Piestewa Peak (formerly Squaw Peak), South Mountain Park, the McDowell Mountains, and many hiking and biking trails throughout the cities. Cultural history parks and museums, as well as water parks are found throughout the valley. The Phoenix metro area is fast becoming known as a wonderful culinary destination as well. There are too many to cover, but we will cover some of the gems.
Surroundings and travel - Let's face it, we're in the middle of a desert. There aren't many close major cities like on the east coast. When I was in Philly, NY, Baltimore and Washington, DC were all within a 2-2.5 hour drive. Tucson and its attractions are only 1.5 hours' drive. Many people spend time in the cooler climes of northern Arizona during the summer. Sedona, Prescott, Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon are easy drives to the north. Rocky Point (Arizona's Beach although it's in Mexico) is a 4 hour drive and Las Vegas, San Diego and L.A. are a 5-6 hour drive (1 hr flight).
We hope you have enjoyed this overview and we look forward to providing the meat to these categories in the upcoming posts.
Adam Tarr, ePro
Sharon Kotula, ABR
Your Phoenix Area Real Estate Source
RE/MAX Excalibur
Scottsdale, AZ
480-483-3333
info@WeAreAZRealEstate.com