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Renting an Apartment in The East Side
What You Should Know
The eastern side of Phoenix contains some of the city's most desirable
neighborhoods. The Biltmore area near 24th Street and Camelback Road has become
Phoenix's ritziest intersection. Stretching east, several mid-rise offices and
condos line what is known as the Camelback Corridor. The area gets its name from
the Arizona Biltmore Resort. This Phoenix landmark has pampered guests since the
1920s. Its lush grounds and golf courses are surrounded by some of the most
exclusive homes in the Valley. East of the Biltmore area is the Arcadia
neighborhood. Located at the base of Camelback Mountain, Arcadia contains
well-kept homes on large lots. Built on former citrus groves, Arcadia is known
for well-irrigated, mature landscaping. Several yards prominently feature
orange, lemon and grapefruit trees as reminders of the area's past.
The eastern suburbs of Phoenix are generally called the East Valley. The
Northeast Valley is home to Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Fountain Hills,
Carefree and Cave Creek. The Southeast Valley is home to Tempe, Mesa, Chandler,
Gilbert, Queen Creek, and Apache Junction. Although they are considered suburbs
of Phoenix, many of these cities have quite unique identities and sizable
populations of their own.
Sandwiched between Phoenix and Scottsdale is the small town of Paradise Valley.
Northeast of downtown Phoenix and the Biltmore area (and on the other side of
Camelback Mountain from Arcadia), Paradise Valley features the most expensive
real estate in Arizona, and consists almost entirely of single-family homes on
one acre lots. As a result, the median housing price reached $1.39 million in
early 2006. This town of about 14,000 residents also has the highest per capita
income in Arizona.
East of Paradise Valley and Arcadia is Scottsdale, with the signature tagline of
being "The West's Most Western Town." Known for its world-class resorts, golf
and shopping, Scottsdale is the center of the Phoenix area's hospitality
industry. The city features mostly upscale housing, with a median housing value
of about $570,000 in early 2006. The newest and most expensive parts of
Scottsdale are in the northern parts of the city abutting the McDowell
Mountains, but Scottsdale also has a rather dynamic downtown area. Nearly 2,000
residential units are under construction in and around Old Town, with some
mid-rise buildings reaching up to thirteen stories tall. This $2 billion in
residential redevelopment is changing downtown Scottsdale's image of staid art
galleries and tourist-oriented shops. For many years now, downtown Scottsdale
has been the hub of ultra-hip nightlife and fine dining. South of downtown, the
southern portion of Scottsdale contains many neighborhoods dating from the
Valley's post-war boom. Plans by Arizona State University to build a bioscience
campus in south Scottsdale have helped spark a renewed interest in the area.
Located south of Scottsdale, Tempe is the home of Arizona State University and
the Sun Devils. Tempe boasts a vibrant economy, liveable neighbourhoods, and the
Valley's most dynamic downtown. Tempe is second only to central Phoenix as an
employment hub in the Valley. Downtown Tempe centers on Mill Avenue, where an
eclectic mix of restaurants, night clubs and shopping attracts a wide range of
visitors. Local festivals such as Oktoberfest, the Fall Festival of the Arts,
and the New Years Eve Block Party (the largest in the southwest and routinely
ranked as one of the top ten in the country) are extremely popular on Mill
Avenue. High-density residential development has also taken off in recent years,
with at least a dozen residential high-rises under construction or in the
planning phases, ranging up to 30 stories tall. Just north of downtown, the city
has constructed Tempe Town Lake in the dry bed of the Salt River. The lake's
unique urban setting has created a building boom along its shores. The roughly
two-mile-long lake is also the only place in the Phoenix area where sailboats
are a common sight. Arizona State University is located just south of Town Lake
and to the east of downtown Tempe. With over 50,000 students on its main campus,
ASU is now the largest university in the country. The synergistic relationship
between Tempe and ASU is vital to the city's economy. Beyond downtown and ASU,
Tempe is made up of mostly single-family residential neighborhoods. The city's
housing values have risen dramatically in recent years with many people drawn to
Tempe's central location and homes with mature trees and landscaping. South
Tempe has some of the southeast Valley's priciest homes.
East of Tempe is Mesa, the third-largest city in Arizona with nearly 450,000
people. Known for its affordable, family-oriented neighborhoods and strong
Mormon roots, Mesa is still largely a bedroom community. Downtown Mesa has
struggled to attract businesses and new development; however, the recent
completion of the Mesa Arts Center has raised hopes that the area will see a
turnaround. Following a massive boom in the 1970s and 80s, Mesa is working on
asserting itself as a major player in the Valley and finding ways to step out of
Phoenix's shadow. The area around Mesa's Williams Gateway Airport is poised to
become a major employment hub in the southeast Valley and the airport hopes to
establish regular commercial airline service.
South of Mesa, Chandler remained largely an agricultural community until a major
growth spurt beginning in the 1970s and accelerating through the 1990s. Much of
Chandler houses young families and middle-class professionals in newer stucco
and tile developments. With a large Intel presence, the city has also
established itself as a center of the high-tech industry in the Valley.
East of Chandler is the town of Gilbert. A small farming community of 5000 in
1980, Gilbert is today a city of over 160,000. Despite this dizzying growth,
Gilbert tries hard to retain its small-town feel and agricultural heritage. The
town is largely a bedroom community, but with the completion of the Santan
Freeway (Loop 202), Gilbert is seeing a flood of new economic development along
this future transportation corridor.