Once known as the West’s Most Western Town, Scottsdale is a city in Maricopa County that’s 10 minutes from the heart of Phoenix. Though it was once home to many cattle ranches, Scottsdale has since grown into a city with a population of over 240,000. Retirees and snowbirds flock to the area from late October to early May, but many residents are full-time. “People are attracted to Scottsdale for our sunny weather, amazing restaurants and golf and just the overall quality of life you have here,” says Darren Tackett of eXp’s Tackett Team, a Realtor specializing in the area. “We have very low crime; our city is fairly new, so everything looks and is maintained well; and the shopping, dining and other amenities you expect in a metro area are world-class.” Spanning over 180 square miles, Scottsdale borders most of Phoenix’s eastern edge north of the Salt River, but the city maintains a culture of its own despite the proximity to the capital.
According to Phoenix Realtors, the cost of a single-family home in Scottsdale rose more than 8% from 2023 to 2024, putting the median just shy of $1 million. The median price for a townhouse or condo sits closer to $500,000, but that figure also continues to climb. Some properties date back to the 1960s, but Scottsdale continues to see growth and new construction. Phoenix Realtors notes homes spend about 71 days on the market, a decrease from the 2023 average of 76 days. Homes in the southernmost part of Scottsdale account for most sales, particularly near Old Town Scottsdale. Home sales in the north are often related to golf-course and mountainside communities like Legend Trail. Because Scottsdale spans over 30 miles from north to south, its prices vary depending on natural views, lot sizes and proximity to downtown Phoenix. “As far as the typical cost of a home, that is hard to quantify, as I see homes listed from $600,000 to $54 million in Scottsdale,” Tackett says. “If you had to break it down to averages, my guess is the majority look between $800,000 to $2 million.”
Though Scottsdale spans from Desert Mountain to Papago Park, most residents can reach green spaces in less than a mile. The city includes over 15 county parks and 20 neighborhood parks. Popular destinations include Scottsdale Ranch Park because of its lighted tennis courts, as well as Chaparral Park — a 100-acre green space with a dog park and fishing lake in its borders. Trails weave throughout the city, and trailheads connect locals to the Arizona Canal Path and Crosscut Canal Path. Golf courses are a stone’s throw from North Scottsdale Road to the east and west, including McCormick Ranch Golf Club and the Tournament Players Club Scottsdale’s Stadium Course in central Scottsdale.
Scottsdale maintains an entertainment scene of its own, allowing residents to attend either local events or activities in Phoenix. “Spring Training and Waste Management are the two largest events that people love to attend,” says Julie Cegelski, founder of the Housewarming Project, a home goods business in Old Town Scottsdale. Scottsdale Stadium hosts the San Francisco Giants for spring training at the city's southern end, and the Waste Management Phoenix Open takes place during the winter at TPC Scottsdale.
Old Town Scottsdale sits in the southernmost part of the city, nearest to central Phoenix, and offers a walkable urban landscape that spans from Scottsdale Fashion Square to the Arts District and Civic Center Park. Across its nine districts, downtown Scottsdale encompasses most of the city’s restaurants, art galleries and shopping destinations. Though Scottsdale is commonly associated with its senior population, the area has a vibrant nightlife scene with spots from cocktail lounges to casinos, most of which are south of the canal.
Commutes to Phoenix require a 10-mile drive west along Loop 202 or a ride on Valley Metro’s 17 bus. Scottsdale is just over 15 miles from Intel’s Chandler Campus and about 10 miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Because the population surges from fall to spring, traffic is notably higher from October to May.
Students can attend Scottsdale Unified School District, which earns an A from Niche and ranks as the second-best district in the Phoenix area. SUSD features a 92% graduation rate and a student-teacher ratio of 17-to-1. Several private options are also available in Scottsdale, including Brightmont Academy and the International School of Arizona. For higher education, Scottsdale Community College enrolls over 7,000 students and offers 200 programs for associate degrees and certifications across nine fields.
Scottsdale’s violent and property crime rates fall below the national average. “You have amazing restaurants, hotels, concerts and sports events, but you know your neighbor, you feel safe walking around at night and have a great sense of community,” Cegelski says. According to Arizona’s Crime Statistics, Scottsdale saw an overall 3.41% drop in crime from 2022 to 2023. Of about 2,100 arrests made in 2023, 24.3% were crimes against society, 17% were crimes against property, and 10.8% were crimes against a person. While reported crimes continue to drop in Scottsdale, the Scottsdale Police Department reports that since 2020, response times have increased to just over 6 minutes.
The average high temperature exceeds 90 for five months of the year. Winter lows hover around the mid-30s, while summer highs exceed 100 degrees. According to Risk Factor, 78% of the properties in Scottsdale may be impacted by wildfires by 2055. The City of Scottsdale advises residents to “prevent a continuous path of flammable materials leading to inhabited structures” to minimize the risk of fire for homeowners. Though the summer heat comes with risk, the mild winters draw in retirees and snowbirds, and according to the United States Census Bureau, about 25% of Scottsdale’s population is comprised of people 65 and older. “If you are moving here, keep in mind it's getting busy, so housing is difficult to find,” Cegelski says. “And, well, it gets hot. June through September are tough.”
