Interesting Facts about Phoenix Arizona
You'll find Saguaro cacti in the yards in Ahwatukee (pronounced
ah-wah-too-kee), a southern suburb within the Phoenix city limits. Brown
landscapes, or xeriscapes -- desert plants, gravel and dirt --are
especially common in Ahwatukee, where many residents avoid
water-guzzling lawns. With retail development recently booming and
schools with favorable student-teacher ratios and relatively affordable
housing, Ahwatukee readily attracts families. A typical house runs about
$250,000. The nearby South Mountain Park Preserve offers miles of rugged
trails and desert scenery. One mixed blessing: To get around South
Mountain, which gives this isolated suburb-in-the-city much of its
charm, most drivers have to hit the congested Interstate 10 when headed
downtown.
In stark contrast to Ahwatukee's desert foliage are the lush green lawns
of Arcadia, a neighborhood that sits on the Phoenix and Scottsdale city
line. Arcadia is a former orange grove with its own irrigation system,
and rows of citrus trees line its blocks of quaint homes built in the
1950s and 1960s on large lots.
Because Arcadia is so highly regarded for its greenery and
high-performance schools, which are in the Scottsdale system, prices are
on the high end: Starter homes begin at $300,000. Homeowners tend to do
a lot of remodeling, adding much diversity to the once similar-looking
homes; it's not uncommon to see a country cottage adjacent to a Spanish
hacienda. Residents brag about being close to Scottsdale's high-end
shopping, a world-class resort, arts centers and good restaurants, as
well as downtown Phoenix.
For real proximity to downtown Phoenix, head for the Encanto-Palmcroft
district, where many houses date back to the 1920s. But the convenience
costs. Smaller houses and fixer-uppers fetch about $250,000, while
statelier homes attract urban professionals who shell out $500,000 and
up. The neighborhood abuts 200-acre Encanto Park, another welcome patch
of green in this desert town
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