HOUSING & NEIGHBORHOODS
TOURISM New residents aren’t the only ones who flock to Phoenix. Tourism is one of the metropolitan area’s leading businesses, and employs about 300,000 people year-round to support this thriving industry. Those who live here find the relationship with tourism is a profitable one both financially and person- ally – as a result, restaurants, retail centers and recreational outlets targeted to tourists are available to them all year. Large-scale conventions and trade shows are held in the Phoenix Civic Plaza as well as the Cardi- nals Stadium, when they are not playing of course.. The convention and meeting industry is an important one, injecting more than $7 billion into the area economy. The ease of getting to and from the Valley boosts its status as a popular vacation and convention destination. Once visitors find they have arrived there are approximately 60,000 motel and hotel rooms available in properties ranging from five-star resorts in Scottsdale to genteel bed and breakfast inns to sleek business hotels in downtown Phoenix. The airport system includes Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, which is the seventh busiest in the country for passengers and the eighth busiest in the world for takeoffs and landings. Nearby Deer Valley and Goodyear airports are also busy, and contribute to the more than 400,000 jobs that are provided by the Phoenix airport system. COMMUNITIES IN THE AREA Just as Phoenix is the hub of commercial activity in the Southwest, it has also become the center around which more than twenty communities have grown in an area collec- tively known as the “Valley of the Sun.” Some of the Valley communities are well known beyond the Arizona state line: Scotts- dale is a popular resort destination, Tempe is the home of Arizona State University, Para- dise Valley is a town as idyllic as its name, and Sun City is home to active retirees. Two communities with large populations that deserve a second look are Mesa and Glendale, the state’s third and fourth largest cities after Phoenix and Tucson. Just to
the southeast, Chandler and Gilbert are becoming well-known magnets for both young families and high-tech manufacturing firms. Located above the Valley to the northeast in the McDowell Mountains, and only fifteen minutes from the nearest city is Fountain Hills, prized by its residents for its solitude. The sister communities of Cave Creek and Carefree to the north comprise another secluded area, with rustic ranch spreads and million-dollar adobe homes. The West Valley communities of Peoria, Avondale, Tolleson and Litchfield Park offer family-oriented lifestyles and affordable housing. The outlying farming communi- ties of Goodyear, Buckeye and Surprise are rapidly mirroring the expansion of the clos- er-in West Valley communities. To meet the strong demand for new homes in Phoenix and the Central Arizona area, homebuilders have had to keep up with demand. Shea Homes is a leading Arizona builder and winner of numerous local and national awards, including the Professional Builder of the Year and America’s Best Builder awards. Shea Homes was ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction among New Home Builders in Phoenix.” It should come as no surprise, then, that Shea Homes has designed homes in more than 32 neighborhoods throughout the region, from Chandler and Maricopa to Gilbert and Peoria. Neighborhoods featuring homes built by Shea Homes include the exceptionally desirable master-planned communities of Totosa and Rancho Mirage in Maricopa, Old Stone Ranch and Avalon in Chandler, Seville Golf & Country Club in Gilbert, Canyon Trails in Goodyear and Vistancia in Peoria. Choices range from attainably priced homes for first-time buyers to grand-scale residences of incomparable spaciousness and luxury, representing the full spectrum of new homes in Phoenix and the surrounding area. “Many of the potential buyers that visit our communities ask about our model homes because they include so many options
and added features, both inside and out,” says Ken Peterson, the Arizona Division Vice President of Shea Homes Sales and Marketing. “We are very happy to be able to offer these homes for immediate sale. They are an incredible value, and are located in some of our most popular, amenity rich neighborhoods, many nearing close-out, which makes these homes one of the last opportunities to live in these communities.” FINDING THAT DREAM HOME With the constant influx of newcomers to Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun come new ideas and new ambitions, creating a vibrant atmosphere that frees people to pursue their vision of the American Dream. Finding a place to live is one of the most exciting expe- riences a newcomer to the Phoenix area can have. With the help of a trained real estate professional, those new to the area can be assured of making an informed decision about one of the most important invest- ments ever made in their lives – the purchase of a home. Realtors can be found through recommenda- tions from friends, coworkers, family, or by contacting the local board of realtors to find a real estate professional in the area. Using a realtor’s expertise and knowledge to become educated about the Phoenix area and the amenities offered in the different neighbor- hoods will go a long way toward making the house-hunting experience an enjoyable one.
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