Set in the Sonoran Desert, Phoenix is the focal point of a sprawling metro area that encompasses more than 20 cities and is nicknamed the “Valley of the Sun.” Originally settled by the Hohokam people, Phoenix was incorporated as a city in 1881 after attracting residents as a mining, farming and trading community near the Salt River. Today, Phoenix is the capital of Arizona and has a population of 1.6 million. The city is best known for its almost year-round sunshine, recreation and a thriving job market. "A lot of people come here for work or for the weather, sometimes just for a second home in the winter," says Dominick Montano, a Realtor with HomeSmart and owner of Phoenician Doors and Windows. Folks here can find everything from world-class golf resorts to downtown apartments to sidewalk-lined suburbia.
The metropolitan area has more than 5 million residents and is one of the fastest-growing places in the nation. Phoenix has a diverse mix of young professionals, families, retirees and college students. The city’s main industries are education, healthcare and entertainment, but manufacturing jobs have steadily increased as tech employers, like Taiwan Semiconductor and Honeywell Aerospace, move to the area. “Development is thriving in Phoenix right now. The city is revamping, growing taller and breathing new life into older areas,” says Tyler Blair, a real estate agent with Legacy Real Estate Team and over 10 years of experience.
Discover all the things at Phoenix’s Arizona Fall Festival.
Roosevelt Row has an incredible mix of new and old housing.
Phoenix is home to many young professionals who have tons of options for shopping and dining.
Explore the beauty of Ahwatukee's landscapes with fellow bikers in the community.
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Hot housing market
Driven by Phoenix’s growing population and industries, the housing market here is one of the hottest in the country. The median home cost is around $450,000, above the national price. Between fall 2023 and fall 2024, home prices increased by 2% across the board, and new homes are regularly being built. “You have everything from historic homes from the early 1900s and 1920s to the super modern new developments, and everything in between,” Montano says.
Central City and Downtown Phoenix has high-rise condo and apartment buildings, while quiet North Mountain Village offers late 20th-century ranch-style homes with mountain views. Master-planned communities, such as Kierland , often feature 21st-century New Traditional and custom homes. Heritage Square, a historic site, preserves some of Phoenix’s earliest homes from the 19th century, like Victorian-inspired cottages. The median home price in nearby Tempe is $475,000 and in Scottsdale it's $860,000. “Each neighborhood brings a unique flavor to the metro area and lets residents build their ideal life,” Blair says. Many homeowners here are investors who renovate and rent their homes to snowbirds — a regional term for someone who moves to a warmer state during winter.
Find your own magical home in Story.
Luxury single-story homes grace the Camelback East Village neighborhood.
Spanish style homes in Moon Valley were typically built from the 90’s to the 2000’s.
The Executive Towers in Midtown Phoenix can be seen for miles around.
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Academic opportunities in Phoenix
Over 300 schools in 30 public school districts serve the Phoenix metro area, and there are hundreds of private and charter options as well. The Phoenix Union High School District receives a C-plus overall from Niche and includes standouts like A-plus-rated Phoenix Union Bioscience High School and A-rated Phoenix Coding Academy. Public schools here have open enrollment, so kids may attend any school they choose, if classroom capacity permits. Top-rated alternative schools include Phoenix Country Day School, Brophy College Preparatory and Arizona Cultural Academy, all rated A-plus. There are also several colleges within Phoenix; Arizona State University is the largest, with a student body of nearly 11,000 at its downtown Phoenix campus.
Phoenix Coding Academy also has a small garden space on the side of their building.
Many Midtown Phoenix residents send their kids to Brophy and Saint Francis Xavier schools.
Arizona Cultural Academy offers cover parking for staff and students.
Bioscience High School focuses on supporting students through a rigorous curriculum.
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Hiking and biking the desert mountains
Phoenix offers around 180 parks, 30 recreation centers and 200 miles of multi-use trails on over 41,000 acres of park and mountain preserve land; there are also over 160 golf clubs. Regional parks protect Phoenix’s natural southwestern beauty and wildlife. South Mountain Park and Preserve, in the Ahwatukee area, is a highlight, where folks hike, bike and ride horses along dirt-packed trails through the Ma Ha Tauk, Gila and Guadalupe Mountain Ranges. The 222-acre Encanto Park is centrally located downtown and is popular for its two golf courses, community pool and sports complex with racquetball, pickleball and basketball courts. Encanto Lake is also part of the park, where locals can launch boats and cast their fishing lines for catfish and trout. The Salt River is another Phoenix go-to for water fun, like floating and tubing down the river. Another highlight is the Desert Botanical Garden in Papago Park, which offers an overview of Phoenix’s distinct desert flora.
Ahwatukee's dog-friendly community offers tail-wagging adventures for pups of all sizes.
A popular summertime activity for Phoenicians is to head east and cool off in the Salt River.
Tee off under the desert sun at the scenic Cave Creek Golf Course in North Central Phoenix.
Phoenix’s Papago Park has hiking and biking trails ranging from easy to extreme.
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Thriving shopping and dining scene
A wide range of cuisines and cultures shape Phoenix’s diverse dining scene, from newly opened microbreweries to well-established family-owned restaurants. Phoenix’s proximity to Mexico means great Mexican cuisine is a given — everything from street tacos at pop-up restaurants to fine dining establishments. There are also Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, steakhouses and barbecue joints. Shopping and dining are more densely developed in Phoenix than in some of the other towns in the area, with local businesses lining city blocks and shopping centers and national chains dotting the city’s outskirts. Biltmore Fashion Park, an outdoor shopping center in Camelback East Village , offers luxury fashion brands. At Desert Ridge Marketplace folks can find a mix of shopping, dining and entertainment businesses; located in the Desert Ridge community, the area is popular for family outings.
The city is also notable for its busy nightlife, and locals can find many trendy late-night spots on Roosevelt Row downtown. “The actual downtown is massive with a ton of nightlife and culture. You could do something new every single day for six months to a year, at least,” Montano says. Another popular neighborhood for an evening out is the Melrose District near Uptown Phoenix , known for its locally owned restaurants, vintage stores and boutiques. Melrose is dotted with street art and murals, including a rainbow crosswalk to show support for the LGBTQ+ community. In March, the Melrose Street Fair features over 200 food trucks and booths showcasing the works of local entrepreneurs and artisans.
Head down to Dialog in Roosevelt Row for a unique shopping experience.
Biltmore Fashion Park in Camelback East Village offers high end shopping and dining.
Carniceria Agave in Laveen serves up tasty meals along with groceries for a great dinner.
Roosevelt Row in Phoenix is a hotspot for nightlife with amazing food and drink options.
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Tourism, arts and sports
Over 22 million visitors come to Phoenix annually for its national sporting events, music festivals, sprawling nature preserves and high-end resorts; in 2023, visitors spent over $4.4 billion. Luxury resorts and golf clubs account for a large portion of the tourist traffic, but Phoenix’s arts and culture community has also put the city on the map. Key cultural mainstays include the Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix Theatre and Phoenix Symphony Hall, which help sustain a vibrant visual and performing arts scene. Annual celebrations include the Maricopa County Fair in April and the M3F Festival in March, a two-day nonprofit music festival featuring both nationally and locally known artists.
Phoenix is a big sports town, with the Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Suns and Coyotes all based here. Avid crowds can catch a Diamondbacks game at Chase Field or a Suns game at the Footprint Center in the Warehouse District. In February, TPC Scottsdale hosts the Phoenix Open, the most-attended golf tournament in the country. Phoenix has also hosted the Super Bowl four times, most recently in 2023.
The Phoenix Art Museum hosts many family events for the community.
The Westin Kierland Golf Club features beautiful greens with amazing views.
Phoenix residents look forward to the Maricopa County Fair and many events throughout the year.
Downtown Phoenix is home to several large sporting venues including the Footprint Center.
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All roads lead to Phoenix
Phoenix is the central hub of the metro area and is connected to all its major highways, including Interstate 10 and Route 202, which provide convenient access to the greater area. It’s common for locals to commute to nearby hubs like Chandler and Mesa, where tech and manufacturing companies continue to build new offices. Most residents drive to get around, but streets can be pedestrian-friendly with sidewalks and bike lanes. Public transit is also available -- Valley Metro buses run throughout the city, and the Valley Metro rail takes folks directly to Tempe and downtown Mesa. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Phoenix Memorial Hospital are located within the city.
Crime and environmental concerns
According to the FBI’s Crime Data Explorer, the total number of property crimes reported in Phoenix decreased significantly between 2013 and 2023. Overall, violent and property crime rates are higher than the national average. Crime tends to be more common in Phoenix’s southern neighborhoods, including downtown.
Extreme heat and wildfires are the main environmental concerns for residents here. Summer months regularly top 100 degrees, so residents find ways to cool off either indoors or outside in community pools and lakes. In 2024, the Boulder View wildfire burned almost 4,000 acres and impacted 60 homes near Boulder Heights, about 10 miles east of Phoenix. There are more than 50 fire stations in Phoenix, and locals may also sign up for Maricopa County RAVE Alerts to be notified of emergencies.
Due to its location among the mountains, Phoenix has what’s known as a Brown Cloud, an accumulation of particles trapped in the air currents. As a result, Phoenix is among America’s top-producing cities of ozone pollution, and the cloud results in occasional air quality warnings. However, many of the area’s biggest employers, including Fortune 500 companies American Express and Intel, have announced plans to go net zero by 2040 to curb pollution.
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