San Tan Valley

Located on the southern end of San Tan Valley, Copper Basin offers a quiet, suburban haven with a myriad of community amenities. “The area has seen tremendous growth,” says Jessica Noble, an Arizona native and an owner/broker with Long Realty Company. “Copper Basin has a lot of amenities, and the HOA covers a YMCA membership. A lot of families are starting to move here because the homes are really cost-effective, and they don’t have to commute to Mesa or Chandler for entertainment or shopping.” Residents can start their day with a morning walk to get an early start on their steps for the day on one of the many walking paths throughout the neighborhood. The community is filled with spaces for outdoor recreation, including basketball courts and soccer fields. Children can play tag in the expansive green spaces or see who can swing the highest at the tot lot at the community park. During the summer months, residents can cool off at the community pool located in the clubhouse. The clubhouse features a spacious fitness area that has cardio and weight machines, a rock-climbing wall, and a jacuzzi to relax after a long workout. This community is also conveniently located less than 10 miles from the San Tan Mountain Regional Park, which offers eight miles of hiking, biking and horseback riding trails. Community closeness is reflected in many ways throughout Copper Basin. Throughout the holidays, many residents love to decorate their homes and take part in the annual holiday and Halloween decorating contests, creating a light show and display for everyone to see. Copper Basin mainly consists of short, looping streets with some roads that end in cul-de-sacs. Single-family houses in the community have great curb appeal, adorning Spanish Revival architecture with tiled roofing and stucco coating. Homes often have spacious floor plans ranging between 1,300 and 1,700 square feet and three bedrooms. Real estate prices tend to stay in the 300s, but new builds and homes with four or more bedrooms can reach the 400s. Children living in the neighborhood are likely to attend the Copper Basin K-8 school, located in the heart of the community, to start their education. Copper Basin has a C-plus Niche rating and offers students plenty of extracurriculars to participate in, including year-round sports, learning environmentally sustainable habits in the Green Team or playing games with fellow students during the after-school program at the Boys & Girls Club. Students will then attend Poston Butte High School, which has received a B Niche grade. Residents looking to satisfy their sweet tooth can get a treat from Twisted Sugar, located in The Shops at Copper Basin. This outdoor shopping area features a variety of chain dining options. Diamondbacks and Cardinals fans can catch a game at The Gym Grill and Bar, a local watering hole offering tasty menu options and karaoke throughout the week. Copper Basin residents are only a short drive up East Hunt Highway from reaching the rest of San Tan Valley to the north or Florence to the south. The community is also located about 40 miles from Mesa.

Summertime in Arizona can be brutal. Temperatures climb above 110 degrees, and raindrops are few and far between. But from January to April, San Tan Mountain is blanketed in a carpet of green desert grass and blooming wildflowers, a fertile desert landscape that draws homebuyers to these rural foothills, says Allen Willis, an Arizona native and broker at Ensign Properties. Located south of Queen Creek at the bed of San Tan Mountain Regional Park, the quickly developing area attracts homeowners looking for beautiful vistas and luxurious tailor-made homes within reach of shopping and dining. Along with grand mountain escapes, homes — many of them to-be-built on empty lots in growing subdivisions — can feature outdoor entertainment areas, horse corrals, mother-in-law suites or RV garages for toys like all-terrain vehicles for weekend trips to the dunes of Yuma. “People design their homes to have that view of the mountains,” Willis says. “They don’t care about city life.” Homes in the area are practically at the doorstep of San Tan Mountain Regional Park, a 10,000-acre expanse popular with wildlife photographers, hikers, horseback riders, mountain bikers and stargazers. “People come here from all over the country and the world to see our saguaros,” says park supervisor Rick Plautz. “Stargazing is beautiful, too. There’s not a lot of streetlights, so it’s really dark and you can see a lot of planets you normally can’t see in the city.” A constellation of golf courses dot the region as well, including Las Colinas, Power Ranch and San Tan Highlands Club courses. Nearly all homes are custom-built on undeveloped lots or fledgling subdivisions, and home prices increase as homebuyers get closer to the mountain. Many use septic systems to treat wastewater because the area is unincorporated. Ranch homes and Spanish Revival-inspired architecture rule the foothills, sporting tile roofs, stucco walls and minimalistic desert landscaping. A three-bedroom, to-be-built home in a budding subdivision with an HOA can cost $350,000. However, the most sought-after homes with additional acreage and mountain views can range from $700,000 to nearly $3 million. The area is car-dependent, so residents drive about 6 miles north to upscale Queen Creek or a few miles east to the San Tan Valley area for shopping and dining. Residents can take West Hunt Highway to get to big box stores like Walmart and Fry’s just a few miles away from the foothills. For food, San Tan Flat, a regional favorite a few miles north, is known for its friendly atmosphere, massive portions and live music. Uncle Bear’s Grill & Tap in Queen Creek serves up casual American and Tex-Mex fare alongside their own craft beer in a setting that pays homage to the founder’s namesake pooch. Families can head to the newly opened FatCats to watch a blockbuster movie, play glow-in-the-dark golf, bowl a strike or earn a new high score in the arcade. Kids can attend public school at Florence Unified School District, recognized by community members as the best public school district in 2023. Youngsters can start at San Tan Heights K-8 School, which received a C-plus from Niche, followed by San Tan Foothills High School, which received a B-minus. Willis also says charter schools are popular with parents in Maricopa County, particularly American Leadership Academy, which has a waitlist for admissions. The annual Roots N’ Boots Queen Creek Pro Rodeo in March is a three-day festival celebrating the area’s heritage and tradition that showcases bull riding, barrel racing, calf roping and other cowboy skills. Residents can take their horses to Horseshoe Park and Equestrian Centre for exercise, socialization and club meetings. The San Tan Mountain location of the Gila River Resorts and Casino is about 16 miles northwest, with five restaurants, hundreds of slot machines and the largest casino sportsbook in the state. Arizona’s climate can make heating and cooling costly, which homebuilders tackle by emphasizing energy efficiency and modern engineering. Maricopa County typically applies burning restrictions in the area from May through September to mitigate air pollution. Wildfires can also be a concern, but the area hasn't had a significant blaze in the past 15 years.

At the heart of the San Tan Valley, Johnson Ranch is a community of nearly 30,000 that features an 18-hole golf course, countless resident amenities, and more than 300 acres of outdoor recreation space with all the perks. “Johnson Ranch a great home for those who want to enjoy the Arizona weather and have all the fun amenities right next door,” says Toni Grimes, a real estate agent with eXp Realty. The master planned community features one and two story homes, many with terracotta roofs and porches to relax on hot sunny days. Properties backing onto the golf course are in high demand, allowing residents to catch a glimpse of the tightly landscaped fairways at the golf club that lies at the heart of the community. One of the many reasons why Johnson Ranch is one of the most desirable communities in the area is the price point for the homes, which tend to range between the mid $300,000s up to $500,000. The community is governed by a homeowners association with fees typically between $70 and $150 a month and paid quarterly with homes mostly built from the late 90s and onwards. Students attend Walker Butte K-8 School, rated a B-minus on Niche.com offering numerous extracurricular activities and after school programming through the Boys & Girls Club. Youth finish off their education at San Tan Foothills High School, rated a B-minus. San Tan Foothills partners with the Central Arizona Vocational Institute of Technology and Central Arizona College to offer a range of educational opportunities for everyone. San Tan Foothills further supports students through their Advancement Via Individual Determination program, designed to guide students with high academic potential and prepare them for entrance to secondary education. With more parks infrastructure than they can keep track of, Ashland Ranch residents will have no issues finding something to do outdoors. Whether its teeing off at the Johnson Ranch Golf Club that lies in view of the San Tan Mountains and desert sand, or visiting one of the 31 parks, there is always something to do. At Greens Park you can cast a line in the catch and release fishing pond or opt for a quiet stroll or play some tennis or pickleball at the Lakeview Recreation Area. The community also features three pools and the clubhouse hosts weekly fitness classes and themed activity nights. Johnson Ranch is conveniently located along East Hunt Highway, which serves as the main artery to reach the rest of San Tan Valley. Residents can buy groceries from Fry’s, or head to Walgreens to fill a prescription. Several fast-food and other dining options are also available throughout East Hunt Highway. You can start your weekend off with stuffed French toast or a veggie omelette for brunch from Biscuits Café, which offers daily breakfast and lunch menu options. If you’re in the mood for family-inspired fare, head over to Savvy's Bar & Grill for a grilled chicken burrito. After a meal, satisfy your sweet tooth with frozen yogurt from Dessert Queen.

With much new growth in the works, Superstition Vistas is a place you’ll want to get in while you can, as it’ll soon be one of the most premiere communities in the East Valley. Due to a massive development plan by the city of Apache Junction, all of the community’s 275 square miles of land will be filled with new homes, plenty of outdoor recreational and commercial spaces. There are plenty of housing options throughout the many subdivisions that make up the community for prospective buyers to choose from in the meantime. Some homes in the Wayne Ranch subdivision have Spanish-style features that include red-tiled roofing and stucco finishes but have their own flare with multiple gables and arched entryways. Stone turrets on homes in the Highland Ranch subdivision have immediate curb appeal, with high ceilings indoors that’ll make you feel like you’re living in a castle. Start your dream ranch in a spacious home in the Skyline Vistas Ranch subdivision. Sidney Palmer, real estate agent with Limitless Real Estate says, “When you’re in the neighborhood it’s more of a country feel with all of the homes on an acre or more,” which is shown through the many homes with horse stalls and corrals. Superstition Vistas is bursting with new housing development as well, with new subdivisions and houses being built constantly, with home prices starting in the low $400,000 range. Public schools throughout Superstition Vistas are split between the J.O. Combs and the Florence Unified School Districts, with plenty of private and charter schools to choose from as well. Students can start their education by enrolling to Ranch Elementary School, home of the Roadrunners. Students here can get a taste of what it’s like to be in the newsroom by joining the Video Club, which produces daily live announcements for the student body. Magma Ranch K-8 is part of the Florence Unified School District and offers a variety of interscholastic sports programs for its students starting as early as fourth grade. No matter the subdivision you live in, there are plenty of outdoor spaces at your fingertips. Children can spend hours burning energy on the massive play structure at Signal Butte Park, which also features walking paths, shaded ramadas, and a mini splash pad to cool off during the summer. Disc golf enthusiasts can head to Ironwood Crossing Park for the 18-hole course that’ll provide a challenge for players of all skill levels. Living in Superstition Vistas also puts residents within proximity of many of the East Valley’s trails and state parks along the Superstition Mountains to the east. Many of the area’s shops and dining options can be found along East Ocotillo Road. You can grab a Chicago-style deep dish pizza or watch your favorite team play at the bar at Vero. There are also plenty of fast-food options in the area if you need a quick bite on-the-go. If you’re in need for some retail therapy, you’re not too far away from the expansive outdoor Queen Creek Marketplace, which has dozens of chain retailers and plenty of dining options. Residents can also get a jump on their commute by getting on AZ-24, which connects to the 202 loop. Even with all of the eye-catching homes in the area, there is still much more development underway, meaning that the best has yet to come for Superstition Vistas.