Ahwatukee
The Mountainside Village

by Sandy Blackwell

Isolated by surrounding mountains but rich with the amenities of a bustling metropolis, Ahwatukee has the feel of an independent city. With its natural beauty and close knit community, residents can share the intimacy of a small town while enjoying excellent school districts, fine shops and restaurants, and public recreation centers. Ranked in 2002 by Money Magazine as one of the best places to live, Ahwatukee truly offers the best of both worlds: part of the fifth largest metro in the U.S. and a village isolated on the other side of a mountain.

History

Settlement in the Ahwatukee area began with Ahwatukee Ranch, a grand estate in what is now known as Ahwatukee Custom Estates. It was originally called Casa de Suenos—“the house of dreams”—but in the 1930s, the new owner began referring to the home as Ahwatukee. The name is thought to be a translation of the Spanish phrase “Casa de Suenos” into the Crow Indian language.

However, because of deterioration, the house was bulldozed in 1975. Randall Presley began development of the area in the 1970s with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation and built the House of the Future on the site, which was completed in 1979. As stories of the house spread, it generated worldwide publicity and was even featured on national television shows, which helped generate sales in the area. Steeped in history, the house still stands today in Equestrian Estates near the riding center.

Annexed by the city of Phoenix in 1987, Ahwatukee became geographically isolated and viewed by residents and visitors as a separate community. Borded by South Mountain Park on the north, I-10 to the east and Gila River Indian Commuinty to the west, Ahwatukee has been called “The World’s Largest Cul-de-sac.” The 35.8 square-mile area was named the Village of Ahwatukee Foothills in 1991 and continues to draw a vibrant mix of residents to its growing popluation.

Ahwatukee has developed to include housing for every stage of life: single-family homes with three, four, five or even seven bedrooms, apartments for students attending Arizona State University or one of the local community colleges, townhouses for young couples just starting out and even retirement homes for seniors. The variety of homes along with retail shopping and services located at entrances to Ahwatukee allow residents to live, work and play in their own backyard.

A Quality Community

A large part of Ahwatukee’s appeal is attributed to the strong education system. The community is served by the Kyrene School, one of the top performing districts in the state with all 25 schools receiving “excelling” or “highly performing” ratings, and Tempe Union High Schools Districts with several charter and private schools available as well. Arizona State University, South Mountain College, University of Phoenix and Ottawa University all have a campus in the Ahwatukee area.

In addition to the excellent education system, the newly completed Pecos Community Center is a state of the art facility housing police, parks and recreation, and public works offices. The center consists of more than 38,000 square feet with a full-size gymnasium, dance room, fitness center with resistance machines and cardio equipment, gameroom, classrooms and multipurpose rooms. The surrounding park includes 66 acres with a large and small dog park, seven lighted ramadas, seven multipurpose fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, concrete and sand volleyball courts, a skate park, shaded playground with water features and a swim facility.

Outdoor enthusiasts can also enjoy South Mountain State Park, the largest city owned park in the country and perfect for hiking, biking or horseback riding. The wonderful year-round weather provides a scenic backdrop for concerts in the park, arts and crafts festivals, and even a farmers market in the fall. Ahwatukee also offers a wide variety of fine shops, boutiques and fabulous restaurants.

Boasting large department stores, grocers and health food outlets along with several retail and speciality stores, residents seldom have to leave the area for anything. With a mix of housing opportunities ranging from apartments and master planned communities to multimillion dollar custom homes, the Ahwatukee lifestyle is applicabale to everyone. Offering the natural beauty of the desert framing views across the Valley and countless amenities, Ahwatukee offers the perfect homesite to those seeking a mountainside village lifestyle.

Master planned communities of Ahwatukee

Ahwatukee
The original master planned community of the area has extensive use of desert landscaping and is known for its family atmosphere. Ahwatukee offers wonderful amenities such as master planned communities with golf courses and lakes, numerous trails for outdoor activities and beautiful views of the South Mountain Park Preserve.

Mountain Park Ranch
This area is most well-known for the mountain at the center of the community. Homes take advantage of the incredible natural topography in the use of desert landscaping and incredible backyard water features.

Lakewood
Nothing is more decadent than water in the desert. Lakewood is a stunning master planned community developed around several manmade lakes, parkways and luscious greenbelts.

The Foothills
This 4,100-acre master planned community boasts an 18-hole golf course designed by Tom Weiskopf and a scenic desert-mountain environment with more than 40 miles of recreational trails.

Club West
This community offers a unique blend of natural desert, rugged mountain terrain, prestigious homes and world-class golf. Families looking for a secluded, family-oriented community with proximity to desired luxuries available in an urban environment need to look no further than Club West.

Sandy Blackwell is the principal owner of SNR Designs, a software development company. Blackwell is also the Past Chairman of the Board of the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce and Past President of the Ahwatukee Foothills Rotary Club.