Just north of the hustle and bustle of Phoenix lies the small but beautiful community of Desert Ridge, Arizona. Upscale and well-manicured, Desert Ridge makes up an area of only about 5,700 acres, but fits a lot into a little!
In this quiet little master-planned community, you’ll find shopping, parks, a sports complex, and entertainment galore. From the safe neighborhoods to the excellent school systems, Desert Ridge is a great place to raise a family and enjoy all the desert lifestyle has to offer!
Where is Desert Ridge located in Phoenix?
When it comes to location, Desert Ridge is prime real estate in Phoenix. Located just north of the 101, and right next to the 51, accessibility is in this little town’s favor. Taking the 101 into Scottsdale, one could find just about anything you can’t find in Desert Ridge, plus great nightlife and dining options.
Desert Ridge lies in about the northernmost reaches of the greater Phoenix area, so residents enjoy being “out of the city” a little bit, while still having easy and quick access to any part of the city from the nearby freeways. With great amenities nearby, Desert Ridge still offers a more organic outlet for people with the nearby desert preserves. At the Cave Buttes Recreation Area, people can hike, picnic, and just enjoy the beautiful desert landscape.
Entertainment & Things to do
Like most of Phoenix, the entertainment options in Desert Ridge are endless. If golfing or dining is your idea of a good time, the J. W. Marriot Hotel offers multiple dining options from casual to upscale, two golf courses, and a spa and fitness center. It’s not just a place for adults to have fun, either. If you’re bringing along the whole family, be sure to head to the pool and the lazy river.
Nearby to the J. W. Marriot, you can find the High Street area, where small businesses dot the close-quartered streets. Coffee shops, lunch spots, sandwich joints, and more can all be found here, and with plenty of street parking, you can park the car and take a walk around to decide what you’re in the mood for.
Perhaps the first thing that comes to a local’s mind when you mention entertainment in Desert Ridge will be The District. This beautiful, open-air shopping area is the perfect place to spend a day enjoying the beautiful Arizona weather. Countless dining options are spread out among The District, and shopping can vary from major franchises to small, niche consumer goods.
If you’re looking for dinner and a movie, you can find both at the Desert Ridge AMC Dine-In. This state-of-the-art movie theatre allows guests to place meal orders to be delivered to them in their theatre seats, so they can enjoy all the latest blockbuster hits, with a bit more pizzazz than your average popcorn and a Coke! If the food wasn’t enough to get you there, did we mention they have recliner seating?!
The Reach 11 Sports Complex in Desert Ridge is the perfect place to let out that pent-up energy and play ball! Soccer and baseball fields, as well as spectator seating, are all available, and unlike many of the sports complex facilities in Phoenix, regular citizens can benefit from the use of these. School teams, church leagues, and pick-up games can all enjoy the expansive grounds of Reach 11 Sports Complex, and there’s something for everyone.
If you’re looking for dinner and a movie, you can find both at the Desert Ridge AMC Dine-In. This state-of-the-art movie theatre allows guests to place meal orders to be delivered to them in their theatre seats, so they can enjoy all the latest blockbuster hits, with a bit more pizzazz than your average popcorn and a Coke! If the food wasn’t enough to get you there, did we mention they have recliner seating?!
The Reach 11 Sports Complex in Desert Ridge is the perfect place to let out that pent-up energy and play ball! Soccer and baseball fields, as well as spectator seating, are all available, and unlike many of the sports complex facilities in Phoenix, regular citizens can benefit from the use of these. School teams, church leagues, and pick-up games can all enjoy the expansive grounds of Reach 11 Sports Complex, and there’s something for everyone.
Desert Ridge Neighborhoods and Homes
Many of the homes in Desert Ridge began to pop up in the late 90’s and early 2000’s. Over the past twenty years, these homes have become more affordable. This means even if you can’t afford to live in one of the large, expensive houses that Desert Ridge is famous for, you can still enjoy everything the city has to offer, and have a beautiful, relatively new home.Known for its attractive and well-designed homes, Desert Ridge has much to offer in that regard, but less to offer in terms of space and yard footage. Many of the yards are small, and lots are zoned close together. Often yards have no green space at all, opting for rock landscaping that needs no irrigation. Though the homes themselves might not have a lot of green space, the town makes up for it with beautiful well-groomed parks residents can visit and enjoy. Isn’t that better than a lawn you have to water, anyway?!
Desert Ridge is well known to be one of the area’s largest master-planned communities. Similar to gated communities, but larger. These living areas are large grounds designed from conception with the idea of providing residents with everything they need right outside their homes. Often the neighborhoods have a fitness complex and pool, community gathering centers, parks, paved or lighted walking paths, and a general safe overtone perfect for families. Many of the homes in these living communities look similar and have nearly identical floor plans inside. Often HOA’s are high expectations of how homeowners must keep their homes and yards maintained.
Just outside the neighborhoods, you’ll find shopping centers and other amenities (such as the Desert Ridge campus of the world-famous Mayo Clinic), making Desert Ridge its little city where residents rarely have to leave. While not for everyone, master-planned communities provide an aesthetically pleasing environment and suit the needs of many.
Desert Ridge Schools
Part of the Paradise Valley Unified School District, the public schools in Desert Ridge are exceptional. Many of these schools are A-rated schools, and as a unified district; it offers full education options from K-12. Along with the wonderful schools already in the area, more are being built currently, and the school system in Desert Ridge continues to grow. For growing families, the schools in Desert Ridge are perhaps one of its greatest draws. Though rating systems can’t possibly completely quantify the attributes of any given school, there is a reason so many schools in Desert Ridge are rated so highly. It’s safe to assume any one of them would be an excellent choice when making an education decision for you and your family.
Future Development of Desert Ridge and City North
With the market crash of the late 2000s just on its heels, the development of the City North area of Phoenix came to a screeching halt. Neighborhood development and commerce seemed to stop on a dime. But the area was prime real estate, and it was only a matter of time before City North sprang back to life better than ever, and that time is now.
Renderings for shopping centers and neighborhoods reveal beautifully landscaped architecture and a thriving variety of retailers and businesses. Almost a hundred acres have been designated for residential homes, hotels, offices, and retail space.
City North will not only provide job opportunities to the area but increase property values for homeowners, so the time to buy in the area is now! As Phoenix continues to grow, City North will provide a fresh space full of new opportunities for the northern end of town, and undoubtedly, its residents are ready!
