Central Scottsdale

Central Scottsdale fills the gap between the walkable energy of Old Town and the golf-course sprawl of North Scottsdale, running along the Scottsdale Road corridor past Camelback Mountain and Paradise Valley's southern border. It is one of the more established parts of the city, with mature landscaping, a mix of home vintages, and a location that puts nearly everything within a 10 to 15 minute drive.

The area includes Gainey Ranch, a well-known master-planned community built around a private golf course and Lake Gainey, along with a range of other 1970s-through-2000s neighborhoods that mix single-family homes with upscale condos and patio homes. Camelback Mountain, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the Valley and home to two of the most popular hiking trails in the state, sits at the neighborhood's western edge, and several of Scottsdale's well-known resort properties are found along this stretch of Scottsdale Road.

Because Central Scottsdale sits between Old Town and the northern communities, residents get quick access to both without fully committing to either lifestyle - a short drive to Old Town's restaurants and galleries, and an equally short drive to the golf courses and preserve trailheads further north. Fashion Square mall and the Old Town core are both easily reachable, and the area feeds into strong Scottsdale Unified schools.

Home styles vary more than in the newer, more uniform communities to the north - expect everything from mid-century ranch homes to 1990s custom builds to newer condo developments, which means more variation in price and style block to block. It is a neighborhood that rewards buyers willing to look closely at a specific street rather than relying on a single master-planned brand name.

Bottom line: Central Scottsdale offers a genuinely central location and easy access to both Old Town and North Scottsdale, with more architectural variety - and more homework required - than either end of the city.