With a city the size of Phoenix, which was ranked the 5th largest in the US at 1.7 million people, there are several popular areas and neighborhoods within the city limits, such as Paradise Valley, Deer Valley, Camelback East and many other smaller historical districts we could dive into, and explore but today we’re going to take a look an area somewhat isolated from the rest of the city and nestled between South Mountain and the Gila River Indian Reservation known as the Ahwatukee Foothills.
Kim Jones is a fellow Realtor with North&Co. Relocating to the area from the Midwest in 2017, Kim shares with us why she chose to call Ahwatukee home along with her experiences and favorite things about the neighborhood. From the top-rated schools, community events, and local businesses to the ideal location for recreation, entertainment, and employment, you are sure to find something to love about it too.
Listen to the Podcast 👆🏻 or Read about it below! 👇🏻
Moving to Ahwatukee
A-Rated Schools with small class sizes, fantastic parent AND teacher involvement, what?!
Not only does the Kyrene School District which serves the elementary and middle schools in the area, have 10 schools rated an 8 or better, there are also other alternative options such as private schools and charter schools.
Tempe Union services the High Schools in the area with Desert Vista and Mountain Pointe, rated 9 and 8 out of 10 respectively.
Here are a few reputable resources when deciding where to send your youngsters: Greatschools.com, AZBoardofEducation.com, AZed.gov
Community Events & Activities
Concert in the Park at Desert Foothills park every April and October with great local bands, supporting local food truck vendors, and having a great time enjoying the Phoenix weather.
Holiday Lights kicks off every year after Thanksgiving, a must see!!
Local HOAs also offer events to bring the community together such as pancakes with Santa (where they even bring in snow), local car shows, and SO many more!
Unique (and Fantastic) Small Business
Ahwatukee is a thriving place for small businesses. Some of my favorites include Small Cakes, The Crypt Escape Room, Zero Machine Crossfit, and Gracie Barra Jiu-Jitsu.
Small Cakes is a cupcake bakery and one thing, in particular, is this thing called a “smash” where they take your favorite cupcake (which is delicious by itself), cut it in half, and put two huge scoops of gourmet ice cream in the middle and cover it in chocolate syrup or caramel…I mean, WHY NOT?
A couple of friends and I went to The Crypt Escape Room and had such a great time. No wait and great puzzle options. We didn’t get out, but that’s ok, we had a BLAST the whole time!
There are a ton of fitness options, it is a very “active” city where you’ll always see people out walking, biking, hiking and such, but my personal favorite is Zero Machine CrossFit. I’ve been a member there for about a year and a half now and the people, location, along with their focus on details and moving the right way to ensure you move long-term is just amazing.
Last but not least, I have to mention the Ahwatukee location of Gracie Barra Jiu Jitsu. They have such a wonderful environment for kids and adults alike, instilling discipline, hard work, and respect with fitness and movement.
The Biggest Cul-de-sac in Phoenix
Currently, there’s really only one main route into Ahwatukee that isn’t a city street. This is changing with the 202 expansion project, and because we have the mountain ranges on one side and the reservation land on the other, the freeway will help link the east valley to the west valley, but it shouldn’t take away that cul-de-sac feel we have going on here.
South Mountain
Ahwatukee is MOUNTAINSIDE. You may luck out and have a trailhead in your backyard!
People often paint rocks with encouraging sayings like ‘Have a Great Day’ and hide them around the park, which is a nice friendly bonus to the experience.
There are several different places throughout the community where you can get onto the trails. You could live here for years and still have new trails (or combination of trails) to explore...the experience just never gets old!
Diverse Housing Options
You can get a new house for an affordable price, in a great neighborhood, close to employment centers, recreation, and entertainment districts.
Ahwatukee has Condos, Single Family Homes, Townhomes, New Construction, and Luxury Homes. It really is diverse!
Location, Location, Location! (I know, a little cliche - but it’s true!)
You can get a newer house for an affordable price, close to employment centers, recreation, and entertainment districts. Depending on which area of Ahwatukee you’ll be coming from, it can take you anywhere from 10 to 25 minutes to Downtown Chandler, 30 minutes to Gilbert, 20 minutes to Downtown Phoenix and the Sky Harbor Airport.
AND the completion of the 202 Loop Expansion is going to make this even faster for those coming from far west Ahwatukee. We can’t WAIT, as it is going to make getting to the West Valley a breeze as well.
Low crime
See how the zip codes of Ahwatukee (85044, 85048) stack up: Phoenix Crime Statistics or Crime Statistics for ALL Arizona Cities
Limited housing expansion with countless employment opportunities
The area won’t outgrow itself as it is isolated from too much change. However, while Ahwatukee won’t outgrow itself with houses we will continue to see an economic boost from large companies that bring operation centers into the area and nearby employment areas such as the Chandler Corridor and Downtown Tempe. For instance, Charles Schwabb is planning to bring in a new IT here.
"Sometimes you wanna go, where everybody knows your name"…
I’m from California originally but then my family moved here from a small suburb of Cincinnati where everyone said hello to neighbors as they drove up and down the street, and Ahwatukee has that feel.