Best Neighborhoods to Live in Scottsdale, AZ

• Real estate

  DC Ranch is subdivided into residential villages with exclusive amenities and gorgeous homes. Your property choices include distinctive custom homes, villas, townhomes, and condos, with prices ranging from around $400,000 to over $10 million.

• Lifestyle and amenities

  The amenities in DC Ranch are second to none. There are 47 parks in the neighborhood, found at the heart of the smaller villages. The parks are interconnected by more than 33 miles of trails and paths where you can go running, walking, or cycling.

  While the villages in DC Ranch boast their own amenities, residents can also enjoy the neighborhood's main community centers, Desert Camp and The Homestead.

  Desert Camp has heated outdoor pools, a playground for kids, a fitness room, tennis courts, and basketball and pickleball courts. The Homestead features a community theater, as well as a grand hall where you can hold private events and parties. Other facilities include a splash pad, a playground, basketball courts, and more.

  There are two prestigious golf and country clubs in DC Ranch, featuring top-rated golf courses, gorgeous clubhouses, and other amenities like fitness centers, swim areas, spas, and more.

  DC Ranch is mostly surrounded by the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, considered the backyard of the community. With 30,000 acres of pristine desert landscape, the preserve provides stunning views to the community, as well as a quick nature escape.

• Shopping and dining

  DC Ranch residents never have to go far to enjoy world-class shopping and dining. DC Ranch Market Street and DC Ranch Crossing provide residents with everything they need, from fine and casual dining to fashion items, groceries, and essential services.

DC Ranch is served by Scottsdale School District, one of Arizona's top-ranked school districts. In addition, there are also a number of excellent private schools in the area.

• Location

  Silverleaf Village is nestled into the McDowell Sonoran Preserve at the base of the McDowell Mountains. With a slightly higher elevation than most of Scottsdale, and encompassing canyons, hills, and desert, Silverleaf offers breathtaking views at every turn. It also boasts a convenient location just 10 minutes from N. Thompson Peak Parkway and only 25 minutes from downtown Scottsdale.

• Real estate

  The community is known for its gorgeous homes and estates priced from around $2,000,000 to over $20 million. There are only 700 homes occupying an area of 2,000 acres, ensuring plenty of living and outdoor space, as well as privacy and tranquility for every homeowner.

  The neighborhood features one-of-a-kind custom homes, villas, and estates behind three separate guard gated entrances.

• Lifestyle and amenities

  The prestigious Silverleaf Club features a Tom Weiskopf signature championship golf course, a spectacular 50,000 square foot clubhouse, and amenities that include resort and lap pools, a well-appointed spa, fine and casual dining, and more.

  Silverleaf residents also have easy access to DC Ranch's topnotch shopping and dining establishments, as well as the community's exclusive recreational centers, Desert Camp and The Homestead.

Top-rated schools near Silverleaf include Copper Ridge Elementary School, Notre Dame Preparatory High School, and Chaparral High School. A number of private schools also serve the area.

• Location

  Desert Mountain is bordered to the north by the Tonto National Forest and has an elevation of around 3,000 feet, giving residents and visitors sweeping vistas of the desert and the city below.

  Despite its seeming remoteness and isolation,the community is only around 45 minutes away from downtown Scottsdale, and is less than an hour's drive from Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport and downtown Phoenix.

• Real estate

  Desert Mountain features dozens of gated villages where you'll find several property options, including large homesites, stunning custom homes and estates, as well as lock-and-leave townhomes and villas. Every property in the neighborhood caters to homebuyers with a taste for upscale living and amazing views.

  Home prices in Desert Mountain range from around $700,000 to over $16 million. Membership to the club is also open to non-residents.

• Lifestyle and amenities

  Much of the life in Desert Mountain is centered around the prestigious Desert Mountain Golf Club. In addition to its seven highly-rated golf courses, the club features seven clubhouses, where you'll find exquisite dining options, swimming pools for kids and adults, fitness centers, tennis courts in various surfaces, a world class spa, and other amenities.

  The community also features 20 miles of hiking and biking trails for the exclusive use of residents and club members. All year round, the Desert Mountain team holds social events, such as live performances, golf, tennis and pickleball tournaments, wine tastings, summer camps and field trips for kids, and many more.

  Horseback riding and equestrian lessons are also offered at The Ranch, the community’s 33-acre wilderness amenity.

• Shopping

  The nearby towns of Carefree and Cave Creek, just under 15 minutes away, feature everything from high end boutiques to consignment shops and grocery stores. You can also head to downtown Scottsdale or Metro Phoenix for a full day of world-class shopping.

Desert Mountain is part of Cave Creek School District, one of the top school districts in Arizona. Nearby schools include Black Mountain Elementary School, Sonoran Trails Middle School, and Cactus Shadows High School.

• Location

  Arcadia lies in the shadow of the rugged Camelback Mountain, which got its name from its peculiar shape resembling a kneeling camel. With its enviable location, residents get easy access to the spectacular resorts and country clubs in Scottsdale, as well as the historic neighborhoods and urban destinations in Phoenix. It is surrounded by the area's major thoroughfares, including Arizona State Routes 101 and 51, I-17, and I-10, making traveling to and from the area easy and convenient.

• Real estate

  Homes in Arcadia come in a wide range of sizes and prices, from luxury homes and estates to more standard sized homes, priced at around $800,000 to $5 million. Regardless of the price range, homebuyers will find great value in Arcadia real estate as most properties come with large lot areas of around 6,000 square feet to over 1.5 acres.

  Some of the most expensive homes in the neighborhood are historic properties built in the 1920s to the 1950s. However, there's also an increasing number of new construction properties built only in the last five years or so, giving homebuyers a wealth of options.

• Lifestyle and amenities

  The top attractions in the area include the Arizona Canal Trail, a safe paved trail stretching 69.7 miles, where you can bike, walk, ride, or skate. Camelback Mountain is also a popular outdoor destination, with its challenging trails, amazing rock formations, and breathtaking views.

  Shopping and entertainment options in the area are more than sufficient, thanks to neighborhood staples like Biltmore Fashion Park and Scottsdale Fashion Square. You will also find a wealth of excellent restaurants, some of which have been long-time neighborhood favorites, such as La Grande Orange Grocery & Pizzeria, Postino Arcadia, Chelsea's Kitchen, and O.H.S.O Eatery & Distillery.

Access to excellent schools is another factor that makes Arcadia a great neighborhood for families. The area is served by the highly rated Scottsdale Unified School District, which includes some of the top schools in Arizona, such as Great Hearts Academies, BASIS Charter Schools, Sequoya Elementary School, and Cheyenne Traditional School.

• Location

  Situated in the Sonoran Desert in North Scottsdale, Mirabel has an elevation of 3,000 feet, allowing for views of Pinnacle Peak to the south and the Continental Mountain Range to the north. The temperature here is cooler than the rest of the valley, making it an ideal Arizona summer getaway.

  Just outside the community are the towns of Cave Creek and Carefree, where you can find numerous parks, shopping and entertainment centers, and a host of cultural attractions.

• Real estate

  Buyers have three real estate options in Mirabel - beautiful custom homes with unique and distinctive designs, vacant homesites where you can build your dream home from the ground up, and 35 semi-custom homes with square footages ranging from 3,100 to 3,900. Lot areas in the neighborhood range from two-thirds acre to more than two acres.

  Mirabel properties have a price tag of between $300,000 and $750,000 for homesites, and around $2.5 million to more than $4 million for single-family homes. Regardless of the type of property you choose, you can expect gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains, golf course, and the valley below.

• Lifestyle and amenities

  The Mirabel community is built around a spectacular 7,147-yard Tom Fazio designed golf course with on-course chef and comfort stations. The 38,000 square foot Desert Lodge Clubhouse boasts a welcoming rustic design and houses a number of amazing amenities, including casual and fine dining restaurants, state-of-the-art fitness center and spa, Har-Tru tennis courts, and a swimming pool with cabanas.

  Club members can join a host of fitness programs and enjoy the fun events organized by the Mirabel team throughout the year.

Mirabel belongs to the Cave Creek Unified School District, which includes the nearby top rated schools of Black Mountain Elementary School, Sonoran Trails Middle School, and Cactus Shadows High School.