Look carefully and quickly around the city of Phoenix. It has not looked like this for very long and the future promises progress and more change. 

Phoenix real estate has exploded to one of the fastest growing regions in the nation. The greater Phoenix real estate market is made up of 14 communities and a total population of 3,396,875 with a projected 2010 population of 4,145,000.  Between 1990 and 2003 the Phoenix real estate market grew by 54percent, compared to the national rate of only 15 percent.  The greater Phoenix real estate workforce is young, talented and ambitious.  The total civilaian labor force exceeds 1.7 million with the median age of the greater Phoenix real estate residents at 32.9 years as compared to the US median age of 35.3.  More than 51% of the population is between the ages of 25 and 64.  A 2000 labor market analysis showed the greater Phoenix real estate marketplace employess rated as significantly more productive than employees in similar company operations around the country.**

Unlike other cities that have grown slowly over time, Phoenix real estate catapulted to this position in relatively short order. From a modest 17 square miles in 1950, Phoenix real estate has grown to encompass more than 430 square miles. 

Before World War II, Phoenix was a sleepy little southwestern town best known for having a climate that offered relief to asthmatics. 

Cotton, cattle, citrus and copper, known locally as the “Four Cs”, were the cornerstones of its early twentieth-century economy. In 1940, the cities population was a mere 65,000 and the largest of the surrounding towns was Mesa with 7,000 people. 

With the advent of WWII and the ensuing military build up, defense contractors went searching for land, water and a willing work force, all of which they found in fledging Phoenix, en masse, they moved in, bringing educated employees and a wealth of new jobs. Farmland and desert scrub were cleared to build massive plants that flew the banners of Goodyear Aircraft Corp, AiReseaarch, Motorola, Sperry Rand and General Electric, some of which are still counted among the city's largest employers today. 

During the post-war years, word began to spread that, contrary to those Saturday matinee Westerns, Phoenix was a civilized city with abundant sunshine and recreational pleasures to spare. Phoenix real estate is a tapestry of neighborhoods that are as diverse as the colors in a Navajo rug. The historic homes of the Encanto District are favored by successful professionals; the cozier, antique adobe houses of the Willo District are fixer-uppers with flair. A country-club lifestyle encircles the famed Arizona Biltmore Hotel, while some of the city's most expansive estates line the lightly wooded, curb less streets of north Central Avenue Phoenix real estate area. 

Driving SUVs instead of covered wagons, another wave of families wanting a fresh start began to move west. And they're still coming – only now driving mini-vans and sport utility vehicles. But new residents aren't the only ones who flock to Phoenix real estate. Tourism is one of the metropolitan area's leading industries employing 220,000. That's good news for Phoenicians who have at their year-round disposal the restaurants, retail centers and recreational outlets targeted to tourists.

Today's the Top Employers

Employer	Industry	Employees
Walmart	Discount Stores	31,594
Banner Health	Healthcare	27,458
Wells Fargo & Co.	Financial Services	14,000
Raytheon Co.	Missile Manufacturing	11,539
Apollo Group Inc.	Education Services	11,467
McDonald's Corp.	Food Service	11,315
Kroger Co	Grocery Stores	11,254
Honeywell International Inc.	Aerospace Manufacturing	10,725
Intel Corp.	Semiconductor mfg.	9,700
Target Corp.	Discount Retailer	9,650

 

The Phoenix calendar is filled with festivals and events that reflect residents' Hispanic, African-American, Oriental, Native American and Anglo cultures. The Fiesta Bowl Football Classic, played at Arizona State University's Sun Devil Stadium, is preceded by more than fifty special events. 

ACTIVE, OUTDOOR LIFESTYLE
While economically, ethnically and culturally diverse, Phoenicians have two things in common: an appreciation for sun¬ny weather and an active, outdoor life-style. The Phoenix real estate area is considered one of the sunniest cities in the country, enjoying sunshine more than 300 days each year. 

The largest municipal park in the world, the 16,500-acre South Mountain Park, serves as the city's southern bor¬der. A mecca for hiking, biking and horseback riding, South Mountain Park is the largest link in the chain of desert mountain parks, known as the Phoenix Mountain Preserve, that encircle the city. After-work hikes to the top of Squaw Peak and Camelback Mountain are a popular pastime. Another 1,700 acres of traditional city parks, some with golf cours¬es, serve as oases of green throughout the city. 

DOWNTOWN RENAISSANCE
True to its namesake – the mythical Phoenix bird that rose from its own ashes to new-found youth — downtown Phoe¬nix is being transformed from a nonde¬script commercial core into a hub for busi¬ness, sports and the arts. Here you will find Phoenix homes for sale that are unique in nature such as the downtown lofts

The latest and biggest development is Bank One Ballpark. The Arizona Diamondbacks opened play in 1998 in this 48,500-seat stadium that features a retractable roof and natural grass playing field. 

In the wake of this renaissance, high-lights of downtown Phoenix real estate include the Herberger Theater, which invites patrons in for brown-bag lunch performances, the restaurants of the Arizona Center and the America West Arena. This home of the Phoenix Suns serves as a concert and sports venue for 200 events each year. 

Next door to the arena is the Phoenix Civic Plaza, where large-scale conven¬tions and trade shows are held. The con¬vention and meeting industry is an im¬portant one, injecting over $5 billion into the area economy, according to the Phoenix and Valley of the Sun Convention and Visitors Bureau. 

Just beginning is Collier Center, a $500 million mixed-use development located north of America West Arena. Phoenix city government consolidat¬ed its offices by constructing a new City Hall as part of a downtown area known as the Phoenix Municipal Government Center. The center includes the Phoenix Municipal Building, Historic City Hall and the City Council Chambers. The 20-story City Hall was built at a cost of $83 million. 

The new City Hall wraps around the Orpheum Theatre. Built in 1929, the theater was once considered the most luxurious playhouse west of the Mississippi River. This $11 million pro¬ject has restored the ornate Spanish Baroque Revival Theater to be used for performing arts, community and civic events. 

The downtown revitalization included the $12 million Margaret T. Hance Deck Park, a 29-acre greenbelt stretching from Third Street to Third Avenue, just south of McDowell Road above the Inter¬state-10 tunnel. 

A host of centers have recently completed renovations or new construction in the downtown area. These include the Phoenix Civic Plaza, the five-story Central Library which houses over one million volumes and seats up to 800 patrons, and the Phoenix Art Museum. The Phoenix Central Library is an architectural show-case that cost $43 million. Phoenix real estate continues to grow with vigor.

Downtown Phoenix is just one of the city's commercial centers. Corporate and regional headquarters are located along the Central Avenue and Camelback corridors. Many high-tech manufacturers includ¬ing Bull Worldwide Information Systems are based in northwest Phoenix. Others such as Honeywell are located near Sky Harbor International Airport and in south Phoenix. Others are located elsewhere, like Sitix of Phoenix in Paradise Valley to the northeast. 

AFFORDABLE LIFESTYLE, ABUNDANT AMENITIES
With a cost of living lower than most other major metropolitan areas, Phoenix real estate still remains affordable.  The median income is around $42,000; and the median age is 32.6. 

To combat the sense of isolation that can spring from urban sprawl, the Phoenix City Council adopted an innovative concept known as the Village Plan. Introduced in the 1970s, the zoning plan recognized distinct neighborhoods within the city and called for residential, retail and commercial development to take place in certain patterns to foster a stronger sense of neighborhood. Phoenicians may be laid back, but they support an active cultural scene. The last few years have shown great improvement in Phoenix's overall cultural package. 

The Phoenix Union High School District offers a magnet school program. Students with special interests in such diverse subjects as law, aerospace, fine arts, science and sports receive concentrated instruction at selected schools, in addition to their normal high-school studies. Students that enjoy Phoenix real estate are served by nearly thirty separate school districts (those of Glendale, Tempe, Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, among others), relocating parents can "shop" for the district that best suits their child. 

EASY TO GET AROUND
The streets of this car-dependent city are easy to navigate, thanks to their grid-like pattern. Think of Central Avenue, which runs north-south, as the dividing line. Parallel streets to the west are numbered as avenues – First Avenue, Second Avenue, Third Avenue, etc. Parallel roads to the east are numbered as streets – First Street, etc. East-west streets are named and easy to remember. This simple street pattern extends into neighboring cities. The freeway system is being expanded to handle greater traffic. With the constant influx of newcomers to Phoenix and the Valley of the Sun come new ideas and new ambitions, creating a vibrant atmosphere that frees people to pursue their vision of the American Dream and Phoenix real estate. 

AREA STATISTICS
AREA: 430-plus square miles.
Maricopa County area – 9,127 square miles.
ELEVATION: 1,117 feet.
LIBRARIES: Phoenix Public Library: Central Library, 1221 N. Central Avenue, 602/262-4636 (there are 11 other branches throughout the city); Maricopa County Public Library. 17811 N. 32nd Street, 602/506-2957; Arizona State Library, 1700 W. Washington Street, 602/542-3701.
POPULATION: About 3,396,875 
SCHOOLS: Phoenix Public School Districts.
UTILITIES: Electric – Arizona Public Service Company and Salt River Project; gas – Southwest Gas; water/sanitation – City of Phoenix; and telephone – US West.