Arizona

Arizona is a US state to capture the imagination and Arizonians believe that this is where tomorrow is heading, a place where the American dream can still come true, a place where each voice can be heard and can become a moving force to make things happen. Year round sunshine, an abundance of recreational activities and a history rich in the traditions of the ‘Old West’ make Arizona one of the most desirable places to live in the USA. Imagine skiing in the morning and lounging by the pool in the afternoon. Arizona can offer it all:

The North is a land of alpine meadows, sparkling streams, snowcapped volcanoes and immense canyons and of course, the immense Colorado River. Moving south you will find Flagstaff. A center in the summer for walking, camping and fishing and in the winter, skiing. Moving south again, you will discover the stunning red cliffs of Sedona and natural wilderness areas.

If you take the old ‘Apache Trail’ out of Phoenix heading East, you move into Apache country, although today the tribes have opened up much of their land to share the stunning scenery with visitors to the area. Finally in the South of the State you will find the Sonoran Desert, home of national parks, stately saguaro and organ pipe cactus.

This is a state steeped in history with images of cattle drives, cowboys and Apache Indians bring Arizona alive. This familiar part of Arizona’s history is based primarily around the southern area of Arizona. Here you would find the famous towns of Tombstone, Ruby and Canyon Diablo and names such as Wyatt Earp and Marshall Trimble.

The climate is stunning. Deep blue skies insert photo with blue sky! during the day, extraordinary sunrises and sunsets and clear night skies littered with glittering stars. Although the State boasts a good average temperature, it varies from area to area and in the desert, can swing as much as 40 degrees between day and night. Around Phoenix you can usually enjoy January temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees with summer temperatures often exceeding 100 degrees. Locals will be out early to enjoy the warmth and bright sunlight and retire to the air conditioning during the strongest part of the day. The temperature in the evenings will hold up well too because unlike the desert, the concrete of the superstructure retains heat once the sun has gone. This is a dry heat and is very comfortable unlike the more humid heat which some people fine quite tiring.

Further Information

Our first site in Arizona is Phoenix. Served directly by the International Airport, Sky Harbor, it offers something quite different for a potential second home owner or to someone who is relocating on business.

Phoenix actually covers an area which includes many townships some old and some relatively new of which Phoenix is just one. Some of the other significant areas include Tempe, Scottsdale, Glendale, Carefree and Cave Creek. Scottsdale is considered by many to be the smart area where you will have plenty of choice both for the arts and for shopping. If you want to get a little bit more laid-back, join the ranchers who live around the older, historical area of Cave Creek or the newer, planned community of Carefree. Both these communities nestle in the foothills of the Tonto National Park and the Sonoran desert and blend comfortably into the landscape. Much of the natural scenery is spectacular with massive piles of granite boulders, sharp mountains and an abundance of desert growth. Because of the relatively low density population, you will still find residents sharing the area with deer, bobcats, cardinals, coyotes, javelinas, coveys of quail and an occasional mountain lion.

Phoenix is built in a bowl surrounded by mountains and rises out of desert know as the Valley of the Sun. The desert landscape is marked by cacti and bush, particularly the Saguara Cacti which are synonymous with Arizona. Phoenix is a place of contrasts. The outdoor life appeals to many and the opportunities to indulge are everywhere.

Golf is as popular here as you would expect. With such good weather, there are golf courses galore. You can choose your style of course and degree of difficulty. For the real enthusiast, a golfing community offers paradise with your local course in your back yard. Scottsdale alone provides nearly 190 market area courses including numerous championship layouts: 75 degree weather, 300 days sunshine a year, great restaurants and nightlife and easy air access. The metropolitan area is home to give major professional golf tours and six of Golf Magazine’s top 100 courses and it’s easy to see why Scottsdale is the perfect setting for a golf enthusiast. Heading some of golf’s most spectacular events are the Phoenix Open, the PING Banner Health Tournament and The Tradition at Superstition Springs where some of the greatest senior PGA legends take to the course.

There is a plentiful supply of ‘Arts’ with Opera, visiting Ballet, Theatre, Art Galleries and Museums. Museums are varied and cover a wide variety of interests including the Arizona Science Park which is an interactive museum with children in mind. There is a Planetarium, giant screen theatre and technology center featuring over 750 exhibits on dinosaurs, energy, food technology and life sciences. The Mesa Southwest Museum tells the history of the Southwest from dinosaurs to ancient Indian civilizations to the settlement of the Wild West. Treasures are tucked away in little hidden shopping areas, such as in Carefree where the 3rd largest sundial in the northern hemisphere can be found.

Theme Parks include the Castles and Coasters where you can enjoy four miniature golf courses and 10 major rides including a double-loop roller coaster and the water flume.

For the children and young at heart, there are many outdoor features. Out of Africa is a wonderful natural habitat ‘zoo’ that features humans interacting with some of the world’s most impressive predators including big cats such as lions, tigers, black leopards and mountain lions together with polar bears and brown bears. Out of Africa offers a great day out for the family with regular shows including the ‘Tiger Splash’ which is a huge swimming pool surrounded by raised seating where various groups of animals enjoy the water and chase ‘prey’ toys alongside their keepers. We have visited Out of Africa and recommend it to anyone to wants to enjoy watching animals enjoying themselves. What was particularly special for us was the fact that the animals were free to join in the fun or return to their pens at any time if they weren’t ‘in the mood’. Phoenix offers 2 other zoos, the Phoenix Zoo set in 125 acres of rolling hills, shaded paths and natural environmental habitats offers a wide range of activities and the Wildlife World Zoo which is spread over 40 acres.

Phoenix offers some stunning Public Parks to be enjoyed by residents and visitors alike. Encanto Park in the heart of Phoenix is spread over 222 acres and provides an oasis setting and a wide range of facilities including boat rentals. South Mountain Park is the largest desert mountain park in the world (15,728 acres) while Papago Park hosts the Phoenix zoo and the Desert Botanical Gardens.

If Water Parks are your pleasure, Phoenix has plenty to offer. There is Big Surf in Tempe which offers swimming, raft riding, a massive 300 foot twisting surf slide, body slides and a lush grassy beach! Arizona’s largest miniature golf and waterslide park offers an amazing 3 miniature golf courses, 200 arcade games, a wave pool, tubing river, 17 waterslides and, wait for it, 18 pools.

Waterworld in Phoenix is Arizona’s largest water park with the Congo River Rapids, Serengeti Surf Wave Pool and the 6-1/2 storey high Kilimanjaro Slide.

Team sports enthusiasts are welcome to support the NFL Football Arizona Cardinals and NBA Basketball Phoenix Suns. A passion for Phoenix residents is supporting the NL Baseball Arizona Diamondbacks. NHL Hockey is represented by the Phoenix Coyotes. In fact, you name the sport, and Phoenix will be able to offer it. If all else fails, you could try hot air ballooning in the early morning high above Phoenix and enjoy an aerial view of this magnificent part of the world.

Homesearch-Overseas objective is to develop associations with a limited number of what we consider to be some of the ‘best’ Developers, Property Specialists and estate agents or realtors (as they are known in America). These specialists are all hand-picked in order to allow us to continue to offer our clients introductions to a small number of hand-picked experts to ensure that your experience of buying properties overseas is enjoyable and the end product is right for you.

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