Best Places to Live 2016

 
 
 

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Silverleaf homesite

Clubhouse renovations and new homebuilders. Fresh hires and can’t-miss events. Our favorite Valley master-planned communities are getting spruced up for the coming year. Take a look at what’s new and upcoming in local luxury master-planned living.

 


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Desert Mountain Club | Scottsdale

Situated on 8,000 acres of rolling desert, Desert Mountain has been ranked among the best private golf and lifestyle communities in the world. Resale properties include elegant custom homes and estates, villas, townhomes, cottages and courtyard homes as well as custom home sites, and residents are invited to tee up at six Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses (with clubhouses to match)—the only spot on earth golfers can find such a playing experience. desertmountain.com.

What’s New: The phase one renovation of the Sonoran Fitness Center at Desert Mountain is now complete, offering members a new fitness and training area, a lower stretching area with a panoramic view of the grass tennis court, a tennis boutique, several gathering spots and a new Youth Activity Center. Phase two of the now 42,600-sq.-ft. space is underway, with a grand opening slated for next month. The fitness facility expansion also includes four classrooms--for group exercise, functional training, TRX and Pilates--and a resort-style spa with a hair and nail salon. The spa offers a variety of skin and body treatments, including a new aromatherapy massage experience, couples massages and a new organic product line. The interior designer utilizes a soft color palette of pale aqua and crisp whites paired with deep wood tones for a feeling of tranquility and serenity. 


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Encanterra | San Tan Valley

This luxury golf community, located in the private San Tan Valley, seamlessly blends the good looks of the Old World with new-school amenities and features. Two standouts of Encanterra include the 60,000-sq.-ft. show-stopping La Casa Club and the Tom Lehman-designed 18-hole private golf course, while springtime brings the popular signature concert series, The Good Life Festival, which has attracted music fans from the around the Valley to enjoy acts like The Band Perry and Heart since 2010.  trilogylife.com.

What’s New: The second resort clubhouse, The Algarve, recently opened its doors at Encanterra. The club boasts 8,000 square feet, a resort-style pool, two bocce ball lanes, a multi-purpose room, a poolside bar, an event lawn and pickle ball courts. The Algarve is also home to Santorini’s Studio, an art studio where members can partake in workshops, art classes and make use of the kiln for pottery and clay work. Members can also dig into Tapas, the club’s new poolside restaurant. 


 

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Desert Highlands | Scottsdale

Located on 850 acres of Sonoran Desert, Scottsdale’s Desert Highlands comprises 560 home sites among gorgeous natural surroundings and with plenty of leisure-time pursuits to offer its residents. Near the towering rock formation known as Clubhouse Rock, the community clubhouse provides members with top-notch dining, a fitness facility complete with an exercise class schedule, a community pool and a dramatic 18-hole, par-72 golf course (there’s even a putting course, to boot). deserthighlandsscottsdale.com.

What’s New: Desert Highlands recently enhanced its Racquet Club viewing from both the grass court and clay court areas. The result is less obstructed with views of both sets of courts, especially during season matches. The courts even lured Australian tennis pro Nick Kyrgios who said the courts were the finest he’d ever played on—including Wimbledon.


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Mirabel Golf Club | Scottsdale

Mirabel Golf Club sits at 3,000 feet on more than 700 acres, high above the Valley and proffering some of the area’s most eye-popping panoramic mountain views of Pinnacle Peak, Lone Mountain, Black Mountain, the McDowell Mountains and Bradshaw Range. The elevation has more perks that just pretty views; the more temperate climate means more chances to enjoy the Tom Fazio-designed course and The Desert Lodge Clubhouse’s amenities, from swimming at the resort-style pool (with private cabanas) to taking a swing at the championship-caliber clay tennis facility. mirabel.com.

What’s New: Members and guests are sure to see two new faces around Mirabel this fall. Now happily serving the membership, General Manager and Chief Operating Officer Marcie Mills is the newest addition to the Mirabel Golf Club team. She returned to Arizona in August after time at LedgeRock Golf Club in Pennsylvania. Executive Chef Brandon Gauthier is another new addition, heading up the kitchen at Mirabel Golf Club. He received his degree in Culinary Arts from the Scottsdale Culinary Institute before going on to work for Chef Kevin Binkley, most recently as the chef de cuisine for Binkley’s Restaurant Group.


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Vistancia | Peoria

Offering a beautiful desert setting with mountain and golf-course views, Blackstone at Vistancia is set within the 7,100-acre master-planned community of Vistancia in Peoria. Residents enjoy privacy, thanks to a 12-hour guard-gated private entrance; walking paths; and a neighborhood park where children and grownups alike can savor the joys of outdoor life in Arizona. Perhaps the centerpiece of the community, Blackstone Country Club, features a Jim Engh-designed par-72 championship golf course and a 30,000-sq.-ft. Hacienda-style clubhouse with 24-hour fitness center, gourmet dining, year-round events for members and much more. vistancia.com.

What’s New: Slated to open this fall, David Weekley Homes’ fourth neighborhood in Blackstone, Greens at Blackstone, will be a collection of 58 home sites, ranging from 2,100 to 2,800 square feet. 


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DC Ranch | Scottsdale

Since the late 1990’s, DC Ranch, at the foot of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, has been a cherished destination for luxury family living—and it continues to grow to this day. While DC Ranch encompasses the community of Silverleaf, it is also home to the award-winning Country Club at DC Ranch where golfers can enjoy two classically designed courses, as well as resort-style dining, swimming, tennis and much more. dcranch.com.

What’s New: Residents crave events, education and special experiences—and DC Ranch delivers. The Tour de Scottsdale grew again this year and the Run for Ryan’s House drew thousands of attendees. Hundreds of community events, like dive-in movies to on-site yoga sessions, help create a sense of community at the ranch. Plus, the shopping centers in the heart of DC Ranch recently welcomed new, unique destinations this year, like Decantur, which is a wine experience, and the All American Modern Sports Grill. 


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Silverleaf | Scottsdale

Founded in 2002, Silverleaf quickly became one of the Valley’s most desirable addresses thanks to an amenity-packed 50,000‐sq.-ft. clubhouse with an adjoining Tom Weiskopf-designedgolf course and a community that thrives on privacy, tranquility and exceptionally beautiful homes. silverleaf.com.

What’s New: Cullum Homes recently debuted the final neighborhood in Silverleaf, The Village at Silverleaf. (Only a few homes remain in this community of 19 distinctive homes.) Neighboring the Silverleaf Clubhouse, the 12 semi-custom Villas and seven Cottages, designed by Oz Architects, range in size from 2,735 to more than 6,000 square feet and are rich in character and unique finishes. The homes utilize a concretewall system that exceeds Scottsdale’s green building standards while the superior zoned air-conditioning is significantly more energy efficient and quieter than traditional units. The authentic architecture and meticulous craftsmanship of The Village at Silverleaf come forth via decorative ironwork and stone, reclaimed wood or steel and glass front-entry doors, antique imported beams and wire-brushed, painted cedar shutters. To cap off the luxury living experience at The Village, residents savor expansive vistas of city lights, the Silverleaf Golf Course and the peaks of the McDowell Mountains. Cottages from $2.4 million; villas from $3.4 million. Exclusively offered by Silverleaf Realty, 602.502.6902.


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Estrella | Goodyear

Perfect for active families who crave adventure alongside luxury choose to call Estrella home. Outdoor amenities include more than 20 miles of hiking and biking trails; a top-notch golf club and public courses; a bike pump track; and, one of the most rare treats, the opportunity to set sail. Estrella is home to two lakes (72 acres of water, in total), and the Estrella Yacht Club loans residents kayaks, paddle boats and sailboats. estrella.com.

What’s New: Estrella is home to two well-appointed residents’ clubs; the newest, Presidio, is set to open this month. The 18,500-sq.-ft. facility features a cafe and wine bar; a great room with a fireplace; a fitness facility; a pool; and a splash bad. Plus, the community currently has seven active new home builders. KB Home and Beazer Homes both opened new neighborhoods in 2016.


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Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club | Gold Canyon

This 878-acre master-planned community in Gold Canyon features village-style neighborhoods, 24-hour guard gate security and beautiful common areas for gathering with family and friends. The clubhouse and golf options at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club ensure residents and their guests never have a moment to be bored, thanks to great dining, a sports center, two Jack Nicklaus-designed golf courses and plenty of outdoor opportunities (think hiking, biking and horse trails in Tonto National Forest). superstitionmountain.com.

What’s New: Developers recently introduced a range of new high-end, semi-custom homes in the Prospector and Club Village communities. The new homes feature a modern/transitional design, as the community expands its offering from its traditional Old World/Tuscan-style homes.

 


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Eastmark | Mesa

Eastmark, which was just named the No. 1 best-selling master-planned community in the state by RCLCO (there were more than 550 sales in 2015), is brimming with attractions that every member of the family is sure to adore and homes, with options from nine renowned homebuilders and nearly 100 floorplans to choose from, that are destined to be “forever” abodes. The entire clan gets it moving during monthly free concerts benefiting local charities (you’ll also find a food truck courtyard at these events) while kiddos can’t get enough of the splash pad and Orange Monster climbing park. eastmark.com.

What’s New: Eastmark’s residents are enjoying the community’s newest private amenities: the Bus Stop at The Mark and the community pool. Local artist Kris Kollasch took an old school bus and transformed it into the hub of fun inside The Mark, where residents can sit and overlook the gaming action, from skee ball to a life-size scrabble wall.


 

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Grayhawk | Scottsdale

For 20-plus years, Grayhawk has offered its residents kind, genuine service and a long list of top-tier lifestyle amenities (36 holes of golf, 31 miles of trails and dining establishments that offer jaw-dropping mountain and golf course views). The Scottsdale community has more than 3,000 homes in its luxury arsenal on 1,600 acres, ranging from townhomes and condos to beautiful single-family abodes. grayhawk.com.

What’s New: Grayhawk just announced that it will host the championship for the PGA Junior League for the next two years, beginning Nov. 18-21.


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Verrado | Buckeye

A vibrant Main Street with shops and cafes and two growing mixed-use commercial centers. Seventy-two parks (about 10 times more than the average community). An action-packed swim park and community rec center. More than 21 miles of paths and trails. Verrado has all the makings of a first-class family-friendly community. Verrado, which is warm, welcoming and bursting with small-town charm, offers a proposed 11,000 homes, spanning across 8,800 acres in the of the West Valley’s White Tank Mountains. verrado.com.

What’s New: Victory, the newest neighborhood in Verrado, features four local and national builders offering new homes in this 55-plus district. Residents here enjoy all of the amenities and lifestyle of Verrado and have access to the exclusive new Victory Club—featuring activities and amenities like pickle ball, arts, fitness and three pools—and the area’s new favorite hangout, The Vic Bar + Kitchen.


 

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Trilogy at Verde River | Rio Verde

Found just east of North Scottsdale, Trilogy at Verde River is the only new golf resort community projected to be built in the Rio Verde area of the Valley in several years. Tonto National Forest is considered the backyard of this all-ages community, so residents can enjoy the great outdoors firsthand via hiking, biking, kayaking and camping. trilogylife.com.

What’s New: The resort-lifestyle clubhouse is set to open in fall of 2017, with a state-of-the-art fitness studio, a pool, a fine dining restaurant, an outdoor sports complex and an outfitter store, where residents can find all the necessities to venture into Tonto National Forest. The nearby Verde River Golf & Social Club (previously named Tegavah), one of Arizona's best-kept golf secrets for nearly a decade, is now under the guidance of PGA Tour legend Tom Lehman and, thus, undergoing an extensive redesign project.