Gold Canyon Arizona Offers Laid Back Upscale Lifestyle

Rising majestically 3,000 feet above the floor of a desert wilderness, the Superstition Mountains stands guard, separating urban hustle and bustle from the desert stillness, protecting a veritable horde of ancient treasures -- artifacts of the long-ago Pima and Apache Native Americans, remnants of the Spanish conquistadors, and most notably, the unimaginable fortunes locked deep inside Jacob Waltz’s long-lost gold mine, a cache of riches that still waits to be discovered.

Thousands still search for that Lost Dutchman Gold Mine, but thousands more know the real treasures to be found today lie in Gold Canyon, the aptly-named upscale Arizona real estate community that’s home to no fewer than five championship 18-hole golf courses, a burgeoning, active arts community, and growing neighborhoods with exceptional homes to accommodate a range of lifestyles and prices.

These neighborhoods fit snugly within the foothills of the mountains, a protected preserve to remain unsettled forever. Homeowners revel in daily life that presents incomparable views from every perspective, along with incomparable choices in outdoor activities. There are ghost towns and historical museums to explore, vast, wide-open hiking and riding trails among the sage and saguaro, outstanding golf courses to challenge, boating or fishing at nearby Canyon Lake and Apache Lake, driving the wonderfully scenic Apache Trail that leads to Apache Lake and Roosevelt Lake, or luxuriating in the pampering of a resort pool or day-spa.

Gold Canyon’s Arts Council presents regular exhibitions and an annual festival featuring local and regional artists, and shopping is plentiful and easily accessible along U.S. 60. Arizona’s annual Renaissance Festival, held every February and March, enlivens Gold Canyon with music and medieval revelry under the watchful eye of the magnificent mountains.

Life in Gold Canyon is laidback, easy and accented with the electric blue of the infinite Arizona sky, ideal year-round weather that affords time for a wealth of outdoor enjoyment, and the most spectacular crimson-hued sunsets that, daily, give way to a shimmering starry sky above.

Gilbert Arizona Real Estate Has Small Town Feel

Modern-day Gilbert Arizona is a study in contrasts, with a few farmhouses that hearken back to its days as an agricultural haven to marvelous master-planned Arizona real estate communities that pay tribute to days gone by – and those who lived there – through their names, such as Morrison Ranch and Finley Farms.

According to the Gilbert Historical Museum, the most recent, rich history behind Gilbert began around the early 1890s, when the first homesteaders consisted of four women and six men. Some of the land in the area was given away free of charge to homesteaders willing to remain on the land for a minimum of five years, while other land was sold for as little as 50 cents an acre. Back then, farm work was done with a horse, roads weren’t paved, and everyone swam in irrigation ditches to stay cool.

While the exact date of the town’s founding isn’t clear – according to the museum, the earliest homestead was purchased in 1893, but the town’s website says it was developed in the late 1890s – Gilbert was established around the turn of the century as a train station. The story, according to the town website, is that around 1902, area homesteader William “Bobby” Gilbert allowed the Arizona Eastern Railway to establish a rail siding on his land for a line between Phoenix and Florence. Gilbert grew from there, although the town wasn’t officially incorporated until 1920.

In the meantime, the charming little farming community was flourishing, in fact, the museum website notes the first school opened in 1900. The first grocery store, Ayer’s, came along in 1910 and became the site of the local post office two years later. In 1913, Gilbert’s own railroad depot was constructed; everything from cattle to sheep to watermelons went through it. Also that year, an elementary school known as “the Alamo” was built at Gilbert and Elliot roads; today, that old schoolhouse – which only went out of service in 1977 – houses the Gilbert Historical Museum.

Gilbert remained a small farming hub on the outskirts of Phoenix for decades. Then, in the 1970s, the Town Council annexed 53 square miles of county land and the town’s size and outlook changed. To wit: In 1970, Gilbert had a population of 1,970. But by 1980, that figure had risen to 5,717; by 2009, it was approximately 215,000. Yet, in spite of its rapid growth, the town has managed to honor its past, celebrating small-town goodness and a family-friendly focus.

Interesting factoid: One of Gilbert’s most notable achievements was being dubbed the “alfalfa hay capital of the world”, a moniker that was given to the town in about 1918. Indeed, during World War I, Gilbert was a main hay supplier for the U.S. Army’s horses.

Flagstaff Houses Old West History

Visitors come from around the world to experience Flagstaff’s sense of the Old West, outdoor adventures and the town’s amazing history, architecture and eclectic culture. Known as the Gateway to the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff Arizona real estate rests along the foothills of the San Francisco Peaks, an intimate and cozy town rich in Western and Native American history. Home to Northern Arizona University, internationally renowned Lowell Observatory, several museums and half a dozen parks, Flagstaff overflows with a plethora of possibilities in recreation, entertainment and culture.

The iconic scenery of the American West frames life in Flagstaff -- the high desert accented with oak, elm and pine trees provides a stunning backdrop for skiing to snowboarding, shopping to symphonies, canyon-rafting to rock-climbing, hiking to biking and so much more. Bordered by the famed “Mother Road,” Route 66, Flagstaff’s ambience neatly weaves an energetic emphasis on a magnificent four-seasons with an innate artistic presence.

Annual celebrations contribute greatly to Flagstaff’s community energy, drawing residents and tourists alike to activities such as movies on the square on warm summer evenings, the Festival of Science featuring exciting presentations from Lowell Observatory on heavenly skies and stars, and Route 66 days recalling the great era of road travel. In addition, there’s the wildly popular New Year’s Eve Pinecone Drop, which is the prelude to Winterfest, a grand month-long celebration of snow incorporating art, dining, music and every possible snow-time adventure, including sled-dog races.

Panoramic mountain meadows and endless sunny days and star-filled nights combine with Flagstaff’s active sense of small-town community to sing an enticing siren song of relocation. Flagstaff real estate offers many impressive homes set against marvelous mountain landscapes, as well as private, gated communities with a multitude of luxurious options.

A little history: Flagstaff got its beginning in 1871 when Edward Whipple, the first known settler in the area, arrived and began to operate a saloon. The next known settler wouldn’t arrive until 1876, when F.F. McMillen settled in the area north of present day Flagstaff. A few months later, a group of scouts and settlers who were traveling from Boston came across an open valley with a lone pine tree which they turned into a makeshift flagpole for their American flag. The group continued westward, but the flag staff from which the city would later get its name remained. In 1891, Flagstaff was named the seat of Coconino County; it was incorporated as a town in 1894 and as a city in 1928.

Spiritual? If So, Finding a Religious Home in Arizona is Easy

Throughout the major metropolitan areas such as Phoenix, Paradise Valley, Scottsdale and Tucson, Arizona finding a home for practicing pretty much every type of religion is fairly easy.

A little history: The first religions that were practiced in Arizona were the sacred beliefs and ceremonies of the Native Americans. In the late 17th century, Catholic missionaries came to the area and began to attempt to convert these native peoples to Christianity, but by the late 18th century, Franciscans were the major missionary group. It was around this time that the Roman Catholic Church was established in Arizona.

A 2007 survey conducted by The Pew Forum found that nearly 30 percent of Arizona residents identify themselves as Catholic and another 30 percent as Protestant. Six percent are Mormon or LDS, one percent are Jewish, one percent are Buddhist and six percent are affiliated with another religion. Over 20 percent do not consider themselves to be connected with any religious preference at all.

While some Arizona churches have just a handful of members, others, especially in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area, are enormous facilities with multiple buildings and numerous services that cater to hundreds, if not thousands, of members.

Mormons (Latter-Day Saints, or LDS) have a rich history throughout the state of Arizona; even though a relatively small percentage of religious people are LDS, they do enjoy a significant legacy in the area. Brigham Young sent Mormons to Arizona in the mid-to-late 19th century, and these pioneers founded several Arizona cities and towns including Safford, Heber, Snowflake, Mesa and others. In fact, downtown Mesa is home to a magnificent Mormon temple that hosts a locally-famous holiday display every December.

If you are looking for a spiritual home in Arizona, many websites have extensive listings of local houses of worship, including www.Flockfinder.com, www.USAChurches.org and www.Synagogues.com (search under Phoenix).

Living in Arizona is Perfect for the Sports-Lover

If you love sports, you will definitely love living in Arizona. The spectators’ list goes on and on and includes professional teams like the Arizona Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Phoenix Suns, Phoenix Mercury and more, in addition to plenty of college teams including the University of Arizona Wildcats, the Arizona State Sun Devils and the Northern Arizona University Lumberjacks. There’s also a whole roster of community college teams, but if actively participating is more your style, there are tons of recreational leagues looking for ‘weekend warriors’ and regular team members.

Let’s start with the pros. The Arizona Cardinals (NFL) football team takes to the gridiron every year in the University of Phoenix stadium in Glendale, while the Phoenix Coyotes (NHL) play at Jobing.com arena, which is also in Glendale near the Cardinals’ facility. Downtown Phoenix is host to the US Airways Center, home of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, and Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks baseball team. Other professional teams that call the Phoenix area home are the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA and the Arizona Rattlers of the AFL.

Getting back to baseball, every March the Phoenix area hosts numerous Major League Baseball teams for their annual Spring Training ritual. Thousands upon thousands of fans flock to the Valley of the Sun to watch professional teams play in smaller, more intimate stadiums where being close to the action is definitely the name of the game.

Moving to college sports, the Arizona State University Sun Devils in Tempe have a wide variety of sports options for both students and fans, from men’s football, baseball, basketball and cross-country to women’s softball, track and field, swimming and gymnastics. In Tucson, the University of Arizona Wildcats boasts athletic opportunities such as football, soccer, basketball, swimming and golf. Up north in Flagstaff, Northern Arizona University’s Lumberjacks also enjoy a full roster of sports choices.

High schools across the state offer multiple opportunities for students to participate in athletics, and most campuses have their own sports fields and/or stadiums adjacent to the main school buildings; on game-nights, the stands are often packed with friends, family members and local media.

If you would rather play sports than watch, you’re in luck because Arizona is home to at least 300-plus golf courses, hundreds of miles of hiking and biking trails, fun-filled swimming facilities and a plethora of recreational leagues for the young and not-so-young alike. As you can see, it is easy, healthy and fun to stay active in sports-rich Arizona.

Arizona Houses a Vast Medical System

Arizona houses many state-of-the-art medical facilities, some of which attract people from all over the world who travel here to receive top-notch medical care.

Perhaps the best-known facility is the Mayo Clinic, which is world-renowned for its outstanding level of patient services. Thousands of people every year come to the Mayo Clinic to be treated for a variety of health care ailments ranging from cardiac care to cancer. Some patients are evaluated and treated all in one day and are then sent home, and others require a stay at the Mayo Clinic Hospital, which is on the Phoenix campus.

Additional medical options in Arizona include those found throughout the Banner Healthcare system, in fact, Banner Health hospitals operate over 30 facilities ranging from large hospitals to smaller clinics, some of which are urgent- and same-day locations. Banner Desert in Mesa, Banner Thunderbird in Glendale, Banner Ironwood in Queen Creek (southeast of Phoenix) and Banner Estrella in west Phoenix are four hospitals that offer high quality medical treatments to their patients. Meanwhile, St. Joseph’s Hospital near downtown Phoenix is also extremely well-known for its outstanding healthcare, in fact, U.S. News & World Report’s annual listing of top hospitals routinely ranks St. Joseph’s in the top 10 for neurology and neurosurgery. The hospital is home to Barrow Neurological Center, several Centers of Excellence in various specialties, and a busy Trauma Center that handles everything from gunshot wounds to traffic accident victims to drownings/near drownings.

From obstetricians and gynecologists to dermatologists, oncologists and endocrinologists, specialists abound in Arizona, and it is easy to locate a doctor who can help you with a specific health condition. For very focused needs, Cancer Treatment Centers of America recently opened a facility in Goodyear called Western Regional Medical Center. An easy freeway drive from Scottsdale and Phoenix, the facility is known for its leading-edge cancer care.

Children who require intensive or specialized medical treatment will often go to Phoenix Children’s Hospital in Phoenix. The colorful building is staffed with kid-friendly doctors and nurses who do everything they can to make a child’s visit as stress-free and pleasant as possible. Along with its downtown location, the hospital also has two satellite offices that offer follow-up appointments, checkups and urgent care options.

Throughout Arizona, you will also find numerous smaller medical clinics and Urgent Care facilities. In addition, some national chain drug stores like Walgreens and CVS offer walk-in medical clinics located right inside many of their stores.