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Northeast Scottsdale

General

This area spans the foothills of the McDowell Mountains east to Fountain Hills. Upscale, stucco and desert-style homes in and around golf-course communities can be found in this neighborhood. The Mayo Clinic is located here, bringing jobs and visitors. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West is also a draw for visitors to the area. Look for Fountain Hills by the towering fountain spewing water 500 feet in the air.

This neighborhood guide - like every one on Street Scout - was researched and written by experts from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. It's based on public records, census data and on-the-ground reporting. Our Emmy-winning photographers and videographers have brought images of each neighborhood to life. We know our neighborhoods. If you want to live here, you want to read this.

Transportation

The Loop 101 freeway isn’t that far west of this area. Shea Boulevard is this neighborhood’s major thoroughfare. State Route 87 runs through the southern edge.

School Map
Walk Score

Explore the 2 Areas of Northeast Scottsdale

Ancala: 85259

Ancala is named after the large golf community located here. Other popular communities in this area include Scottsdale Mountain and Stonegate. Home prices are slightly less in this upscale enclave than neighborhoods farther north in Scottsdale. The Mayo Clinic is the area’s biggest employer.

Fountain Hills: 85268

Fountain Hills is the Valley’s farthest northeastern suburb. The town is situated between the Fort McDowell Reservation, the Salt River Reservation and Scottsdale. The iconic fountain can be seen for miles away. And residents have great view of Four Peaks. Homes are affordable for the luxury market. Golf courses are plentiful.

Housing

Housing

Upscale homes and golf courses are the norm in northeast Scottsdale. The area stretching south of the McDowell Mountain east to Fountain Hills also has high-end apartments and condominiums. This neighborhood’s housing is a bit more affordable than areas farther north in Scottsdale. Both upscale newer stucco homes and older desert-style houses can be found here. It’s a place popular with families, second-home buyers and snowbirds. Fountain Hills often makes national lists for being one of the best U.S. towns to live in.

The Market

Ancala85259

Fountain Hills85268

  • Home prices are much higher in Ancala. The typical house here sells for more than $500,000. The median price in Fountain Hills is closer to $300,000.

  • Few new homes are going up in either area of this neighborhood. There’s very little land left for new development in Fountain Hills.

  • This area draws families, second-home buyers and retirees.

  • Rents can be high on apartments in Ancala. Overall, Fountain Hills is more affordable.

Living Here

Living here

Look for upscale homes and golf courses, near the McDowell Mountains and large Native American communities. This area is a little farther from freeways. Some residents opt to move here for its more remote location. The Mayo Clinic is a big employer that also draws many visitors to the area. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West brings a unique Arizona experience. Shea Boulevard is this neighborhood’s main road. Visitors to the nearby casinos or travelers heading north to Payson and Pinetop mean more traffic for this area on weekends.

Things To Do

Ancala85259

Fountain Hills85268

Main attractions

A round of golf is never far away in this neighborhood. The lush public and private courses in the area include Ancala Country Club and SunRidge Canyon Golf Club. Salt River Fields at Talking Stick is nearby. It’s the spring training home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies. This area is also home to several Valley points of pride, including Taliesin West, a home designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright that’s open to the public. Also here is Mayo Clinic, one of the nation’s finest medical facilities.

Out on the town

Scottsdale has plenty of shopping. There’s Kierland Commons in the Kierland neighborhood, an upscale mixed-use outdoor space that offers the best in retail, dining and entertainment. Look for brand names as in-demand as Michael Kors, Eileen Fisher and Coach. Across the street is outdoor shopping complex Scottsdale Quarter with more of the good stuff, including the Apple Store, Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware. Also nearby is Scottsdale 101 shopping complex. It has a Harkins Theatre with a Cine Capri, one of the largest movie auditoriums in the state.

Main attractions

You can’t miss Fountain Park – it’s tower fountain blasts water hundreds of feet in the area and is visible from miles away. The surrounding park is a scenic recreation area outfitted with playgrounds, a dog park and splash pads. The annual Fountain Festival of Arts & Crafts is one of the largest of its kind in the Southwest, hosting hundreds of booths and showcasing original works of art. During the sweltering summer months, the Salt River is nearby. Cool off with a lazy ride down it on an inner tube.

Out on the town

Try your luck at nearby Fort McDowell Casino, with more than 150,000 square feet of gaming, including slot machines and table games. We-Ko-Pa Resort is an oasis in the Sonoran desert, complete with fine dining, golf, and a conference center. For an authentic Southwestern experience, there’s Fort McDowell Adventures with trail rides, cattle drives, cookouts and more.

Explore the Outdoors

Outdoors

These neighborhoods are among the most attractive to road bicyclist anywhere in the area, with plenty of challenging climbs in Fountain Hills and Scottsdale. McDowell Mountain Regional Park is just to the north, with camping, picnicking and a lot of well-maintained trails for running, mountain biking, horseback riding and hiking. The park is the site of numerous trail running events and occasional mud-obstacle course races.

Stats & Facts

Ancala85259

Fountain Hills85268

Who lives here

Financially comfortable, relatively older and highly educated, the northeast Scottsdale area is among the least racially diverse in the Valley. The Ancala neighborhood (85259) has the highest share of college degrees in the Phoenix area. The Fountain Hills neighborhood (85268) is overwhelmingly White, non-Hispanic.

5 Things To Know About Scottsdale

It’s well run.

Scottsdale consistently ranks as one of the best-run cities in America. Elected officials generally espouse a business-friendly, fiscally-conservative attitude. The city’s finances are heavily dependent on revenue from sales taxes, which can fluctuate with the economy. Though it suffered cutbacks several years ago, Scottsdale’s budget is balanced, and the city has been able to provide services without significantly impacting residents.

It has many things to do.

Scottsdale’s high-end amenities frequently draw visitors from other cities. The city boasts more than 40 parks, five public libraries and a recreational greenbelt with 11 miles of walking paths surrounded by lakes. There are three dog parks, including the award-winning Chaparral Park Off-leash Area.

It offers help to residents.

Scottsdale is known for its wealthy population, but low-income and needy residents can still benefit from a host of city-funded programs. These include “Beat the Heat,” a summer donation program benefiting seniors, and “Operation Fix It,” which helps eligible residents maintain their yards and houses.

Its residents are mixed on growth.

Many longtime residents fear unbridled growth and the explosion of new high-rises and apartment complexes could detract from the city’s charm and character. Other residents, particularly the younger generation, maintain a more progressive view and welcome most new development, especially in the thriving downtown. Every 10 years, voters have to approve an updated general plan to steer new growth. Voters rejected the 2012 plan.

It was renamed.

Scottsdale was originally called Orangedale because of its many citrus orchards. In the 1890s, a former Rhode Island banker, Albert Utley, set aside land for the town. But an article in The Arizona Republican called the area Scottsdale after a well-known farmer in the area, Winfield Scott, and the name stuck.