The Market

Scottsdale, community by community

Ten North Scottsdale communities Kathy works constantly, and the rest of the Valley besides. Tap any one for what it is actually like to live there.

How to read this

Ten North Scottsdale Communities She Knows Best

Scottsdale is not one market. Troon North and Old Town are half an hour apart and share almost nothing: one is large custom lots against the desert preserve, the other is mid-rise condominiums over a gallery district.

These ten are the North Scottsdale communities Kathy works constantly and can talk about street by street. She sells across Scottsdale and the north valley besides, so if your search sits outside the list, ask anyway. Every card opens onto what the place is actually like, the housing you will find, and links to the community’s own association or club. Once you have it narrowed down, the buyer’s guide covers the purchase itself.

Strictly speaking, three of the ten sit farther south. McCormick Ranch and Gainey Ranch are central Scottsdale, and Old Town is downtown. They are on this list because Kathy works them as often as the northern ones, and they belong in the same conversation as the North Scottsdale communities around them.

Pinnacle Peak, granite boulders, and saguaros above a desert golf fairway, the setting for Troon North homes for sale in Scottsdale — Troon North homes for sale sit among granite boulders, saguaros, and championship golf in north Scottsdale’s high desert.

Desert golf course green framed by granite boulders and saguaro cactus, with luxury homes and mountains beyond in North Scottsdale, Arizona — Villages with their own main street, at the foot of the McDowell Mountains.

Aerial view of Scottsdale, Arizona, with tree-lined golf fairways and a lake in the foreground, the Arizona Canal winding through neighborhoods, and Four Peaks on the horizon — Mature golf fairways, the Arizona Canal, and established neighborhoods lead toward Old Town Scottsdale and the distant Four Peaks.

Aerial view of lush green golf fairways, greens, and sand bunkers winding through native Sonoran Desert at Desert Highlands in Scottsdale, Arizona — Desert Highlands’ championship fairways weave through untouched Sonoran Desert in this private North Scottsdale golf community.

Tile-roofed homes nestled at the base of saguaro-covered McDowell Mountains with a granite rock spire under a turquoise sky in McDowell Mountain Ranch, Scottsdale, Arizona — McDowell Mountain Ranch homes sit right at the edge of the McDowell Mountains, with Sonoran Desert trails and peaks just beyond the backyard.

Gainey Ranch entrance sign framed by tall date palm trees and desert landscaping in Scottsdale, Arizona — Towering date palms and lush desert landscaping welcome residents to Gainey Ranch, a guard-gated golf community in Scottsdale.

Golf course with sand bunkers, a lake with a metal sculpture, and a patio fire pit overlooking the fairway at Kierland in Scottsdale, Arizona — The most walkable address in north Scottsdale, with two outdoor shopping districts on the doorstep.

Bronze horse fountain surrounded by red geraniums on Fifth Avenue in Old Town Scottsdale, Arizona, with shops and palm trees under a clear blue sky — The iconic horse fountain anchors Fifth Avenue in Old Town Scottsdale, surrounded by galleries, boutiques, and dining.

Single-story modern desert home with smooth white stucco walls, black-framed windows, a wood garage door, and palm trees in the Cactus Corridor area of Scottsdale, Arizona — Clean-lined modern homes and mature desert landscaping define the Cactus Corridor, stretching from central to North Scottsdale.

What actually differs

What Is Outside the Front Door

Each of the North Scottsdale communities on this page answers that one differently. In Troon North it is preserve trails and two championship desert courses. In Desert Highlands it is a private club that comes with the deed. In Kierland and Old Town it is somewhere to walk to. In the Cactus Corridor it is an acre of your own. That is what buyers are actually choosing between, and it is the question the listing photographs never answer.

Ask about a community

Answers

Choosing a community

Which community is right for me?

It depends far more on how you want to spend a Saturday than on square footage. Golf and quiet points you north to Troon North or Desert Highlands. Walkability points you to Old Town or Kierland. Trails point you to McDowell Mountain Ranch. Kathy will narrow it in one conversation.

Do any of these have mandatory club membership?

Desert Highlands does: membership rights come with the property, so the club is part of the cost of ownership rather than an option. Others have private clubs you can join separately. Ask before you tour, because it changes the monthly number materially.

Which ones are gated?

Grayhawk and Gainey Ranch both contain guard-gated enclaves alongside non-gated neighborhoods, and DC Ranch is organized as villages with a mix. Gating varies street by street rather than community by community.

What if I want to be somewhere not on this list?

Ask. Kathy sells across Scottsdale and the north valley. The ten are simply where she is deepest, not the limit of where she works.

Are there communities without a homeowners association?

The Cactus Corridor is the main one. Much of it has no restrictive association at all, which is part of why it kept its acre lots and its horses.

Can you tell me about the schools?

The districts are a matter of public record and each community card links to the relevant one. Fair housing rules mean Kathy will point you to the district’s own data rather than characterize schools for you, and that is the more reliable source anyway.

Resources

City of Scottsdale

Zoning, permits, city services and the planning record for any address.

McDowell Sonoran Preserve

Over 200 miles of trails, and the maps for every trailhead named on this page.

Scottsdale Unified School District

Boundary maps and school data for the central and southern communities.

Paradise Valley Unified School District

The district covering Grayhawk and much of north Scottsdale.

Experience Scottsdale

The city’s visitor authority. Useful orientation if you are relocating in.

Start with one question

Tell Kathy how you want to spend your Saturdays and she will tell you which two to look at first. Or call (602) 291-0695. She answers her own phone.

Ask Kathy