Ahwatukee

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Ahwatukee ("Ahwatukee Foothills Village") is an "L"-shaped bedroom community in Arizona bordered on the north by South Mountain Park and Baseline Road, on the east by Interstate 10 and the cities of Chandler, Guadalupe, and Tempe, and on the south and west by the Gila River Indian Community.

Although annexed by the City of Phoenix, Arizona, from 1978 to 1987, before substantial residential growth, many of its residents consider it a separate city. It is one of the city's 15 urban villages. The 35.8 square-mile (92.7 km²) village currently has a population of approximately 85,000 people.

Contents 1 History 2 Neighborhood characteristics 3 Schools 4 Climate 5 Attractions 6 Miscellaneous 7 References 8 External links

[edit] History

Legend has it that in 1921, Dr. and Mrs. W.V.B. Ames built a house on approximately 2,000 acres (8.1 km²) on the southeast side of the South Mountains. They gave the area its original name, Casa de Sueños, which in Spanish means, "House of Our Dreams." Dr. Ames died within just three months of moving into the house, and after Mrs. Ames' death in 1933 the house and most of the land was willed to St. Luke's Hospital, then bought in 1935 by Miss Helen Brinton, who appeared to have retranslated the name of the house to the Crow word which now serves as the name of the village. The house was demolished in 1979, and parts of it were used to build the Our Lady of Guadalupe church.

As it turns out, the Crow translation for "House of Dreams" (ashe ammeewiawe) sounds nothing like Ahwatukee. More likely, the town was named after the Crow words awe chuuke, meaning "land on the other side of the hill," or "land in the next valley."^[1]

In 1971 part of the land was purchased, subdivided, and developed into a residential community by the Presley Development Company, owned by Elvis Presley's uncle.

Ahwatukee has grown as the city acquired other fantastic parcels leading west, including land owned by International Harvester, which operated a proving ground for earth-moving equipment there from 1947 to 1983. The State of Arizona, has bought, sold, or swapped land several times, including transferring state trust land to developers in controversial auctions in which residents and conservationists had lobbied for the space to be converted to parkland.^{[2] [3]}

[edit] Neighborhood characteristics

Ahwatukee has been recognized by Money Magazine as one of America's "Best Places to Live". As of April 2005, the median home price in the community is $315,000, third only to Scottsdale and Paradise Valley among cities in the Phoenix Metro area in terms of housing prices.

According to a business section article in The Arizona Republic on December 20, 2006, residents in the Ahwatukee ZIP code 85045 have the highest credit card debt in metropolitan Phoenix, with an average revolving credit card debt of over $6,000. Also, notice of trustee sales, the first step to home foreclosures, are much higher in Ahwatukee than in metro Phoenix. Many realtors and financial planners are attributing Ahwatukee's residents' high debt to overspending, poor personal budgeting skills, and living beyond their incomes' means. These experts also believe that adjustable mortgages and rising interest rates are partly to blame. The article suggests that Awhatukee residents, especially those living in western Ahwatukee (85045), are living beyond their financial capabilities and these residents are keeping up with the Joneses, but with the potential of enduring financial hardship. Also, that pressure to keep up with the neighbors, as well as eating out, and expensive private education for their children, contribute to such high consumer debt.^[4]

The village falls within three zip codes:

• 85044 (population 40,000)- Covers the area north of Chandler Boulevard and roughly east of 32d Street. It has a median income of approximately $60,000.
• 85045 (5,000)- Covers area roughly west of Central Avenue. It has a median income of approximately $100,000.
• 85048 (35,000)- Covers the remaining portion of the village. It has a median income of approximately $85,000.

[edit] Schools

Ahwatukee's strong education system adds to its reputation as an excellent place to live. The area's K-8 students are served by the Kyrene School District. The Kyrene Schools in Ahwatukee include Kyrene Cerritos (K-5), Kyrene De La Colina (K-5), Kyrene de las Lomas(K-5),Kyrene Estrella (K-5), Kyrene Monte Vista (K-5), Kyrene de los Lagos (K-5), Kyrene del Milenio (K-5),and Kyrene Sierra(K-5) elementary schools, and Centennial (6-8), Akimel A-al (6-8), and Altadena (6-8) middle schools. High school students go to one of two in the area: Desert Vista and Mountain Pointe. Both schools are operated by the Tempe Union High School District. There are also a number of private/charter schools, including Horizon Community Learning Center Charter School, Intelli-School High School, and Skyline Technical High School.

[edit] Climate

Ahwatukee receives around nine inches of rainfall yearly. Temperatures are mild during the winter months and average around 64 degrees. In the summer, temperatures average around 100 degrees. During the winter and summer, highs are sometimes 2-6 degrees cooler than Sky Harbor Airport.

Lows can reach freezing during the winter months. However, sometimes it depends on location to receive cooler night lows. Cool air can fall from the upper elevations and settle in the lower terrains. During the winter and summer, lows are usually 3-5 degrees cooler than Sky Harbor Airport.

Snow is extremmely rare for the area, but can sometimes be seen on the Sierra Estrella mountain range to the southwest. South Mountain is another mountain range that dominates Ahwatukee. Snow is also rare to be seen on the highest point, but light snow has been seen before.

[edit] Attractions

Ahwatukee enjoys easy access to the South Mountain Park trail system, where mountain biking, horseback riding, and hiking are allowed. The area also has four public golf courses, many neighborhood parks and community centers, a public swimming pool, and a fairly active shopping and nightlife area near the "village core" at 48th Street and Ray Road. The recently built Pecos Park is also a favorite spot for many teenagers. When it is completed, it will boast a mini city center, with a police substation.

[edit] Miscellaneous

Surrounded to the northwest by South Mountain Park, blocked to the east by I-10 and to the south by the Gila River Indian Community, Ahwatukee Foothills is geographically isolated from the city of which it is part of, Phoenix. Due to its relatively few access points (mainly through a few bridges across Interstate 10), it has been called The World's Largest Cul-de-sac. This will soon change, however, when the South Mountain Freeway is built along the south edge; this freeway would provide a bypass around downtown Phoenix and connect Ahwatukee to the west valley cities of Laveen, Avondale and Glendale.

Residents sometimes refer to Ahwatukee as "The Tukee". This nickname for the area has become more prominent in recent years, especially amongst the youth population, although it is still relatively obscure and not commonly known outside of the community itself.

Ahwatukee is home to many Arizona Cardinals players and coaches due to its proximity to the team's Tempe training facility.

Ahwatukee is also home to toy manufacturer and comic book artist Todd McFarlane, widely known as the creator of Spawn.

Although it has become increasingly diverse in the 2000s, many Phoenix area residents, especially those of Hispanic descent, laughingly refer to Ahwatukee as "All White Tuckee."

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Ahwatukee Foothills News: Community News & Events
• Ahwatukee Life: Everything about living in Ahwatukee
• Ahwatukee: Homes for Sale, Sold Homes, Businesses, Community Info
• Planning a Move: Ahwatukee
• EastValley.com: Ahwatukee Foothills
• ABM History
• A Little Ahwatukee History...
• City of Phoenix Planning: Ahwatukee Foothills Village