Buckeye

Buckeye Overview

Buckeye, Metro Phoenix’s farthest western suburb is a mix of small town and new developments. The northern part of the city has high-end homes with a historic feel. A retirement community is located around a new urban center. The southern side of Buckeye is known for its farms and historic downtown. The city stretches up and around the White Tank Mountains. There’s lots of land for future development here.

Transportation

Interstate 10 runs through Buckeye and has been widened around the city’s exits. The new Loop 303 runs just west of Buckeye, giving residents easier access to the north Valley.

Explore the 2 areas of Buckeye

Lower Buckeye: Zip Code 85326

Lower Buckeye is the original Buckeye. It’s located south of I-10. This area has some newer, more-affordable developments near the freeway. Farther south, most of the homes are older and located around the rustic downtown.

Verrado: Zip Code 85396

Verrado is the northern and newer part of Buckeye. Verrado started the area’s growth. The well-planned community is at the base of the White Tank Mountains. There you will find new homes with a historic feel and a new downtown.

Housing

Buckeye’s neighborhoods are split by I-10. The southern side of the city has more-affordable, older homes often with carports and citrus streets. On the north side of Buckeye, you’ll find new houses with big porches near parks. The southern side has many longtime residents. The northern side is drawing homebuyers from other parts of the Valley and across the country who want a small-town community in the desert.

The Market

The Verrado area is the newest part of Buckeye. Home prices are higher and houses are bigger. The neighborhood draws families and, more recently, more Baby Boomers to its new retirement community Victory.
West of the White Tanks, a few large developments are underway or are planned.
Lower Buckeye is made of mostly more affordable new and older homes though there are some large farm estates still owned by longtime residents in this area.
Investors flocked to new Buckeye developments during the boom and then drove up foreclosures during the crash, but the area’s housing market has stabilized, with prices and sales climbing.
Home prices are more affordable in lower Buckeye, where the median price is about $75,000 to $100,000 less than in the Verrado area. New home sales account for almost one-third of all sales in Verrado.

Living here

Expect a small-town feel with a range of housing and incomes. Community events are popular and frequent. New homes can be found in central Buckeye, bisected by I-10. Smaller, older homes and farms are the norm in Lower Buckeye. High-end homes are in Verrado. More new development, including office and warehouse space to draw more employers is expected. The White Tank Mountains offer great views and hiking. Plus the recent widening of the freeway makes for an easier commute.

Things to do Lower Buckeye: 85326

Main attractions

Come spring, baseball fans can rejoice at being so close to two spring training facilities. Goodyear Ballpark, home to the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds, is only a few miles away. And Camelback Ranch, home to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox, is just a little farther. Close by is Ak-Chin Pavillion, one of the Valley’s largest premiere concert venues. The Wildlife World Zoo, home to an impressive collection of exotic animals, is of Loop 303.

Out on the town

Easy access to the Valley’s major freeways means you’re never far away from fun, whether its shopping at Westgate Entertainment District or cheering at Phoenix International Raceway. For a taste of the Wild West, hone your skills at Joe Foss Shooting Range, an outdoor facility that offers numerous target-practice opportunities and an archery range.

Outdoors

Skyline Regional Park is an 8,700-acre mountain preserve with miles of trails for hikers, runners, mountain bikers and equestrians. Nearby is White Tank Mountain Regional Park with more than 26 miles of developed trails, camping facilities, petroglyph sites and a lot of desert wildlife. There are 33 more miles of trails at nearby Estrella Mountain Regional Park.

Things to do Verrado: 85396

Main attractions

This is as Wild West as you can get and still have easy access to the Valley’s best in sports, dining and entertainment. Come spring, baseball fans can rejoice at being so close to two spring training facilities. Goodyear Ballpark, home to the Cleveland Indians and Cincinnati Reds, is only a few miles way. And Camelback Ranch, home to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox, is just a little farther. It’s also a golfer’s paradise. The Copper Canyon Golf Club and Verrado Golf Club offer scenic tee times and dining. A new wine club and test-cooking kitchen can be found in Victory at Verrado.

Out on the town

Go horseback riding and shoot target practice in the morning, then hop on the freeway for wining and dining at Gateway or Westgate shopping and entertainment centers at night. Or stick closer to home and dine at Ciao Grazi pizzeria and wine bar, one of the neighborhood’s best restaurants.

Outdoors

Who lives here

Two of every five residents is Hispanic, helping make the Buckeye area one of the Valley’s most diverse. The much newer Verrado neighborhood (85396) is wealthier and better educated than Lower Buckeye (85326). Homeownership is strong in both areas.

5 things to know about Buckeye

It has a lot of land: Buckeye is larger than Phoenix, with more than 600 square miles of municipal planning area. While at build-out, the city could have more than 1 million residents, much of that 600 square miles is not developed. The city had about 60,000 residents now.
It has places to play and read: Buckeye maintains six parks with playing fields, ballparks, swimming pools and a community recreation and senior center. The city has two libraries open every day but Sunday. They are the Buckeye Public Library Downtown and Coyote Branch.
It used to be a town: Until relatively recently, Buckeye was a town. But leaders believed it was important for Buckeye to become a city. And it did on Jan. 1, 2014.
It wants to grow: The city is now actively recruiting businesses, industry and new residents ranging from first-time homebuyers to those seeking million-dollar homes. It has plenty of room to grow, and leaders say it has plenty of water available.
It has an airport: The Buckeye Municipal Airport is growing with the city’s population. It is attracting more commercial and recreational aircraft. And the airport offers flight training as well as sky diving.