Kierland

Kierland Overview

Kierland is an area spanning both north Phoenix and Scottsdale, this neighborhood has a resort with golf course, lots of shopping, restaurants, jobs and an airport. High-end new homes and desert-style houses are both plentiful here. The shopping center and resort this area is named after are popular spots to relax and hang out in the Valley.

Transportation

This neighborhood borders State Route 51 to the west. Loop 101 wraps around the north of it and bisects it to the East.

Explore the 3 areas of Kierland

Paradise Village: 85032

The Paradise Village area in Phoenix is home to a community college and many neighborhoods that draw families, golf courses and plenty of parks. This neighborhood borders pricey Paradise Valley and is also near a couple of mountain preserves.

Kierland: 85254

Kierland has high-end shopping and homes. The Westin Kierland resort and spa and Kierland Commons, an upscale, mixed-use outdoor space, are both located here. The area draws prominent office tenants, too. Though it has a Scottsdale address, most of Kierland is actually in the city of Phoenix.

Scottsdale Airpark/Northsight: 85260

Scottsdale Airpark/Northsight is home to Scottsdale Municipal Airpark, a hub for private jets and companies. Northsight is a popular park. Many houses here are in the early stucco style with large desert yards. Loop 101 bisects this neighborhood.

Housing

Newer homes can be found on the north end of this neighborhood around the shopping center and golf course it’s named after. Both high-end and more affordable traditional Phoenix-style homes with desert yards and looks can also be found in this area. Apartments are plentiful in Paradise Village. This area draws young professionals, families and second-home buyers.

The Market

Some of the area’s houses near Paradise Valley fetch seven-figure prices.Home sales are steady in this area. Paradise Village draws many families. Kierland is popular with families, young professionals and investors. The Scottsdale Airpark has longtime residents, and many residents own planes.
Few new houses are going up in this neighborhood because there aren’t big tracts of vacant land left.

Living here

Look for a resort lifestyle in part of this neighborhood, particularly around the Kierland resort. Jobs are aplenty as big companies move to new offices and others grow in office parks around Scottsdale Airpark. Expect an urban feel in a suburban setting in this north Phoenix/Scottsdale neighborhood. You will find plenty of jobs and shopping here. New homes are going up on the northern end of this area. Neighborhoods with houses built in the 1980s are on the southern end. There are plenty of apartments for renters. The easy freeway access draws many residents and companies.

Things to do in Paradise Village: 85032

Main attractions

Musical Instrument Museum isn’t just one of the coolest museums in the state, it’s one of the coolest museums in the country. The one-of-a-kind world-class facility features over 15,000 musical instruments and artifacts as well as an intimate concert venue. Brush up on your studies at Paradise Valley Community College.

Out on the town

Shopping complexes offer a wide array of independent and chain shopping, dining and entertainment. Catch the newest movies at the 16-screen Harkins North Valley.

Outdoors

North Scottsdale is considered one of the prime road- bicycling areas in the Valley, with wide roads, a lot of bike lanes and some challenging hills. For those who want to avoid traffic, the Indian Bend Wash multiuse path system now extends all the way from WestWorld in the northeast section of these neighborhoods, south into Central Scottsdale and on to Tempe Town Lake. To the southwest, the Phoenix Mountains Preserve and Piestewa Peak Park provide plenty of challenging trails and spectacular views.

Things to do in Kierland: 85254

Main attractions

There’s luxury to spare at Fairmont Scottsdale Princess, a first-class resort and spa serving some of the best cuts of meat in the Valley at Bourbon Steak. Kierland Commons, an upscale, mixed-use outdoor space, offers the best in retail, dining and entertainment, with in-demand brand names such as Michael Kors, Eileen Fisher and Coach. Across the street is outdoor shopping complex the Scottsdale Quarter, with more of the good stuff, including the Apple Store, Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware.

Out on the town

The Scottsdale 101 shopping complex is complete with a Harkins Theatre and a Cine Capri, one of the largest movie auditoriums in the state. Scottsdale is a hotspot for destination dining with such upscale eats as Deseo, Mastro’s Ocean Club and Eddie V’s Prim Seafood and Steak.

Outdoors

Things to do in Scottsdale Airpark/Northsight: 85260

Main attractions

Love golf? This neighborhood is teeming with high-class courses including TPC of Scottsdale, a 36-hole complex and home to the Waste Management Phoenix Open. Some of the state’s most prestigious events are staged at WestWorld, an upscale facility that hosts the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction and Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show. Also well worth mentioning is famous Taliesin West, a home and architecture school designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and open to the public for tours.

Out on the town

Kierland Commons is a bustling upscale, mixed-use outdoor space with the best in retail, dining and entertainment. And there’s outdoor shopping complex Scottsdale Quarter across the street. A quick shot down the freeway is Talking Stick Resort with a sprawling casino and a showroom that brings in A-list touring acts. Salt River Fields at Talking Stick is the spring training home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies.

Outdoors

Who lives here

Kierland is an aspirational area where many above-average earners rent and send their children to private school. Much of the area’s housing dates to the 1980s. The Paradise Village neighborhood (85032) is more racially diverse and middle class by income. The Kierland (85254) and Scottsdale Airpark/Northsight (85260) neighborhoods are smaller and more upscale. Many of those two areas’ residents have college degrees.

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 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, Alvert 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.