Z Real Estate Group

The McDowell Mountain Range is located about twenty miles north-east of Phoenix, Arizona, and may be seen from most places throughout the city. The range is composed of miocene deposits left nearly five million years ago.

The range is composed of miocene deposits left nearly five million years ago. The McDowells share borders with the cities of Fountain Hills, Scottsdale, and Maricopa County. The city of Scottsdale has made its share of the McDowells a preserve, and has set up a wide trail network. The highest peak in the McDowells is East End Peak, at four thousand two hundred feet.
McDowell Mountain Ranch no longer exists in splendid isolation as it did in the late 1990's. It is now the hub of a thriving commercial and recreational area and the very things that attracted people to The Ranch have subsequently spurred the growth of other residential communities in surrounding areas.
To our north is the DC Ranch, but there are other communities closer to us that share many of our roads, services and even social concerns.

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Take a look at homes in McDowell Mountain Ranch

McCormick Ranch, with an estimated population of 23,000 people, is one of the largest planned community developments in the country. When the master developer, Kaiser-Aetna, purchased the McCormick working ranch in 1969, it was the largest single piece of property sold for a planned community within the confines of a city's limlimits and one of the first to commit to underground utilities.

residential property owners on McCormick Ranch are automatically members of the McCormick Ranch Property Owners' Association and pay an assessment fee which, in total, equates to 53% of the Association's income. The Annual Assessment per residential property owner for 2005 is $180.00. Commercial property owners' pay an annual "Special Use Fee" based on Assessed Valuation, which equates to 34% of the Association's total income. The remaining 13% of the Association's funding comes from Maintenance Agreements, interest income, transfer and purchaser statement fees, and various other miscellaneous sources.

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The 72-par championship 18-hole golf course designed by Rees Jones provides a rich contrast to the natural beauty of the high Sonoran Desert. Residents enjoy a fair, yet formidable test of ability, which is sure to provide an enjoyable experience for those of any skill level. The Legend Trail Pro Shop is very well appointed and is sure to meet all your golfing needs, while The Cantinarestaurant is a welcome respite to the weary golfer.  Whether you enjoy a wide variety of taste tempting treats or relax outside by the fireplace, you are certain to take pleasure in a true Sonoran dining experience.

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Gainey Ranch Golf Club is comprised of three themed 9-hole courses: The Lakes, The Dunes, The Arroyo. Only members, their guests and guests at the Gainey Ranch Hyatt Hotel are allowed to use the facilities.

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Tonto National Forest
Located only minutes away from Fountain Hills and Fort McDowell is Tonto National Forest. With two of Arizona’s largest and most scenic rivers, six lakes, and landscapes ranging from desert to pine forests and high mountain peaks, the forest offers a wide range of recreation opportunities: swimming, boating, hiking, camping, rafting, horseback riding and bird watching, to name a few.Within the forest’s boundaries are eight wilderness areas. Tonto is the fifth-largest National Forest in the United States. With nearly three million acres, there is room enough to roam.
Saguaro Lake

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Golf and Living at it's Best!  DC Ranch is a nationally acclaimed private golf and residential community in North Scottsdale, Arizona.  Located at the base of the McDowell Mountains DC Ranch provides residents with panoramic views of Scottsdale and Phoenix below.The community’s most valuable asset is its beauty. Incredible views and natural terrain provide for a wide range of outdoor activities including hiking, biking, boating and some of the more challenging and picturesque golf courses you’ll find in the country.
The statement, “Come for a day; stay for a lifetime,” definitely holds true for Fountain Hills.Developed with a deep respect for the integrity of the land and a commitment to the preservation of open desert space, DC Ranch is a living tribute to the Sonoran Desert landscape.In every respect, DC Ranch is worthy of its reputation for offering its residences an enviable standard of living.  Silverleaf, a separate private guarded-gate neighborhood in DC Ranch, stands as a natural extension of the community, nestled into surrounding canyons.  Throughout DC Ranch, a small-town atmosphere exemplifies the lifestyle and serves the needs of those who live here.  The result is a connected living environment dedicated to the full expression and enrichment of all who make DC Ranch their home.

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Scottsdale Mountain is a premier community located on the Eastern edge of Scottsdale, nestled in the foothills of the McDowell Mountains is the guard gated community. What makes this community unique is that almost every home enjoys views over open desert buffer areas, of the mountains, or from elevated lots the city light views of Scottsdale, Phoenix and Mesa. Community amenities include tennis courts and spa.

Just South of the community is the world famous Mayo Clinic, and 3 miles East is the Town of Fountain Hills.

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Scottsdale Ranch is a master-planned community that was developed in 1984 jointly by Markland Properties, Inc. and Costain Arizona, Inc. and has since become a premier and progressive community promoting unique lifestyle options.  Scottsdale Ranch is comprised of 3,938 residences located in 40 different subdivisions, all reflecting one’s taste and individuality, from stately waterfront homes and spacious tennis villas, to private patio homes, elegant townhomes, and spacious and inviting single-family homes. As part of the city’s northeast growth plan, Scottsdale Ranch was purchased in 1978, rezoned in 1979, and ranges from one dwelling unit to the acre lots to multi-family at 16 dwelling units to the acre.  The development is located on 1,119 acres and houses a forty-two acre lake that was developed jointly by Scottsdale Ranch,  the City of Scottsdale, Maricopa County and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  Lake Serena is part of the Indian Bend Green Belt System and serves as control for run-off water from the McDowell Mountains.  The water to fill Lake Serena comes from groundwater from a well located on Scottsdale Ranch.  It is our “jewel” in the desert that provides many hours of tranquility and enjoyment for our residents.
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Tatum Ranch is a master-planned community of 3,400 homes and five commercial sites in the northeast corner of Phoenix, where North Tatum Boulevard and Cave Creek Road meet. The Ranch is within the Upland Sonoran Desert life zone, with seven washes or arroyos, trending northeast to southwest.It is home to some of the most beautiful native Sonoran Desert vegetation and wildlife in the entire Southwest. Residents enjoy the quiet beauty and serenity of the Desert. Elevation is about 1,800 feet. Because of its distance from the center of the metropolitan area (22 air miles) and its proximity to the New River Mountains to the north, the summer temperatures are usually 5 to 10 degrees cooler than recorded at Sky Harbor, and the night sky is dark.The small town of Cave Creek, Arizona is just six miles to the north. The Ranch is within the City of Phoenix and the Cave Creek Unified School District. The mailing addresses are in Cave Creek Postal system however. The Ranch is five miles north of the 101 Freeway, and 35 miles north of Phoenix' Sky Harbor airport. The Carefree Highway, the quickest approach to Interstate 17, is 3 miles north.

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As a partner in the master planning of Desert Ridge, Thomas J. Klutznick, along with his sons John and Daniel Klutznick, has carried forward the vision and dedication to quality development in order to ensure a lasting, sustainable community.
Already in place, in addition to several residential neighborhoods with nearly 4,000 homes, are Mayo Clinic’s 210-acre (0.85 km2) Phoenix campus that includes Mayo Clinic Hospital and the Mayo Clinic Specialty Building; Desert Ridge Marketplace, a 1,200,000-square-foot (111,000 m2) retail, dining and entertainment center; and JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa, which includes Wildfire Golf Club with 36 holes of championship golf, a day spa, 252 time-share units, and a 950-room hotel – the largest in Arizona.

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Valley farms soon supplied food to Arizona’s military posts and mining towns.
The first settlers to move to the Tempe area, south of the Salt River and east of Phoenix, were Hispanic families from southern Arizona. They helped construct the first two irrigation canals, the Kirkland-McKinney Ditch and the San Francisco Canal, and started small farms to the east and west of a large butte (Tempe Butte). In 1872, some of these Mexican settlers founded a town called San Pablo east of Tempe Butte.
Another settlement, known as Hayden's Ferry, developed west of Tempe Butte. Charles Trumbull Hayden, owner of a mercantile and freighting business in Tucson, homesteaded this location in 1870. Within a few years, he had built a store and flourmill, warehouses and blacksmith shops, and a ferry. This community became the trade center for the south side of the Salt River Valley.

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