Paradise Valley vs Scottsdale (Hayden: condos, houses, buy)

[Minnetonkamari]

If $1mil+ will buy you a great house in Scottsdale or Paradise Valley - what makes one better than the other? Are they comparable in safety?
Is Paradise Valley a walking community? For two people with dogs and no kids who like to go shopping, restaurants, movies, etc, which do you think would be better?

Any feedback much appreciated.

[azdr0710]

I don't remember...have you guys been out here looking yet??

in the Town of PV, zip 85253, $1M+ will get you a very decent place, much more than it would've gotten you at the 2005 peak, but it might not be as much as you're thinking since it still is very desirable...it's the most expensive zip code in the state and is much pricier than the next highest zip codes (according to Forbes - 85262 and 85266, I think??)...the Town of PV is not particularly "walkable" if you mean to nearby business because most business is not allowed in the T of PV...it was founded in 1961 to fend off encroaching Phx....residential only and on lots of at least an acre, though those "rules" have been relaxed lately to encouarage greater town revenue....however, you can certainly walk all around the residential streets...the population is only about 13K as compared to Scottsdale's ~300K.....

both towns are entirely safe, but you need to follow common sense rules - be aware of your surroundings, lock things up, the usual....can't guarantee you won't get burgled, but......

there are areas in the downtown area of Scottsdale that are definitely walkable to nearby business....very mixed housing in that area, ranging from older, tired condos for <$75K to $4M penthouses....the business-types you mentioned will be walkable, though, if you stay, say, S of Chaparral, E of 68th St, N of Osborn, and W of Miller - approximately.....I mention these boundaries only if being able to walk to a variety of businesses is important.....nice dog park at McDonald and Hayden, by the way......the newer, very desirable areas of N Scottsdale are almost certainly not walkable (if we mean to nearby business) unless you buy right next to some strip shopping center up there.....

you'll pretty much have to drive everywhere no matter where you buy..

by far the biggest diff between Scotts and PV is the residential, quiet nature of T of PV and the regular suburby feel of very spread out Scotts....