McCormick Ranch, a pioneer among master planned communities, was almost the size of Scottsdale when it was built in the 1970s. The community covers about seven square miles in Central Scottsdale and has a population of over 20,000. It’s the site of the last large ranch in the City of Scottsdale, a ranch known for breeding Arabian horses.

The McCormick Ranch development was envisioned as a complete community with such services as schools, hospitals, shopping and restaurants. The McCormick Ranch Center area has light manufacturing, garden offices, banks, shopping centers, an auto center, medical offices and grocery stores.

The California influence is evident in architecture and landscaping throughout the community. Housing choices run the gamut from luxury homes and waterfront properties along several man-made lakes to golf course homes, town homes, condominiums and patio homes.

Recent listings for McCormick Ranch resale homes show single-family, five bedroom homes (with up to 5,000 square feet of living space) in the $795,000 range. A four-bedroom home with 3,000†square feet will be valued in the high $400,000s.

The two 18-hole golf courses on McCormick Ranch provide golfers with an experience that is closer to what they might find in the Midwest or East. Instead of desertscapes, McCormick Ranch courses feature lush grass, shrubbery, mature trees and water.

The community boasts seven lakes, offering residents the option of waterfront living. Fishing is available in the stocked Camelback Lake and sailing is permitted on Camelback Lake and Lake Margherite, the two largest of the seven lakes. Many of the homes around those lakes include boat docks.

About 25 miles of bicycle paths wind through greenbelts, lakes and the golf courses. Visitors can tour the area by rail, via a small-gauge railroad that runs through the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park.

Residents automatically become members of the property owner’s association, which protects property values and oversees common area maintenance, landscaping changes and architectural improvements and revisions.