Old Town Scottsdale is the historic heart of Scottsdale, blending the charm of the Old West with the energy of a modern destination. Here you'll find everything from old-time storefronts to modern boutiques, and throwback ice cream shops to chic, foodie restaurants. It is one of those rare places that manages to be simultaneously historic and current — where a Western wear shop that has been on the same block for seventy years sits next door to a James Beard-nominated restaurant that opened last spring, and neither one seems out of place. Bvoluxury
With roots in the 1800s, this area includes Fashion Square, the Waterfront, SouthBridge, the Entertainment District, 5th Avenue Shopping District, Brown & Stetson District, the Arts District, Historic Old Town, and Civic Center Park. Nine interconnected districts, each with its own character, each walkable from the others — a neighborhood-within-a-neighborhood experience that is unlike anything else in the Phoenix metro.
The Walkability
Old Town Scottsdale boasts a "Very Walkable" score of 82, making it an anomaly in the otherwise car-dependent Phoenix metro area. In a metro where driving is essentially mandatory for daily life, the ability to walk to dinner, walk to your gallery, walk to the farmers market, and walk home afterward is a genuinely rare and valuable quality of life feature. For real estate buyers, Old Town is the rare urban market in the Valley where a car is optional. Residents walk to dinner, bike to galleries, and stroll to world-class shopping.
The Arts & Culture
The Arts District is home to over 50 galleries, anchored by the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. The famous Scottsdale ArtWalk happens every Thursday evening from 7 to 9 PM, turning the streets into a lively outdoor exhibition. The Western Spirit: Scottsdale's Museum of the West — a Smithsonian affiliate — sits at the edge of the district and houses one of the most significant collections of Western American art and history in the country.
The Thursday ArtWalk has been a Scottsdale institution for decades and remains one of the most genuinely enjoyable free weekly events in Arizona — local restaurants and galleries open their doors, art spills onto the sidewalks, and the entire district takes on a particular energy that residents come to organize their weeks around. It is the kind of thing that sounds nice in a brochure and turns out to be even better in person.
The Dining & Nightlife
Old Town Scottsdale's dining scene is the most concentrated and consistently excellent in all of Arizona. The Mission offers upscale Latin cuisine in a romantic setting with handcrafted cocktails and tableside guacamole. AZ/88 is an iconic, contemporary restaurant and bar known for its martinis and rotating art. Sugar Bowl Ice Cream Parlor has been a Scottsdale landmark since 1958.
The Rusty Spur Saloon has been serving cold beer and live country music every night for over seventy years — a genuine Western saloon that has not been curated or theme-parked. It simply exists, as it always has, doing what it does, in the middle of one of the most sophisticated restaurant districts in the Southwest. That coexistence is what makes Old Town uniquely compelling.
Life here means your weekends might include a leisurely brunch at The Mission, wine tasting at Aridus Wine Company, or catching golden hour on the patio at Postino Highland. The density of quality options within walking distance of any address in Old Town is staggering by Arizona standards — and genuinely competitive with urban neighborhoods in cities that charge far more for far less.
The Real Estate
The overall area median surpasses $1 million. Luxury condos along the Waterfront and single-family homes exceed $1 million to $3 million-plus. Well-priced properties in prime Old Town locations still move efficiently, particularly Waterfront condos and walkable single-family homes.
Luxury high-rise condominiums near the Scottsdale Waterfront — Optima Camelview Village, Scottsdale Waterfront Residences — offer resort-style amenities, concierge services, secure parking, and unparalleled walkability to Fashion Square. For the buyer who wants genuine urban convenience, lock-and-leave lifestyle, and the best address in the Valley — these properties represent a category that simply does not exist anywhere else in metro Phoenix.
Mid-century modern homes in neighborhoods like Villa Monterey surround the core — classic ranch homes, many beautifully renovated, offering single-family living within walking distance of everything Old Town provides. These properties attract buyers who want a yard and a neighborhood feel without giving up the urban access that defines the area.
The Investment Case
Old Town consistently ranks among the top short-term rental markets in the United States. Arizona's investor-friendly STR laws and year-round event calendar — Spring Training, Barrett-Jackson, the Phoenix Open — drive exceptional peak-season yields. For investment buyers, Old Town's combination of demand drivers, walkability, and event calendar creates a revenue profile that few other Phoenix metro markets can match.
Who Lives Here
Old Town Scottsdale isn't just a place to live — it's a lifestyle. With its walkable charm, creative energy, and urban desert appeal, this neighborhood attracts people who value connection, culture, and convenience all in one setting. Young professionals dominate the renter population. Seasonal residents and snowbirds are significant buyers in the condo market. And a growing cohort of full-time residents who have chosen Old Town specifically because it is the only neighborhood in Arizona where daily life feels like the city without actually being in it. Bvoluxury
Old Town Scottsdale was where Scottsdale began — a small Western farming town in the desert that refused to be ordinary. It has been refusing ever since.
