Ahwatukee Foothills (also Ahwatukee) is an
urban village
In urban planning and urban design, design, an urban village is an urban development typically characterized by medium-density housing, mixed use zoning, good public transit and an emphasis on pedestrianization and public space. Contemporary urb ...
of
Phoenix. Ahwatukee is the southernmost part of Phoenix and is considered part of the
East Valley region of the
Phoenix metropolitan area
The Phoenix metropolitan area, also known as the Valley of the Sun, the Salt River Valley, metro Phoenix, or The Valley, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the Southwestern United States, with its largest principal city being the c ...
.
In 2022, ''Niche'' rated Ahwatukee "#1 in Best Neighborhoods to Live in Phoenix".
History
Prior to the area's development, the name "Ahwatukee" referred to a now-demolished house which was in an area near Sequoia Trails and Appaloosa Drive, west of the Warner-Elliot Loop.
The name is
said to derive from a
Crow
A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly, a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait but is rathe ...
word meaning "house of dreams", however Ahwatukee is not a Crow word.
Beginnings
At least two major thoroughfares in today's Ahwatukee are named after people who claimed lands in the area, in the decades after the signing of the
Homestead Act
The Homestead Acts were several laws in the United States by which an applicant could acquire ownership of Federal lands, government land or the American frontier, public domain, typically called a Homestead (buildings), homestead. In all, mo ...
in 1862.
Warner Road was named after Samuel Warner of
Kansas
Kansas ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the west. Kansas is named a ...
, while Elliot Road was named after Reginald Elliott of
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
.
Both claimed lands in the area now known as
Tempe, Arizona
Tempe ( ; ''Oidbaḍ'' in O'odham language, O'odham) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2020 population of 180,587. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in t ...
next to Phoenix.
A third man, Arthur Hunter, claimed land within an area now known as Ahwatukee. The street known today as 48th Street was, for a time, named ''Hunter Drive'', after Arthur Hunter.
In the 1940s the rumor goes, Hunter disassembled and buried in the Ahwatukee desert a
Studebaker
Studebaker was an American wagon and automobile manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana, with a building at 1600 Broadway, Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1852 and incorporated in 1868 as the Studebaker Brothers Man ...
car purportedly owned by
Al Capone
Alphonse Gabriel Capone ( ; ; January 17, 1899 – January 25, 1947), sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American organized crime, gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-foun ...
.
Ahwatukee ranch
One of the first houses in the area was built by Dr. William Van Bergen Ames, who co-founded
Northwestern University
Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
's now-closed dental school in
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...
. north of
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
.
The house was built on a piece of land measuring over ,
which was purchased for $4 an acre.
At the time, the ''
Chandler Arizonan'' newspaper called the house, built in the foothills of the
South Mountain, "unmatched in scope and size".
The house was noted to be a winter residence, designed by prominent Phoenix architect Lester Mahoney, with construction starting in 1921.
The house was given the name "The Mystic House" by the ''Chandler Arizonan'', due to its cost, size, and isolated location.
The Ames, however, called it ''Casa de Sueños''.
They moved into the house on
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...
of 1921,
but Dr. Ames died suddenly in February 1922.
Ames' wife continued to spend her winters at the house until her death in 1933.
After Ames' wife's death, the Ames' property in Ahwatukee was willed to St. Luke's Hospital.
The property was bought by Helen Brinton in 1935,
who gave the house (and eventually the area) the name it is known by today (as explained below). Brinton died in 1960
and the house was demolished in 1979.
Proving grounds
In 1946, the
International Harvester Company
The International Harvester Company (often abbreviated IH or International) was an American manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment, automobiles, commercial trucks, lawn and garden products, household equipment, and more. It wa ...
rented land from a
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
tank testing facility west of today's Lakewood community, for use as truck and heavy equipment proving grounds.
The proving grounds eventually grew to over .
The grounds were designed to stress-test trucks and heavy equipment with, among other things, a test track, dirt tracks, a special testing area with 20 to 60% grade, service shops, and a runway for company executives.
The grounds were sold to a property development company in 1983, due to a combination of economic issues, labor union problems, and a patent infringement judgement against the company.
The area is now a part of ''The Foothills'' and ''Club West'' developments.
Development

Development of Ahwatukee began in 1970, when Presley Development Company led by
Randall Presley
Randall Edward Presley (1919–2012) was a Real estate development, real estate developer who has been called "one of California's top home builders." He was responsible for developing over 160 communities in Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, New Mexic ...
, bought of land.
The land included Ahwatukee Ranch, then owned by a land syndicate led by an
English professor at
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
in Tempe, as well as land owned by a local moving and storage firm.
Presley originally planned for the area to be a
retirement community
A retirement community is a residential community or housing complex designed for older adults who are generally able to care for themselves. Assistance from home care agencies is allowed in some communities, and activities and socialization op ...
, but later devised a mix of retirement living, family living, and light commercial zoning for the area.
Presley Development was noted to have a role in Ahwatukee eventually becoming a part of Phoenix, instead of neighboring Chandler or Tempe through a handshake deal between
Maricopa County
Maricopa County () is a county in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census the population was 4,420,568, or about 62% of the state's total, making it the fourth-most populous county in the United States and ...
Supervisor
A supervisor, or lead, (also known as foreman, boss, overseer, facilitator, monitor, area coordinator, line-manager or sometimes gaffer) is the job title of a lower-level management position and role that is primarily based on authority over la ...
Bob Stark, who was also an attorney with Presley Development, and Phoenix Mayor
John D. Driggs.
However, Chandler and Tempe officials were noted to have refused offers of annexing Ahwatukee.
Phoenix annexed the area in stages from 1980 to 1987.
It has been suggested that Phoenix's annexation of Ahwatukee to a degree affected Tempe's future development. Plans for Ahwatukee were approved by Maricopa County in November 1971, and 17 model homes were opened in an area near 50th Street and Elliot Road in 1973.
In the same year as the model homes’ opening, the
Arizona State Legislature
The Arizona State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Senate. Composed of 90 legislators, the ...
set aside $5 million to build a prison near the proving grounds. Plans for the prison, however, were later scrapped.
The area's first elementary school, Kyrene de los Lomas Elementary School, opened in 1976 and
Mountain Pointe High School opened as the area's first high school in 1991.
Etymology
There are three theories surrounding the name "Ahwatukee", with all three claiming the name has roots in the
Crow language
Crow (endonym, native name: or ) is a Missouri River Valley, Missouri Valley Siouan languages, Siouan language spoken primarily by the Crow Tribe in present-day southeastern Montana. The word translates to "Children of the Large Beaked Bird" ...
. Some stories of the name's origin trace back to Brinton, who chose a Crow-rooted name for her new property due to her time among the
Crow Nation
The Crow, whose autonym is Apsáalooke (), are Native Americans living primarily in southern Montana. Today, the Crow people have a federally recognized tribe, the Crow Tribe of Montana, with an Indian reservation, the Crow Indian Reservati ...
tribal members in
Wyoming
Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...
, and the influence it subsequently had on her.
House of dreams
Some sources claim the name is a Crow term for ''house of your dreams'',
''house of my dreams'', or ''house of dreams''
Until at least 2006, the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce acknowledged "house of dreams" as the meaning of the area's name.
However, according to the Crow language dictionary maintained by the Crow Language Consortium, the Crow word for "house" is ,
and the Crow word for "dream" is
or .
Land on the other side of the hill
Some sources claim the name is a Crow term for "land on the other side of the hill",
based on the Crow word .
According to the same Crow dictionary, the word means "ground", "land", or "earth",
and the word means "over the ridge", "over the hill", or "the next valley over".
Flat land
According to one source, the name closely resembles a Crow term for "flat land" or "prairie". According to the Crow language dictionary maintained by the Crow Language Consortium, the Crow word for "flat land" is .
Geography

The Ahwatukee Foothills Village is bordered by
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...
to the east,
South Mountains to the north, and the
Gila River Indian Community
The Gila River Indian Community (GRIC) ( O'odham language: Keli Akimel Oʼotham, meaning "Gila River People", Maricopa language: Piipash) is an Indian reservation in the U.S. state of Arizona, lying adjacent to the south side of the cities of ...
as well as
Loop 202
Arizona State Route 202 (SR 202) or Loop 202 (202L) is a semi-beltway circling the eastern and southern areas of the Phoenix metropolitan area in central Maricopa County, Arizona. It traverses the eastern end and the southern en ...
to the west and south.
Ahwatukee is geographically isolated from the rest of Phoenix, and was once seen as appropriate for semi-rural development.
Demographics
Based on 2016 estimates, the Ahwatukee Foothills Village has 83,464 residents.
83% of the population are
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 6.5% are
Asian, 5.6% are
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or African American, 1.6% are
Native American and 3.3% identify as some other race. 12.3% of the population is Hispanic.
Education
Public
K-8 public school students in the area attend schools operated by the
Kyrene School District
Kyrene School District is a K-8 school district that serves parts of Tempe, Chandler, Guadalupe, and Phoenix, Arizona, as well as portions of the Gila River Indian Community within Maricopa County. Kyrene School District operates a total of ...
. Ahwatukee-based schools are 12 out of 25 (48%) of Kyrene's schools. High school students go to one of two area high schools:
Desert Vista High School
Desert Vista High School is a public high school located in the Ahwatukee area of Phoenix, Arizona. Opened in 1996, it is the second Tempe Union High School District (TUHSD) school in Ahwatukee and serves approximately 3,000 students.
Academ ...
and
Mountain Pointe High School. Both schools are operated by the
Tempe Union High School District.
Private
There are a number of private schools in Ahwatukee. One of the schools, Summit School of Ahwatukee, is ranked as one of the most expensive private schools in the Phoenix area by ''
The Arizona Republic
''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain.
History
Early years
The newspap ...
'' in 2014.
Infrastructure
Transportation
The community is served by the ALEX neighborhood circulator, which is operated by
Valley Metro Bus
Valley Metro Bus is the public transit bus service in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Valley Metro Bus provides local, regional, express, and rural bus services in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area (as well as the community of Ajo in Pim ...
. Riders, however, have complained of poor service after a new contractor took over the route in 2016. Portions of Ahwatukee are also served by Valley Metro Routes 56-Priest Drive, 108-Elliot Road, 140-Ray Road, 156-Chandler Boulevard/Williams Field Road, and the I-10 East RAPID route.
As a result of having access points only via 48th Street in the northeastern part of the area, and a number of east–west crossings over I-10, Ahwatukee has been called the world's largest ''
cul-de-sac
A dead end, also known as a ''cul-de-sac'' (; , ), a no-through road or a no-exit road, is a street with only one combined inlet and outlet.
Dead ends are added to roads in urban planning designs to limit traffic in residential areas. Some d ...
''.
When
Loop 202
Arizona State Route 202 (SR 202) or Loop 202 (202L) is a semi-beltway circling the eastern and southern areas of the Phoenix metropolitan area in central Maricopa County, Arizona. It traverses the eastern end and the southern en ...
's South Mountain Freeway segment was built, the area acquired a western gateway, via a series of exits along the southern border of the community.
References
External links
Ahwatukee Foothills News: Community News & Events
{{Authority control
Urban villages of Phoenix, Arizona
1971 establishments in Arizona