Best Phoenix Suburbs: Gilbert and Scottsdale

I worked with a chronic pain-and-stress patient for several months, helping to provide ways of managing chronic arthritis pain in a damp Ohio climate. We found that Arizona was the ultimate cure.

The client moved to the Phoenix area and within several weeks, the dryer, warmer climate allowed her to recover fully and even to return to full-time employment. That is a big reason to move to Arizona!

Two suburbs, Scottsdale and Gilbert, are among Money Magazine's Best 100 Cities to Live in America. They are very good places for entertainment and fun as well as good jobs.

As of late May, 2019 the greater metro area enjoyed over 74,000 open job listings.

Owing to aggressive city planning, Gilbert and Scottsdale are among the fastest-growing cities in the state. They are also busy college towns that attract residents even during economic recessions. Gilbert is in the top third of American Best Cities and Scottsdale is in the second third of the list.

Both cities are eastern suburbs of Phoenix, near Tempe, Mesa, Glendale and some other growing suburb; and nearby Sun City is particularly fast-growing.

• Among the Top 10 Fiscally Fit Cities
• Number 21 on Healthiest Cities List
• Top 10 Most Playful Cities In America
• Top 15 Best Cities for Telecommuting
• Top 25 Manliest Cities for sports and other reasons.
• Top 10 “Best Cities for Families” by Parenting Magazine, 2010.
• Top 100 Places to Live in the US by RelocateAmerica, 2010.
• Top-50 Bike-friendly Communities by Bicycling Magazine, 2010.
• 6th Most Popular Travel Spot, by Travel Leaders, 2006.
• 4th Most Popular Golf Courses, by Golf World Magazine, 2008.
• Top 25 Arts Destinations in American (at #2), AmericanStyle Magazine, 2008.

When you look at Gilbert for travel plans, entertainment, or job seeking, you notice the word riparian in many articles and related information.

Gilbert is focused on protecting water resources in Arizona, especially along the banks of natural waterways, somewhat rare in to Sonoran Desert region. The city's major downtown fountain sculpture is a testament to water preservation and irrigation.

The Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch was developed to provide help for water conservation activities and for public appreciation of natural scenery, native plants, wetlands, and wildlife. It features an observatory, several educational walks, and several gardens that need volunteers.

The developing Gateway Character Area runs alongside the Gateway Airport and the ASU Polytechnic Campus. Both facilities offer entrances at Gilbert and this area part of the closed Williams Air Force Base, which is now a home to educational institutions and businesses that provide many jobs.

Gilbert economic and government authorities are planning even more housing for new residents in the Gateway, along with a mall and other retail businesses, an entertainment district, and a comprehensive village-style community.

As a means to finance continued growth and an entrance into international business, the notion of international sister cities for Gilbert has taken root since the 1990s.

Gilbert's sister cities began with Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, founded in 1958. Leshan in Sichuan, China is its second sister city and over 3,000 years old.

The third sister city is Guabuliga, Ghana, an agricultural town of 2000 people that is also a Friendship City and willing to aid in growth and economic development.

Largest Employers in Gilbert

1. Gilbert Unified School District
2. Banner Health at two locations
3. Town of Gilbert -
4. GoDaddy Software Inc.
5. Fry’s Food Stores
6. B H Drywall Stucco Painting
7. Dignity Health
8. Higley Unified School District
9. Walmart-# of employees
10. Hunter Contracting Co.

Top 5 High Demand Gilbert Jobs

1. Physicians
2. Registered Nurses - RNs and NPs (nurse practitioners)
3. Physical Therapists
4. Business Development Managers
5. Truck Drivers - In 2015, there were 1,000,000 drivers needed coast to coast. New positions for truck drivers are increasing in Arizona as well as the United States to handle increases in manufacturing, agriculture, oil transport, etc.

Major Hiring Employers for Both Gilbert and Scottsdale

Targeted industries for planned growth in Gilbert and Scottsdale provide some of the largest companies in terms of job postings and hiring:

• Life Science & Healthcare Services: Banner Estrella Medical Center, Mayo Clinic, Soliant Health, Scottsdale Healthcare, St. Joseph's Hospital, Medical Connections
• Staffing Companies: Jobcentral, Kforce, and Ajilon
• Aerospace, Aviation, & Defense: IBM, Aerotek, USAF, Boeing
• High Technology: IBM, Robert Half International, Intel, Insight
• Banking/Finance and Business Services: Bank of America, JP Morgan Chase, Charles Schwab, American Express, Wells Fargo
• Retail, Entertainment, Hospitality: Blockbuster, Marriott Hotels, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut
• Sustainability and renewable energy comprise another targeted growth industry and water conservation is a large part of this effort.

Largest Employers in Scottsdale

1. Scottsdale Healthcare
2. Mayo Clinic
3. General Dynamics
4. Scottsdale Unified School District – Public schools
5. City of Scottsdale - Government
6. CVS/CareMark – Drugs and sundries
7. Go Daddy Group – Internet domain services
8. The Vanguard Group
9. Troon Golf LLC
10. Scottsdale Insurance Company

Top 10 High Demand Scottsdale Jobs

1. Project Managers
2. Physicians
3. Software Engineers, Web Developers
4. Registered Nurses (RN to NP)
5. Physical Therapists
6. Jobs with Washington Elementary School District 6
7. Salespeople
8. Truck Drivers - CDL
9. Business Analysts
10. Jobs in Dining/Fast Food Services

1. Office and Administrative Support
2. Salespeople and Sales Representatives
3. Management
4. Food Preparation and Serving
5. Business and Financial Operations
6. Healthcare Practitioners and Techs: Registered Nurses, Pharmacy Technicians, Health Specialties Teachers; and many healthcare support jobs
7. Transportation and Material Moving: Includes truck driving jobs.
8. Construction and Extraction
9. Manufacturing and Production
10. Computer and Systems Related Occupations
11. Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Services
12. Education and Library Related Jobs: Includes K-12 and college-level instructors for many fields of study.

Scottsdale bills itself as the most Western Town in the West and to promote this title, the city supports a large venue called WestWorld, just north of town. It is all about the Wild West of the American past and the preservation of US western culture and activities in the 2010s. Just a few of the features that WestWorld incorporates include:

• The Giant Multipurpose Tent: This is billed as the largest clear-span tent on the North American Continent with 120,000 sq. ft. of venue space and 89 feet of height. Events held here include regional classic car shows and auctions, the Festival of the West, gem shows, home and garden shows, trade shows, and additional events.
• Brett's Barn: Over 8,000sq. ft. of western party barn floor with an outdoor deck and a stage for parties, weddings, meetings, dances and other events. Idyllic, the local view is that of the Sonoran Desert and the McDowell Mountains.
• The Equidome: A large equine arena for horse shows and related events.Horse Stalls are also available for rent in WestWorld for short-term boarding, with bedding and feed available for purchase.
• Wendell Arena: An arena for ranching and farming shows, rodeos, jumpers, dressage, and others.
• WestWorld also includes other Arenas, a Polo Field, Riding Trails, a Golf Course, and RV Hookups with water and electricity. Additional features include historic structures in commemoration of Arizona’s past, especially its early settlers and earlier Native Americans. Improvements and additions to WestWorld are ongoing.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Inc. is based in Scottsdale and Taliesin West, a Southwestern US satellite of Wright's Taliesin in Wisconsin. Wright broke ground on the western branch during The Great Depression to afford himself a winter home, a studio, and an architectural school for his followers.

Offering guided tours today, It sits on the Sonoran Desert among the foothills of the McDowell Mountains and reflects the desert colors. The Wisconsin and Arizona facilities are both registered National Historic Landmarks.

Additional Gilbert-Scottsdale Attractions

• 200 Public Golf Courses, Scottsdale AZ

  Take a swing at one of the more than 200 golf courses in Scottsdale, Arizona and the surrounding area. Find official listing of all the public golf courses here.

• Arizona Wing of the CAF - Home of B-17G Sentimental Journey!

  Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) and Home of Sentimental Journey. Air Museum and Meeting Facility

• Center for the Performing Arts: A premier performing arts hall, the renovated Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts serves the greater Phoenix metro area. 7380 E. Second St. Scottsdale, AZ 85251
• Heard Museum | American Indian Art & History

  Heard Museum: World Famous for a Reason - Heard Museum North Scottsdale

• Musical Instrument Museum: The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) celebrates the similarities and differences of the world's cultures as expressed through music, which is common to us all. 4725 E. Mayo Blvd. Phoenix, AZ 85050
• Thunderbird Artists: Thunderbird Artists juried fine art festivals in Arizona, Texas and Colorado feature artists from all over the world, wine tasting, chocolate and live entertainment. 99 Easy St, Carefree, AZ 85377

• Arizona State University- This is a leading American research university with 4 campuses. In Scottsdale, the SkySong Innovation Center is a complex for international business start-ups, office co-working, and business innovations.
• ASU Polytechnic - At the entrance to the Gateway Character Area.
• Maricopa Community Colleges include 10 colleges, 2 skill centers, and several educational satellites, including Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC).
• DeVry Institute of Technology and Keller Graduate School of Management
• East Valley Institute of Technology
• Maricopa Community Colleges - Maricopa Community Colleges include 10 colleges, 2 skill centers, and several educational satellites throughout the Greater Phoenix Area. Mesa Community College is 3 miles from Gilbert.
• Northern Arizona University
• Ottawa University
• Phoenix International School Of Law
• Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management
• University of Phoenix
• Western International University

Advanced Secondary Education

• The Arizona Gakuen (Japanese Saturday School): By coincidence or design, this school honors the Japanese-Americans interned in Arizona during WWII. The weekly Japanese School lessons provide immersion education for K-12 students in Japanese Language and Culture. Location: 4635 S. Lakeshore Dr., Suite #101 Tempe, AZ 85282

Sources

• Arizona Chamber of Commerce
• Best Companies to Work For in Gilbert: Zippia.
• Gilbert Top Employers: Gilbert Arizona Economic Development