This Place We Call Ahwatukee

Ahwatukee AZ, is one of the fastest growing urban villages in Phoenix boasting a population of around 90,000, at last count, within its 35.8 square mile borders. It is anticipated to have a full capacity of around 120,000. The majority of Ahwatukee home owners and residents are affluent. The average age is around 35 and average income is $110,000 annually. 99% of Ahwatukee home owners have a high school degree and 65% are college educated, according to the last census. The education stats explain the continued and consistent high quality of education in the Ahwatukee public school system. All 24 schools in Ahwatukee's Kyrene Elementary School district are viewed as the premier schools in the East Valley for academic achievement.

Downtown Phoenix Arizona is just 15 minutes away with easy access to Sky Harbor International Airport for anyone traveling. In bad traffic, the 15 minute commute can extend to as much as 50 minutes.


Ahwatukee is actually part of Phoenix AZ, but because of Ahwatukee's distinct and strong identity, it is sometimes perceived as a separate town. Mountain views and the Arizona sunshine create a fabulous backdrop for recreational activities. The communities in Ahwatukee offer peaceful neighborhoods in the midst of beautiful desert scenery. South Mountain Park, the largest city owned park in the nation, offers miles of recreational opportunities from hiking trails to horseback riding. Master planned communities are abundant, supplying amenities which include parks, 5 public golf courses, community centers with public swimming pools, and landscaped walking paths.

History

Legend has it that in 1921, Dr. and Mrs. W.V.B. Ames built a house on approximately 2,000 acres (8.1 km²) on the southeast side of the South Mountains. They gave the area its original name, Casa de Sueños, which in Spanish means, "House of Our Dreams." Dr. Ames died within just three months of moving into the house, and after Mrs. Ames' death in 1933 the house and most of the land was willed to St. Luke's Hospital, then bought in 1935 by Miss Helen Brinton, who appeared to have retranslated the name of the house to the Crow word which now serves as the name of the village. The house was demolished in 1979, and parts of it were used to build the Our Lady of Guadalupe church. Marty Gibson was the first to write a book on the history of Ahwatukee, titled, "The History of Ahwatukee."

As it turns out, the Crow translation for "House of Dreams" (ashe ammeewiawe) sounds nothing like Ahwatukee. More likely, the town was named after the Crow words awe chuuke, meaning "land on the other side of the hill," or "land in the next valley."

In 1971 part of the land was purchased, subdivided, and developed into a residential community by the Presley Development Company, owned by Elvis Presley's uncle. Ahwatukee has grown as the city acquired other land parcels to the west, including land owned by International Harvester, which operated a proving ground for earth-moving equipment there from 1947 to 1983. The State of Arizona has bought, sold, or swapped land several times, including transferring state trust land to developers in controversial auctions in which residents and conservationists have lobbied for the space to be converted to parkland.