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What to expect when moving to Arizona

January 11, 2021

The Halpern Residential Team often has the chance to ask our smiling neighbors and friends of the North Central Phoenix area why they love where they live. And although there is a range of answers from architecture to views, prime location to the type of trees in the backyard, COMMUNITY is the main driving force of loving where they live. Who you have around, makes a difference. And there is no amount of shiplap or marble floors that can compensate for a phenomenal community. 


Phoenix (and the surrounding cities and neighborhoods; Paradise Valley, Kierland, Arcadia, Biltmore, Scottsdale) have done a wonderful job rising up in these odd times. It has been so amazing to see the creative ways that schooling, restaurants, entrepreneurs and city workers have had to pivot in order to feel deeply connected to the community. 

Specifically in North Central Phoenix, local restaurants quickly came up with crafty ways to serve patrons as dining rooms closed but desire for tasty food and beverages only increased. Luci’s At The Orchard (imagine the charm of Disneyland Main St) has continued to feed and entertain with a few minor tweaks. They say: We have implemented new guidelines and have taken extra precautions with everyone’s safety in mind. We have spaced the tables properly and our team members will continue to wear masks and gloves. We ask that you please do not move the tables out of their spaces to ensure proper social distancing. You will still be allowed to order for pickup through our drive-thru, but you will need to order ahead of time so our drive-thru moves quickly! You can call in your order or use our online ordering system to place an order. Thank you in advance for following our new guidelines. We hope to see you soon!”. If you find yourself on Glendale or Northern, take a drive down 12th St towards the water tower and you won’t miss the vibrant community Luci’s brings. 

With professionals, families and adventure seekers flocking to Phoenix for a myriad of reasons, you can expect the locale to be quite dynamic. The Phoenix Relocation Guide lists the Top 10 Communities in the state and what to expect within the uniqueness of each. They define North Central Phoenix as: Located on a stretch of Central Avenue from Camelback Road past Glendale Avenue is North Central Phoenix. Known for its ranch homes, historic charm and family friendly neighborhoods. The city’s highly regarded Catholic high schools, Brophy and Xavier are located here. Furthermore, the public schools in North Central Phoenix are highly regarded within the Phoenix Public School system.  Windsor Square and “The Sevens” have always been in high demand with working professionals due to the ten minute commute to downtown.

Having a broad sense of the Valley is certainly helpful for the scores of people relocating from California, New York, Ohio, Colorado and the likes. But getting a chance to zoom in to the hyper local reality of what you’ll see, hear and eat is when the fun really begins.

The ladies (and of course our fav little man, Marty) of Halpern Residential took the morning to visit the Uptown Farmers Market on Central Ave and Bethany Home to do just that. In just a few short hours, we were able to get a sampling of hundreds of entrepreneurs that create art, source amazing ingredients and love the chance to talk about their passion. Add in live music and Phoenician locals who are proud to be resources to the newcomers and you can feel the buzz from around the corner! Open every Wednesday and Saturday, Uptown Farmers Market operates year-round and partially moves indoors for the hot summer months of June thru September. Like Luci’s At The Orchard, they also have creatively pivoted in these times: Uptown is now online!  They currently offer over 200 of your favorite Uptown products, and are adding on more each week.  Select curbside pickup or home delivery using their professional, refrigerated delivery partner, DiLandri Family Foods. Order Wednesdays for contactless pickup or delivery on Saturdays.

For our field trip, Jaci grabbed a coffee from Caffio, a mobile coffee bar built on a vintage Italian Vespacar, that offers specialty coffee. Delish! If there is one thing that holds a community together, it’s coffee. And if you move to Phoenix, you can expect a wide variety of beans, creams and syrups to sample. You may not think of piping hot beverages when you think of the Wild West desert but believe it or not, with daytime winter temperatures hovering around the mid 60’s, you can expect a few days of bundling up. At the Uptown Farmers Market, Nick’s Little Store has rather creative options for you from hot dog socks to pug hoodies. 

You can also expect a huge variety of food options ranging from vegan, to pet food, to homemade classics to exoctic foods from around the globe. Blue Sky Organic Farms has the freshest options and really brings out your inner chef! Add in some of the most creamy, flavorful cheese from Petaluma Creamery and forget about it!! Beth was gaga for a pesto cheese that was suggested to add to pasta, yum! You can even expect to find seafood in Phoenix with fresh shrimp directly from Rocky Point provided by The Wild Shrimp Co. The variety goes on and on and is no surprise that the Uptown Market is hands down the best place to experience what to expect when living in Phoenix.

Our goal at Halpern Residential is to help people assimilate from one community into another. If you live here, we likely have a connection; ask around. If you’re new to North Central Phoenix, you’re in the right place to be connected to a community and we would love the chance to help create another smiling face in the neighborhood.

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