Oro Valley, located northwest of Tucson proper, is considered the most upscale suburban city in the metro area, largely because of its beauty and topography. The Santa Catalina Mountains, Pusch Ridge Wilderness Area, and the Coronado National Forest lie just east of Oro Valley, creating a stunning backdrop for the homes in this area. The town sits at a higher elevation than Tucson itself, which keeps temperatures a bit cooler year-round. The highest elevation in these mountains is Mount Lemmon at an elevation of 9,157 feet, the highest point in the Catalina Mountains.
Residential real estate in Oro Valley is some of the most expensive in the Tucson metro area. As the area grew, developers took advantage of the unique Sonoran desert terrain in and around Oro Valley. The median home value within the metro Tucson in 2013 stood at $145,000 as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau, and $276,400 for Oro Valley in 2014.
As of March 2016, there were 920 homes for sale through the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) inside Oro Valley. Prices started in the low $100,000s for attached homes and over $1 million for single-family homes. MLS data reveal that 39 percent of the listed homes are priced between $200,000 and $300,000, 15 percent between $400,000 and $600,000, and 18 percent over $600,000.
The Tucson Association of Realtors reports home sales by year and market area within the metro area. Oro Valley is part of their northwest market area, and the year-end statistics for 2015 reveal that 57 percent of sales were priced over $200,000. It’s important to note that the northwest area includes Marana, where home values are lower than those of Oro Valley.
Many of the high-end resorts in Tucson are near Oro Valley and combine both hospitality and residential components. El Conquistador Resort and Rancho Vistoso are the largest luxury resort-style communities within Oro Valley, and each is world-renowned. Other large golf-oriented master-planned communities include Stone Canyon and La Canada, both of which have homes.
Of these communities, Rancho Vistoso is by far the largest, with 7,750 acres. It’s an all-age community, and 1,000 of its acres were developed by Del Webb as a 45+ community in the late 1980s through the mid 1990s. Although Rancho Vistoso is approaching build-out, you can still find new homes in the all-ages sections for sale that start in the mid-$200,000s.
Outside of the notable master-planned communities, you will find upscale homes in stand-alone subdivisions that may or may not have a neighborhood homeowner’s association.
The largest employer in Oro Valley is Ventana Medical Systems, followed by Honeywell Aerospace and Oro Valley Hospital. The remaining top employers in Oro Valley provide government, hospitality, and retail services.
Recreational activities abound in this part of Tucson for everyone. Arizona’s second most visited state park lies a few miles away and offers year-round hiking, picnicking and camping opportunities. Catalina State Park hosts weekly guided trail hikes and an annual solar cooking demonstration and potluck open to the public. Mount Lemmon is a popular place for winter skiing and year-round hiking and camping. Saguaro National Monument lies to the west of Oro Valley, another destination for nature lovers.
The town of Oro Valley has a competition-style aquatic center available to town residents and the general public. This facility has a splash park along with a regulation swimming pool. The Farmer’s Market held each Saturday at Steam Pump Ranch has been a mainstay of the community since 2004 for local shoppers and the community events like the Festival of Arts it holds each year. You’ll find a Children’s Museum and public art sprinkled through the community, thanks to a provision passed in 1997 that requires businesses to contribute one percent of their construction budget for public art.
A few miles north of Oro Valley is the famed Biosphere, where scientists still conduct experiments on environmental sustainability in a controlled environment. The Biosphere is open year-round for tours. You can golf at Rancho Vistoso and El Conquistador. If you opt for a home within Rancho Vistoso, you’ll have a complete complement of community amenities.
Because Oro Valley is one of the most affluent suburbs in Tucson, so is its shopping. The Oro Valley Marketplace and Rancho Vistoso offer shoppers an eclectic mix of stores, restaurants, movie theaters, and grocery stores. There’s a Trader Joe’s on North Oracle, as well as strip shopping centers along Oracle Road (Highway 77). You can easily drive to Phoenix from Oro Valley for an even more diverse shopping experience by taking Highway 77 to Highway 79, a designated scenic road in Arizona. This route misses all the traffic on the I-10, which can be heavy.
Seventy percent of the households that live in Oro Valley are families, and 23 percent of them had children under 18 in 2014. Even though families dominate the population, the median age of Oro Valley residents is substantially older than Tucson’s, which was 33.2 in 2014. In 2000, Oro Valley’s median age was 45.3, and it increased to 49.8 by 2014.
Crime statistics provided by securitygauge.com indicate that Oro Valley’s crime rate is low. In fact, it’s safer than 48 percent of all the major cities in the US. Tucson’s crime rate indicates it’s two percent safer than other U.S. cities. Oro Valley has its own police department, and fire and emergency medical services are provided by Rural Metro. Oro Valley Hospital provides emergency services, as well as a full line of medical services and treatments.
