Housing
1930s to 1970s homes on large irrigated lots, historic districts with their own design rules, and a growing number of tasteful rebuilds. Lot and location set the floor.
Stop 06 · Phoenix 85012, 85013 and 85020
North Central Phoenix
Central Avenue, the Murphy Bridle Path, irrigated lots and older money. The most walkable established neighborhood in the city, and the last stop on the route.
Murphy Bridle Path · Central Avenue · Photo credits
The Running Radius
What North Central Phoenix actually is.
Central Avenue, the Murphy Bridle Path, older money, walkability.
North Central runs along Central Avenue from about Camelback Road north to the mountain preserve, with the historic districts fanning out on either side. The Murphy Bridle Path, the dirt horse trail that still runs down the east side of Central from Bethany Home to Northern, is the neighborhood's front porch.
The housing stock is older and larger than most of the Valley: ranches, Spanish and Territorial revivals, and the occasional estate, many on flood-irrigated lots that look more like the Midwest than the desert. It is the pocket people move to when they want trees, sidewalks, and neighbors who have been there thirty years.
Why people move here
Walkable to the restaurants of Uptown, Brophy and Xavier a few minutes south, Madison schools, and a light-rail ride downtown. A long-term neighborhood, not a flip market.
The run
The Bridle Path. A shaded path along Central Avenue under old trees, which is why it is the last stop and the best one.
Your next move
Let’s talk about North Central Phoenix.
North Central doesn't turn over fast, and when it does, the buyers are usually already in the neighborhood. If you're coming from outside it, you want someone who hears about the house before the sign goes up.