Arcadia, up close.

Arcadia's look comes from its history as a citrus-growing area. The Arcadia Water Company was founded in 1919 to bring water from the Arizona Canal, and by 1924 it had built several pumping stations and 15 miles of concrete piping. Citrus farmers worked the land until the mid-1950s, when it was suburbanized with ranch homes on large lots. The neighborhood is still known for lush, well-irrigated landscaping, and yards often have orange, lemon and grapefruit trees. Homes vary from mid-century ranches to older estates and newer contemporary builds, so tour several streets before you decide. SRP delivers flood irrigation to some Valley properties but not all, so ask whether a specific home has it, and what the delivery schedule and your upkeep duties would be.

Arcadia's dining clusters along Camelback Road, Indian School Road and 40th Street. La Grande Orange, at 4410 N 40th St, is a bakery, market, café and pizzeria with a coffee bar. The Henry, at 4455 E Camelback Rd, is a Gatsby-era-style restaurant with a coffee bar and weekend brunch. Postino Arcadia, at 3939 E Campbell Ave, is a wine café in a former U.S. post office. Chelsea's Kitchen, at 5040 N 40th St, cooks on a wood-burning rotisserie in a 1940s brick building. Buck & Rider, at 4225 E Camelback Rd, is a raw bar with Camelback Mountain views. O.H.S.O. Brewery, at 4900 E Indian School Rd, is a dog-friendly nano-brewery by the Arizona Canal. The 40th Street spots sit just west of the neighborhood association's outline, and hours and menus change, so check before you go.

The Arizona Canal runs along Arcadia's southern edge, and its path is a popular route for walking, running and biking. Arizona Falls, near 56th Street and Indian School Road, is a 20-foot drop on the canal with a small SRP hydroelectric plant, and the park is open 24 hours a day. Camelback Mountain is just to the north. The City of Phoenix lists the Echo Canyon trailhead at 4925 E McDonald Dr (listed at 1.14 miles, rated extremely difficult) and the Cholla trailhead at 5150 N Invergordon Rd (1.5 miles, extremely difficult). Parking is limited at both, the Echo Canyon lot is typically full from late morning through early afternoon on weekdays and all day on weekends, and the City has approved closing the trails during extreme heat. Check the City's Camelback Mountain page before you go.

Definitions of Arcadia vary. The City of Phoenix neighborhood association, the Arcadia Camelback Mountain Neighborhood Association, covers about 4 square miles from 44th Street east to 64th Street and from Indian School Road north toward Camelback Mountain, while some sources extend Arcadia east to 68th Street. From the middle of that outline, Old Town Scottsdale is about 2 miles away in a straight line, Biltmore Fashion Park about 4 miles, Sky Harbor Airport about 5 and downtown Phoenix about 7, so drive times depend on the route and the hour. The association was formed in 1988, and its stated goal is preserving the neighborhood within its boundaries.