ABOUT SCOTTSDALE
Scottsdale was famous as a vacation spot long before it became a city. Not many years ago, it was a crossroads where cowboys rode in on Saturday nights along the unpaved trails to celebrate the end of the week. Now it is considered the shopping and art center of the Valley of the Sun.
Geographically, Scottsdale covers about 185 square miles. It has some of the country’s most exclusive and expensive resorts within its boundaries, but there are also middle class neighborhoods. At the Little Red Schoolhouse visitors begin a self-guided walking tour to fourteen destinations. The site of the first general store; Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church, which is home to the Scottsdale Symphony; and a vintage blacksmith who still keeps local horses shod in the present day, are points of interest. Olive trees planted by town founder General Winfield Scott; Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art; the tastefully rendered Fashion Square mega mall; and The Borgata are among other places featured on the tour.