Apache Junction, AZ Real Estate

Apache Junction is a desert community nestled in the shadows of the Superstition Mountains, 2,070 feet above sea level and 35 miles directly east of Phoenix on Highway 60 (Superstition Freeway). It is the eastern most community in the Phoenix-Mesa metropolitan area.

The city currently encompasses 36.5 square miles with a year-round population estimated at 42,000. Each year the city welcomes over 35,000 seasonal residents, increasing the population from mid-October to mid-April to over 77,000.

With its mining and transportation roots in the late 19th- and early 20th-centuries, Apache Junction did not develop a central downtown but spread slowly along the Apache Trail, centering around the old Superstition Inn in the 1950s and 1960s.

The city is actively working to develop the area as a 21st-century centerpiece for combined retail, office and downtown residential living - all consistent with Apache Junction's southwestern, territorial feel. Despite its rapid growth, Apache Junction remains a city of wide-open spaces and a gateway to natural splendor. The area experiences approximately nine inches of rain, and an average of 214 totally cloudless days per year. The average January temperature is 53 degrees F, and the average July temperature is 93 degrees F.

Employment figures for Apache Junction do not truly represent its economic activity; proximity to metropolitan Phoenix gives a far more realistic indication of the area's economic base. Apache Junction's economy is based almost exclusively on recreation and retirement.

Most commercial services in the area cater to tourists and recreation seekers on their way to Arizona's central lakes and forests. Extensive developments and accommodations serve many retired persons and winter visitors.