Home prices start in the high-$100,000s (around $185,000), but most homes are in the $200,000s and $300,000s with a few in the $400,000s.  All residences are single story and come with at least a 2-car garage (more expensive homes have extended garages).   This community was primarily built in the 1990s, and homes have from 1,400 sq. ft. to nearly 2,500 sq. ft.  Views of the mountains or the golf course are fairly standard, and residents have a patio (or two), tall windows, arched doorways and tile floors.   Landscaping consists of decorative rock, cactus, oleanders and other drought-tolerant shrubs and trees.   The annual HOA fee is $700, and the Fairway Vistas Association takes care of watering the plants and painting homes' exteriors.  Surrounding neighborhoods consist primarily of single family homes in the same economic bracket.  Call (480) 983-5555 to reach Mountainbrook's HOA management company or visit www.mountainbrookvillage.org for more information.  There are also homes for lease.

This is a great place to retire and provides year round opportunities for golf and other outdoor activities (although in the summer, most need to be enjoyed during the early morning).   A full time activities director is on staff, and two heated swimming pools, a hot tub, tennis courts, a well-stocked library, a billiards room, a computer center, a ceramic arts center, a fully-equipped exercise facility and much more keep residents active and busy.   Daily, scheduled activities and classes include aerobics, clogging, bridge, darts, pickelball, pottery, book discussions, poker, painting and political discussions.   A theater group, holiday events, dinner clubs, concerts, pancake breakfasts, parties and potlucks, as well as all kinds of excursions, from bingo bus trips to art gallery outings to trips to Disneyland, Mexico and the Greek Isles (through a travel company that gives Mountainbrook residents discounts), ensure that no one gets bored.  

For the outdoor inclined, there are scheduled hikes into the surrounding hills and/or desert twice a week, and an 18-hole, public championship golf course winds its way through the community (this course is not owned by the HOA, but Mountainbrook residents receive discounts on play).  Four more courses are within a few miles.   When it comes to professional sports, Phoenix is home to the Cardinals (football), Diamondbacks (baseball) and Coyotes (hockey), and museums, theater, dining and all that a major city has to offer are just twenty minutes away.  A monthly newsletter keeps Mountainbrook residents in the loop, and a newcomers' group helps new residents feel welcome.  

Gold Canyon (also known as Gold Camp) is actually on the eastern side of the city of Apache Junction and is an affluent community (whereas the western side of Apache Junction is not and is a little sketchy).  Roughly 10,000 people live here, and the median age is 56.  Crime rates in Apache Junction are above the national average, but they meet the national average in Gold Canyon.  

The climate is, as would be expected, hot and dry with abundant sunshine.  Summer daytime temperatures can easily top 100 degrees, and winter daytime temperatures are in the 60s and 70s with lows in the 40s.   The area receives no snow and about 10 inches of rain a year.  Humidity is a non-issue.