Comments (0) Best Neighborhood - 2010
Encanto/Palmcroft
This 75-year-old neighborhood offers a glimpse of what tony downtown residential districts once looked like. Encanto/Palmcroft is home to some of the loveliest older architecture in the Valley: Tudor Revivals and American Colonial and California Craftsman homes, all situated on generous lots, nearly all of them restored or maintained, and each one a glimpse of beautiful bygone days. A tight, friendly neighborhood association and close ties to the Historic Preservation office have kept Encanto's charm intact. The folks on these blocks — 15th to Seventh avenues, north of McDowell Road and south of Encanto Boulevard — are proud of the hard work they've done to maintain both their beautiful buildings and the nifty neighborhood spirit they've developed. Even if you don't live there, you can enjoy this 'hood.In a city of grids, Encanto/Palmcroft offers walkers an alternative to the straight line. Curved streets lined with old, lushly landscaped Period Revival homes set the stage for an out-of-Phoenix experience (even the temperature is purported to be a few degrees lower in this unique urban ecosystem). The Encanto Circles offer myriad route possibilities, and when you've exhausted those (or yourself), you can always head to Encanto Park, bordering the north side of the neighborhood.
