McCormick Ranch, a pioneer among master planned communities, was almost the size of Scottsdale when it was built in the 1970s. The community covers about seven square miles in Central Scottsdale. It's the site of the last large ranch in the City of Scottsdale, a ranch known for breeding Arabian horses.

The McCormick Ranch was developed as a complete community with such services as schools, hospitals, shopping and restaurants. The McCormick Ranch Center area has light manufacturing, garden offices, banks, shopping centers, an auto center, medical offices and grocery stores.

This community has seven lakes, offering residents the option of waterfront living. Fishing is available in the stocked Camelback Lake and sailing is permitted on Camelback Lake and Lake Margherite, the two largest of the seven lakes. Many of the homes around those lakes include boat docks.

There is approximately 25 miles of bicycle paths that wind through greenbelts, lakes and the golf courses. Visitors can tour the area by rail, via a small-gauge railroad that runs through the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park.