Thousands of wealthy Californians are fleeing to celeb haven dubbed the 'Beverly Hills of Arizona', where homes cost as much as $75 MILLION, to escape soaring crime and high taxes

• The desert and mountain town of Paradise Valley is Arizona’s wealthiest municipality, set between Phoenix and Scotsdale 
• The affluent area has proved popular with celebrities such as Alicia Keys, Michael Phelps and Stevie Knicks
• Now local real estate agents say more residents are flocking from California 

With 300 sunshine days a year, low taxes and safe streets, it’s little wonder Californians are flocking to the so-called ‘Beverly Hills of Arizona’.

Sitting between Phoenix and Scotsdale, Paradise Valley is Arizona’s wealthiest municipality, with the average home costing an eye-watering $2.87 million.

The affluent area has already proved popular with celebrities such as Alicia Keys, Michael Phelps and Stevie Knicks.

And now a huge number of new residents are arriving from California, luxury real estate agent Joan Levinson told Business Insider – with recent transplants saying they’d simply had enough of soaring crime and the high cost of living.

Paradise Valley is Arizona’s wealthiest municipality set between Phoenix and Scotsdale and boasts luxury golf courses

On the market for $8,888,888, this five bedroom home is set amongst cacti and dramatic rocky outcrops – designed to maximize views of Camelback and Mummy Mountains

Homebuyers are looking to leave expensive crime-ridden big cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco

Figures show California has been losing more and more residents to Maricopa County – Arizona’s most populous county – in recent years.

An average of 1,555 moved from Santa Clara County – home to tech hub Silicon Valley – every year between 2016 to 2020. This is a 38 percent increase compared to the period between 2011 and 2015, Business Insider reported.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles County lost an average of 8,614 residents to Maricopa County each year between 2016 to 2020 — a 48 percent increase from 2011 to 2015.

And San Diego has seen 5,206 residents to the area annually from 2016.

Kelly Jones, an Arizona real-estate agent, told Business Insider: ‘California as a whole has taxes that have been really hurting everybody, and they’re looking at the cost of living there versus here. It’s a lot cheaper to live here.’

Arizona also boasts lower crime rates which is a huge draw for residents of many big California cities – with increasing numbers abandoning the likes of LA and San Francisco in the wake of crippling homelessness, crime and opioid crises.

The desert and mountain town of Paradise Valley is Arizona’s wealthiest municipality, located east of the state capital Phoenix and spread over 15.4 miles from Scottsdale to Camelback Mountain.

Known for its luxury golf courses, it is made up of more than 5,000 houses – with top of the market properties selling for well over $20million.

Venture Capital founder Ken Sawyer made the move to Paradise Valley with his family from San Francisco in 2019.

He told Business Insider: ‘Every month, there are more and more people both in the tech world as well as from California more generally.

‘We love San Francisco. But it stopped providing the public education that we wanted, stopped providing the safety that we wanted.

‘The ability to live in Paradise Valley really provided us with a quality of life that’s far superior.’

Taylor and Amelia Graber moved to Paradise Valley from San Diego in 2021.

Medical entrepreneur Taylor told Business Insider: ‘I love San Diego. But the cost of living is more expensive there. Buying a house is more expensive there. Taxes are more expensive there.’

Graber estimated the marginal tax rate for their household income in California was over twice that of Arizona’s at 4.5 percent.

Arizona also has a booming tech scene, making it easier for Californians to relocate from their Silicone Valley jobs.

This $75million under construction home is the most expensive on the market in Paradise Valley

Renderings of the property show multiple pools complete with a waterfall and lazy river

The listing promises two bowling lanes, indoor shooting range, golf simulator and a movie theater/Metaverse room

The annual median house price in Paradise Valley hit $2.87 million last year, a 14 percent increase on the year before, according to Realtor.com.

This is more expensive than the average price tag of properties in San Francisco and Los Angeles at $1.19 million and $957,000 respectively, Business Insider reported.

The most expensive neighborhood in Paradise Valley is Clearwater Hills where mansions are priced between $20 and $30 million.

Designers in the area favor Georgian and Mediterranean styles, but modern glass and metal constructions are commonplace too.

Robert Joffe, founder and associate broker of the Joffe Group, told Mansion Global: ‘There’s a huge allure to this area in Arizona. People are flocking in from all over the country to buy homes here.’

He added: ‘It wasn’t long ago, maybe five years ago, that I sold the highest-priced home on the MLS [in Arizona], and it was $12.75 million.’

Last year, a 18,500 square foot house near Mummy Mountain smashed that record and sold for $23.5 million.

And the record is set to be broken yet again with five homes currently listed for over $25 million, according to property site Redfin.

The area is popular with celebrities such as Alicia Keys, Michael Phelps and Stevie Knicks, who have all previously owned properties there.

Keys described her four-bedroom estate as ‘a magical place’ in 2016, before she sold it for $3.1 million.

She said: ‘The wonderful climate, the amazing landscape, the arts and culture, and the fact that Phoenix is not as overrun as some other warm-weather destinations, was also a big reason for us.’

This expansive 16,035 square-foot-estate is on the market for $20 million

The $20M home has eight beds and ten baths spread across multiple buildings

The master closet alone cost $1 million to design and build

The home was designed by Matt Boland, and renovated and enlarged from 2015 to 2023

The owner spent one a half years searching for the site and another year along with millions of dollars excavating the land, according to the listing

It then took 2.5 years to build the home from steel and block

Olympic swimmer Phelps even secretly got married in the Valley to his wife Nicole Johnson in 2015.

The couple then moved into a mansion nearby and stayed for three years before deciding they needed more space in 2018 and selling the home for $3.5 million – but they reportedly stayed in the area.

The most expensive home currently listed in Paradise Valley is a $75million, 13 bed, 16 bathroom, 40,000 square foot modernist palace.

It is under construction, but renderings show a sweeping entrance with pools – even a lazy river – and lounge areas.

And it won’t be short of entertainment as the listing promises: ‘Two bowling lanes, indoor shooting range, golf simulator, movie theater/Metaverse room, spa, one home gym, casino room, recording studio, collector’s gallery.’

For those wanting to relax, it will have a ‘sauna, snow room, Vitality Pools, two massage/treatment rooms’.

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