Imagine stepping out your front door into a bold, new and exciting lifestyle. New sights—striking architecture by some of the nation’s most visionary architects. New sounds—hip, new music from up-and-coming performers in your favorite local nightclub. New journeys—zipping along a light rail line to work, the airport or to catch a play or NBA basketball game. New people—10,000 new urbanites in the next five years, to be precise—who have decided to be where the action is, in downtown Tempe, Ariz.

Trend watchers call this brand-new lifestyle a “back to Main Street movement.” Others call it “hiving.” Imagine a bee hive abuzz with activity. A community made stronger by social connections. Downtown Tempe is such a hive . . . abuzz with youthful vitality that only a neighboring campus like Arizona University can bring . . . abuzz with a vibrant nightlife that grabs national headlines . . . and abuzz with commerce in today’s new knowledge economy. Downtown Tempe is the smart place to be. Just ask the execs at U.S. Airways’ headquarters and the numerous public relations firms, law firms, computer companies and architect’s offices that make up this dynamic and creative hub.

Call it hiving or “suburban flight,” one fact remains the same. The hippest place to live is now in the heart of Tempe, in towering glass and steel towers housing condominiums and lofts with unfettered views . . . of sunrises and sunsets awash in watercolor hues . . . desert mountains hugging the horizon . . . a historic bridge adorned with lights spanning a lake. While cities across the country are witnessing a renaissance of downtown living with the most sought-after addresses towering above the urban landscape, there is only one Downtown Tempe.