Written by Joe Bourland of the Bourland Real Estate Team at eXp Realty, serving buyers and sellers in Peoria and the West Valley.
Old Town Peoria, AZ is the city's original townsite — the historic core centered near 83rd Avenue, Peoria Avenue and Grand Avenue, anchored by Peoria High School's 1922 "Old Main" building, First Presbyterian Church of Peoria and the 1906 Central School schoolhouse. It's a different real estate market than Peoria's newer master-planned communities: older, individually distinct homes rather than one HOA and builder, plus an active city redevelopment push that's added a new downtown landmark and a schoolhouse-turned-arts-center. It's also not the same place as P83 — that's a separate entertainment district several miles north near Bell Road, covered in its own guide.
What Is Old Town Peoria?
Old Town is Peoria's historic heart, and unlike Vistancia, Fletcher Heights or Westbrook Village, it isn't a single subdivision with one builder or one HOA. It developed over more than a century, so you'll find older single-family homes, civic buildings, historic landmarks and pockets of newer infill construction and multifamily housing sitting close together. Grand Avenue cuts diagonally through the area, and the city's 2011 Old Town Peoria Specific Area Plan lists preserving and enhancing the area's historic character and strengthening its pedestrian and bicycle connections among its goals, alongside redevelopment and public open space as Downtown grows.
Historic Landmarks in Old Town Peoria
Peoria's roots are especially visible here, and the city has been actively investing in preserving and reusing them rather than leaving them standing as museum pieces. Here's what's landmark-status or newly added, and where each one stands today:
| Landmark | Built / Unveiled | Status Today |
|---|---|---|
| First Presbyterian Church of Peoria (also called Peoria Presbyterian Church) | 1899 | Per the Presbytery of the Grand Canyon, as cited in the National Park Service registration form, the oldest continuously operating Presbyterian church in Arizona |
| Central School ("the Schoolhouse") | 1906 | National Register-listed; under renovation into an Arts and Culture Center, with the city's goal of opening it to the public in December 2026 |
| Peoria High School "Old Main" | 1922 | National Register-listed since 2018; houses PUSD's MET Academy and Peoria Flex Academy |
| Digital Water Tower, Downtown Peoria | 2026 | New 35-foot digital landmark honoring the city's agricultural and railroad roots; unveiled April 2026 |
Sources: National Park Service National Register records, City of Peoria Newsroom, Peoria Times (May 21, 2026) and KTAR; current as of Oct. 2026.
Valuing a Home in Old Town Peoria
I'd be careful with any "median home price" you see for Old Town on a big portal. Comparable sales can be limited in a small neighborhood, and the homes themselves vary enormously — a small older home needing a full systems update shouldn't be compared to a fully remodeled property or a new infill build just because they share a neighborhood boundary. When comparable sales are that limited, a portal's monthly "median" can swing wildly and mean almost nothing on its own.
For a property here, my team and I look well past the neighborhood median: property type and architectural style, age, square footage, lot size, renovation history, and the condition of roof, HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems, plus actual recent MLS sales of genuinely comparable properties — not just anything inside the same boundary line.
What to Inspect in an Older Old Town Home
Depending on the block, you'll find homes of varying ages, renovated properties, infill construction and multifamily residences mixed together, and two homes a few blocks apart can have very different maintenance histories. Before you fall for the character, I want to see permit history on: electrical panels and wiring, plumbing and sewer lines, roof age, HVAC, windows and insulation, any additions or conversions, and foundation or drainage issues. Older doesn't automatically mean problematic, but you need to know what's actually been done and when.
Downtown Peoria Lifestyle
Old Town's appeal isn't a clubhouse or a golf course — it's proximity to Downtown Peoria's civic and cultural core. The Peoria Center for the Performing Arts, home of resident theater company Theater Works, sits right in Old Town, and the surrounding area includes Osuna Park, city facilities and a wave of recent public investment: a new 35-foot digital water tower honoring the city's agricultural and railroad history was unveiled in Downtown Peoria in April 2026, and the historic 1906 schoolhouse is currently being renovated into an Arts and Culture Center, with the city's goal of opening it to the public in December 2026. That said, I wouldn't call every Old Town address "walkable" — it depends heavily on the specific street and where you're headed.
Peoria High School originally launched in 1919- this is representative imagery
Is Old Town Peoria the Same as P83?
No, and this trips up a lot of buyers searching online. Old Town is centered near 83rd Avenue, Peoria Avenue and Grand Avenue. P83 — the city's rebranded restaurant and entertainment district — sits several miles north along 83rd Avenue between Bell Road and Skunk Creek, anchored by the Peoria Sports Complex. Both are worth knowing if you're considering Peoria, but they're genuinely different lifestyles; see our full P83 guide for that district.
Schools Serving Old Town Peoria
Old Town falls within Peoria Unified School District, but it is not zoned to a single elementary school. Peoria High School — the district's oldest high school, founded in 1919 — sits at 11200 N. 83rd Avenue and was the assigned high school for four of the five Old Town addresses we spot-checked against PUSD's official locator. Elementary assignment is a different story: those same addresses split across four campuses — Peoria Elementary School (PreK–8, 11501 N. 79th Avenue), Cheyenne Elementary (K–8), Alta Loma Elementary (PreK–8) and Santa Fe Elementary (K–8) — depending on the exact block, and the address nearest Osuna Park returned two possible high schools, Peoria HS and Raymond S. Kellis HS, right on a boundary line we can't call definitively either way. None of these campuses feeds into a separate middle school in this part of the district — each runs straight through 8th grade — so there isn't one to name here. Given how irregularly this historic core was platted over more than a century, don't assume your school from a neighboring address: confirm the specific property on PUSD's Interactive School Locator (schoolsitelocator.com, linked from peoriaunified.org's District & School Boundaries page) — we checked ours Aug. 31, 2026.
Is There an HOA in Old Town Peoria?
No single Old Town HOA exists. Because this is an established part of the city rather than one master-planned subdivision, HOA status varies property by property — some homes have none at all, while newer attached housing may carry its own association. Always confirm HOA status, fees and restrictions for the specific property you're considering.
Insider Tip
When you tour an older Old Town home, ask early for the permit history on the electrical panel and any roof work. Knowing what has been updated, and when, helps you shape your inspection plan and negotiate with clear information.
Pros and Cons of Living in Old Town Peoria
The Upside
- Genuine historic character you won't find in Peoria's newer master-planned communities, anchored by landmarks like Old Main and the Central School schoolhouse.
- Central location with growing civic and cultural investment — the new digital water tower, which is already up and running, and the Schoolhouse Arts Center, where restoration began in April 2026, are both real city projects, not just plans on paper.
- A wider mix of property types than a typical HOA subdivision, including genuine renovation opportunities for the right buyer.
The Trade-Offs
- Public pricing data for this specific area is too thin and inconsistent to trust on its own — a direct comp pull matters more here than almost anywhere else in Peoria.
- Older housing stock means budgeting for updates to electrical, plumbing, roofing and other major systems that newer construction wouldn't need.
- HOA status and school assignment both vary by exact address rather than following one neighborhood-wide rule, so a general answer won't hold for every property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Old Town Peoria the same as P83?
No. Old Town Peoria is centered near 83rd Avenue, Peoria Avenue and Grand Avenue, while P83 is a separate entertainment district several miles north near Bell Road and the Peoria Sports Complex. They're both worth knowing about if you're considering Peoria, but they offer very different lifestyles.
What is the median home price in Old Town Peoria?
There isn't a portal-reported median we'd consider reliable enough to quote on its own — comparable sales can be limited in Old Town, and the sales that do occur span very different property types and conditions. A current, property-type-specific comparative market analysis is a far more accurate way to establish value here than any published average.
What schools serve Old Town Peoria?
It depends on the exact address — Old Town does not feed into one elementary school. Addresses we checked against PUSD's official locator split among Peoria Elementary, Cheyenne Elementary, Alta Loma Elementary and Santa Fe Elementary, and Peoria High School was the assigned high school for four of the five addresses we checked. Because this historic core was platted irregularly over more than a century, confirm your specific address on PUSD's Interactive School Locator (schoolsitelocator.com) before assuming a school assignment.
Are there historic landmarks in Old Town Peoria?
Yes. Peoria High School's "Old Main" building, built in 1922, has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 2018, First Presbyterian Church of Peoria (1899) is, according to the Presbytery of the Grand Canyon, the oldest continuously operating Presbyterian church in Arizona, and the 1906 Central School schoolhouse — also National Register-listed — is currently being renovated into a public Arts and Culture Center, with the city's goal of opening it to the public in December 2026.
Is Old Town Peoria walkable?
Parts of the Downtown core have a smaller, older street grid that supports walking to the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts, Osuna Park and nearby dining, and the city's 2011 Old Town Peoria Specific Area Plan lists strengthening pedestrian and bicycle connections among its goals. Walkability still varies a lot by the specific address, though — it isn't uniform across the whole area.
Is Old Town Peoria being redeveloped right now?
Yes. The City of Peoria unveiled a new 35-foot digital water tower landmark in Downtown Peoria in April 2026, and it's currently renovating the historic 1906 schoolhouse into an Arts and Culture Center, with the city's goal of opening it to the public in December 2026 — the tower is complete and the Schoolhouse restoration is underway, so neither is just a proposal.
Curious what an older Old Town Peoria home is actually worth, or want to see what's currently on the market? Browse Peoria listings and search Old Town Peoria by name or call the Bourland Real Estate Team at (623) 322-8588 — given how thin the public data is here, a direct comp pull is worth doing before you set expectations on price.
Want the bigger picture? Explore our complete Living in Peoria, AZ guide for an overview of Peoria's neighborhoods and communities.
