I was just on Craig's list getting a feel for "downtown" rental pricing.  Naturally I did my search on the word "downtown".  I wish they had some way of drawing a boundary on a map and retrieving only the properties within that boundary.  Perhaps they will at some time in the future.

 The results received were postings for "downtown Tempe", "downtown Chandler" and any posting advertising a short commute to "downtown" or a view of "downtown".  I think this would happen if you search in any city.  The difference when searching on  Phoenix is that you also get oodles of posts claiming that their properties that are miles from downtown are in fact "downtown".

 It's become more apparent to me that a significant percentage of the Valley doesn't know where "downtown" is.  I didn't know when I moved to AZ five years ago.  I remember asking soon after I moved here and being told that "it doesn't matter because nobody goes there.  Everyone goes to Scottsdale".  

So let's clear this up for those folks.  I'd hate to have someone suffer through another evening at club "insert one word bar name here" in Scottsdale just because they don't know where downtown is.  Downtown is NOT everything within the 101 loop.  Downtown is NOT everything in Central Phoenix.  Downtown is Not everything up and down the central corridor.  Downtown is in fact defined by the city as the areas bounded by 7th st and Ave on the East and West, Buckeye on the South and McDowell on the North.  

 Hope that helps.  Once you get here it's not hard to find your way around.  It's a grid. 

-Mark