In '76, we moved from suburban Houston to Tempe near Rural&Southern. My mom still lives in the same house there. It sure felt like we moved to the city, what with ASU and the freeways nearby, a swimming pool in every back yard. But just a few miles south was endless farmland and even an "Open Range" sign. I don't believe Ray road was paved in '76. Now there is freeway to the south of it! Chandler Mall even! Semiconductor plants and big box stores galore.
I know, right? The only thing keeping the area from growing south and east are the reservations. And the mountains to the north are doing little to stop growth.
Bell Rd. used to be horse properties; now you have homes almost all the way out to Anthem, past the Ben Avery range and Lake Pleasant.