Category Archives: Phoenix

Spotlight on Goodyear, AZ

The Estella Star Tower, Goodyear AZ

Located less than a 20-minute drive outside of bustling Phoenix, Goodyear, Arizona offers a great suburban lifestyle. It is a wonderful place to live if you are looking for a quieter lifestyle but enjoy the occasional visit to the city.

As one might guess from the name of the city, Goodyear owes its origins to the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. In 1917, land in Arizona was purchased by the Goodyear Company to farm cotton, an essential ingredient in airplane tires at the time. From its early origins as a cotton farm, Goodyear grew over the years, and a substantial amount of housing was built during World War II. In 1985, Goodyear, AZ was officially declared a city.

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Spotlight on Peoria

Discovery Trail, Peoria, Arizona

Peoria, Arizona is a rapidly expanding city located 30 minutes northwest of Phoenix. 164,000 people call this Sonoran Desert city home, and it is well known for its parks, open space recreational areas, and lively entertainment district. 

Peoria was established in 1886 by William J. Murphy. Murphy was working on a canal construction project in Arizona when he realized the great potential of the area. He returned to his home in Peoria, Illinois and recruited families to found an agricultural community of the same name in Arizona. Over the years, Peoria grew, and it was formally incorporated in 1954. 

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Spotlight on Apache Junction

Apache Junction Self Storage SignApache Junction, Arizona is located at the base of the Superstition Mountains about 35 miles east of Phoenix. Incorporated in 1978 it has a current population of approximately 40,000 people.

Like many parts of Arizona, Apache Junction is rich in Western heritage. In fact, just a few miles away is the historic Goldfield Ghost Town. Adding to its western heritage is a history of film-making with many movies of the Western genre having been filmed in the area.  Movies with stars such as Audie Murphy, Elvis Presley,  Jason Robards, and John Wayne were shot nearby. Continue reading

Spotlight on Phoenix

phoenixThe city of Phoenix, Arizona is a jewel of the southwest that has attracted explorers, adventurers, farmers, artists, archaeologists, scientists, mystics, and tourists for over 150 years. Phoenix is situated in the Salt River Valley of southern Arizona, in an area that had been occupied for more than 2,000 years by the Hohokam people, who mysteriously abandoned the area between 1300 and 1450, after what we now believe were extensive periods of drought and severe flooding. They left behind many artifacts of their impressive culture, including an extensive irrigation canal system, the remains of which served as the skeleton for the modern Arizona Canal, Central Arizona Project Canal, and the Hayden-Rhodes Aqueduct. This is how the city got its name, rising as it did from the ashes of a former civilization. Continue reading