History of the City of Maricopa

Reference & Education

  • Author Josiah Eloy
  • Published December 30, 2022
  • Word count 876

The city of Phoenix, Arizona was formally incorporated as a town on October 15, 2003, becoming the 88th municipality to become an incorporated town in Arizona. When Maricopa was incorporated as the 88th city in Arizona in 2003, the 2000 Census listed Maricopa's population at 1,040. As of the 2010 census, the population of Maricopa County is 3,817,117, making it the most populous county in Arizona, as well as the 4th-most populous in the United States.

More than half the states population lives in Maricopa County, which includes the cities of Phoenix, Mesa, Glendale, Scottsdale, Tempe, Chandler, Peoria, and Gilbert. Mesa is the nations most populous suburb, the third-largest city in Arizona behind Phoenix and Tucson, the 35th-largest city in the U.S., and the largest that is not a county seat. Maricopa County was created on February 14, 1871, from parts of Pima County and Yavapai County. The county seat is Phoenix, the state capital and sixth-most populous city in the nation.

As Arizona State Route 347 leaves the city in Arizona to head for either the Gila River Indian Community in the north or the Ak-Chin Indian Community in the south, the road changes its name to Maricopa Road.

The largest are the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community (east of Scottsdale) and Gila River Indian Community (south of Phoenix). The Ak-Chin Indian Community has developed the Harrah's Ak-Chin casino and associated resort, multi-entertainment movie complex, and operates a golf course; all are publicly accessible and attract visitors from cities throughout Arizona, as well as from the greater Phoenix area.

Maricopa Junction began as a oasis surrounding a series of watering holes eight miles north of modern-day Maricopa, about one mile west of Pima Butte. One of the oldest neighborhoods in Maricopa, Maricopa Station existed long before the town was incorporated, and was known for some time as Maricopa City Site. In October 2003, Maricopa was incorporated as the 88th city municipality in Arizona, and has grown into one of the fastest-growing communities in Arizona in the past decade -- going from a quiet city to a thriving one.

Maricopa might still be a relatively small city, but Maricopa is among the fastest growing cities in America. In the next couple years, it skyrocketed in population, growing to 15,934, earning the distinction as one of the fastest growing cities in America.

With the exception of the 1920s, the population doubled each decade, with Mesa rapidly overtaking its original square-mile boundaries. By the end of the city's first eight years of statehood, Phoenix was not really a town anymore -- it was an essential city, with 29,053 residents.

The year 1891 was marked by the greatest flood in the history of the Valley of the Sun, and also by the arrival of Phoenix's first phone system. This would prove to be a momentous move in the history of the state of Arizona, but in the following year, Phoenix's cities took a more significant step. Its first rail line connected our city with the Northern portion of the State, giving travelers yet another option for getting to both East and West through Santa Fe.

During the 1850s and 1860s, Maricopa Wells became the main relay stagecoach stop for Arizona's first organized semi-public transit -- the San Antonio & San Diego mail line, then the Butterfield overland mail line. The stagecoach was Arizona's first semi-public transit option, with three stagecoach lines running through the Maricopa and Maricopa Relay Stations. The settlement known as Maricopa Ville was basically rebuilt three miles eastwards (to where the town is today in Arizona) in the early 1880s, in order to fit in the Maricopa and Phoenix Line, which planned to run through Maricopa Ville and Tempe northwards en route to Phoenix.

Located on the south side of the Gila River, Maricopa Wells (the original location of Maricopa) was the refuge of thousands of immigrants in the 1800s, following a southern route across Arizona state into the California gold fields.

According to Nathan Steele, I like to think of Maricopa as an oasis, not just because it is located in the middle of the Sonoran desert, but also because there are no traditionally established cities serving as adjoining neighborhoods.

Maricopa is the only U.S. city that borders two Native American communities, and continues to honor and celebrate this cultural diversity, as well as to embrace the American inventiveness and innovative spirit that has been a fixture in the community of Maricopa for centuries. Recently, the mayor and City Council members have renamed certain streets within the Maricopa Station area in order to emphasize the history of Maricopa.

One of the really interesting projects that we are working on is the Maricopa Station, which is right next to the AMTRAK Station right at the heart of downtown. Our Realtors know Maricopa inside and out, and they can help you find the perfect house that meets all of your needs and wants.

He works with empowering leaders who are driven by innovative ideas to advance community prosperity and spur progress toward elevating Maricopa to be a leading city. With 58,125 residents as of 2020, the City in Arizona is the largest incorporated municipality within Pinal County, which is a part of the Phoenix metro area. In 1889, Phoenix became the final seat of Prescott, and retained the position of Arizona's capital city.

This article has been viewed 1,051 times.

Rate article

This article has a 3 rating with 3 votes.

Article comments

There are no posted comments.

Related articles