In the late 1800s the area that is now Glendale was all desert.William John Murphy, a native ofNew Hartford, New York, who resided in the town ofFlagstaff in what was then theterritory of Arizona, was in charge of building the 40-mile-long (64 km)Arizona Canal from Granite Reef to New River for the Arizona Canal Company. In 1885, he completed the canal, which would bring water to the desert land.[4] Murphy was deep in debt, since he had agreed to be paid in Arizona Canal Company stock and bonds and land instead of cash.[5]
William John Murphy – founder of Glendale
In 1887, Murphy formed the Arizona Improvement Company. His objective was to sell the land and water rights south of the canal. Murphy raised capital from out of state sources in order to meet payroll and construction expenses.[5] Murphy decided to refer to this land as "Glendale". In order to develop and interest potential investors and settlers in this new town, Murphy decided to provide a better way of access fromPhoenix to Glendale and ending in the town ofPeoria by building an 18-mile-long (29 km) diagonal road which he named Grand Avenue.
In 1891, Burgess Hadsell worked with Murphy to bring 70 Brethren andRiver Brethren families to Glendale to form atemperance colony. Soon settlers, attracted by the town's ban on alcoholic beverages, continued to arrive. In 1895, Murphy platted the original town site and amended the plat to include a town park and some business lots. It was bounded by Lamar Road on the south, 55th Avenue on the east, Myrtle Avenue on the north, and 59th Avenue on the west.[6] The construction of a railroad fromPrescott to Phoenix was made possible with an exchange of the right-of-way made by Murphy along Grand Avenue.[4] The railroad allowed Glendale settlers to transport goods to the north and easily receive building materials.
The construction and commercial applications of theBeet Sugar Factory in 1906 also contributed to the growth of Glendale. Though the operations of the factory only lasted until 1913, it played an important role in the increase of immigrant and migrant settlers in the city.[7] Several other businesses were founded around this time such as Glendale Ice Company, Pacific Creamery Company, Glendale Milling Company, and Southwest Flour and Feed.[8]
World War I ushered in a renewal for Glendale, with cotton prices rising throughout the period. Cotton continues to be a source of economic prosperity in Glendale with many farms still along theLoop 101, despite many farmers switching to more profitable crops.[9] A high demand for food also kept farmers busy. Numerous farms and orchards were established and thrived through the early 1900s.[10]
World War II brought the birth ofThunderbird Field to train civilian pilots for the Army. In late 1940, a few Hollywood actors and businessmen, headed byLeland Hayward, approached the Army to establish a primary flight training school. This group chose the site of Thunderbird Field primarily because of its abundance of space, excellent weather, and good visibility.[11] While this field was being built in 1941, the Army was busy working on a larger base for $4.5 million, Luke Field (now Luke Air Force Base). This base was named for the first pilot to receive a Medal of Honor, Lt. Frank Luke Jr. Thunderbird Field would later become theThunderbird American Graduate School for International Management.
The military and college presence, as well as the increase in population (nearly doubling between 1950 and 1960),[12] sparked a need for utilities, parks, schools and streets. Over the next 40 years, the city added a landfill, water treatment plant, sewage plants, libraries, parks, public safety facilities, an airport, a city hall and a civic center. In the 1970s, Glendale practiced strip annexation to claim future territory to annex that another city couldn't claim. Current strip borders are alongNorthern Avenue, Peoria Avenue, Perryville Road, andCamelback Road.[13]
Arrowhead Towne Center opened in 1993, and the surrounding neighborhood,Arrowhead Ranch, made the area a hotspot for housing and shopping. The completion of Loop 101 throughout Glendale opened the city to the rest of the Valley.[8]
In recent decades, the city has begun major investment into tourism. The establishment of theWestgate Entertainment District, housingDesert Diamond Arena, andState Farm Stadium in the early 2000s made Glendale a destination for locals and visitors. Construction of the VAI Resort andMattel Adventure Park, scheduled to open in 2025, will continue to grow Glendale's tourism economy creating hundreds of new jobs and proving more than a thousand new hotel rooms for the city.[14][15] The completion ofLoop 303 in 2011 also resulted in an increase in industrial development.[16]
In 2024, the city called on the Department of Defense to lobby for Arizona GovernorKatie Hobbs to veto bipartisan legislation to increase housing supply in Arizona. Ryan Lee, the city's intergovernmental-programs director, confirmed toThe Atlantic that he was behind the move. State RepresentativeAnalise Ortiz, whose district includes parts of Glendale, criticized the city for going behind legislators' back to lobby against the legislation, "This is not the way we typically go about creating policy."[17]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 65.1 square miles (169 km2), of which 0.4 square miles (1.0 km2), or 0.63%, is water.[1] The New River andAgua Fria River flow southward through the western extremities of the city.
Glendale, Arizona – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Of the 86,483 households, 35.8% had children under the age of 18; 43.9% were married couples living together; 27.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 23.5% of households consisted of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[29] The average household size was 3.0 and the average family size was 3.6.[33] The percent of those with a bachelor's degree or higher was estimated to be 14.8% of the population.[34]
25.3% of the population was under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.2 males.[29] For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 106.7 males.[29]
The 2016-2020 5-yearAmerican Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $56,991 (with a margin of error of +/- $1,677). The median family income was $65,763 (+/- $1,945).[35] Males had a median income of $36,152 (+/- $1,047) versus $28,175 (+/- $1,327) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $31,982 (+/- $609).[36] Approximately, 12.7% of families and 17.2% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 26.1% of those under the age of 18 and 12.6% of those ages 65 or over.[37][38]
As of thecensus of 2010, there were 226,710 people, 79,114 households, and 54,721 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,929.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,517.2/km2). There were 79,667 housing units at an average density of 1,430.7 per square mile (552.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 75.54%White, 6%Black orAfrican American, 1.7%Native American, 3.9%Asian, 0.2%Pacific Islander, 16.95% fromother races, and 4.0% from two or more races. 35.5% of the population wasHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 79,114 households, out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.5% weremarried couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.33.
In the city, 30.1% of the population was under the age of 18, 10.8% was from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,015, and the median income for a family was $51,162. Males had a median income of $35,901 versus $27,736 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $19,124. About 8.8% of families and 11.9% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 15.3% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
Glendale was temporarily renamed as Swift City on March 17 and 18, 2023,[44] as per the mayor and the city council's proclamation,[45] to celebrate the opening concerts ofthe Eras Tour, the sixth concert tour by American singer-songwriterTaylor Swift, at State Farm Stadium.[46] The Westgate Entertainment District, amixed-use complex in the city, additionally put up welcoming messages, with the local restaurants offering Swift-themed menu items.[47][48] State Farm also hosted theSuper Bowl LVII halftime show, headlined by Barbadian singerRihanna, shortly before the tour.[49]
Glendale is the site of two major sports venues:State Farm Stadium andDesert Diamond Arena. Both venues are part of the Glendale Sports and Entertainment District development plan, meant to spur growth in the sparsely inhabited Yucca district. Both venues are owned by the City of Glendale.
There are a number of higher education campuses in Glendale.Glendale Community College and Glendale Community College North, just across the border in northwestern Phoenix, are members of theMaricopa County Community College District.Arizona State University'sThunderbird School of Global Management was founded in Glendale at Thunderbird Field after World War II and recently relocated its campus to the downtown location of ASU after joining the university as an independent unit dedicated to international business education.West campus is just across the border from Glendale in west Phoenix.Midwestern University is a graduate college of medicine located in Glendale.
Manyschool districts serve the city of Glendale. The following school districts serve the city:[50]
The city of Glendale has a roughly average percentage of households without a car. In 2015, 8.4 percent of Glendale households lacked a car, and increased slightly to 9 percent in 2016. The national average was 8.7 percent in 2016. Glendale averaged 1.72 cars per household in 2016, compared to a national average of 1.8.[55]
The city of Glendale operates irrigation water in the historic area and some adjacent areas.[58]Salt River Project provides irrigation to other areas east of the New River.[59]
^Mean monthly maxima and minima (i.e. the highest and lowest temperature readings during an entire month or year) calculated based on data at said location from 1991 to 2020.
^Official records for Phoenix kept at downtown August 1895 to September 1953, and at Sky Harbor Int'l since October 1953. For more information seeThreadEx.
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