Goodyear was established in 1917 with the purchase of 16,000 acres (65 km2) of land by theGoodyear Tire and Rubber Company to cultivate cotton for vehicle tire cords.World War II was important to Goodyear in the 1940s as the currentPhoenix Goodyear Airport was built, but after the war, the economy suffered. Goodyear became a town on November 19, 1946.[7] At the time, it had 151 homes and 250 apartments, a grocery store, a barber shop, beauty shop and a gas station.
Luke Field Auxiliary #6 (Goodyear Field) was built by theUnited States Army Air Forces in 1943. It served as a satellite airfield forLuke Army Air Field (AAF). According to theHistory of Luke AFB, this airfield boasted the most facilities. It had separate buildings for crew chiefs, operations, supply, barracks, pit latrine, crash truck shed, generator shed and a control tower. Luke AF Auxiliary #6 ceased operations by 1971.[8]
The property, which is in a state of complete abandonment, is owned by the State of Arizona, which has worked with developers on proposals for use.[8]
In January 1965, thePhoenix Trotting Park, a harness racing track, opened. The current Interstate 10 passes north of the site. As the region lacked major roads from Phoenix to Goodyear, there was not enough business and the track closed two years later. The park was demolished in 2017.
The town became a city in 1985. In the same decade, the remaining 10,000 acres (40 km2) of the original farmland was sold for future development. The Phoenix Goodyear Airport received its current name in 1986.[9]
South Lake Park inEstrella, on the southern end of Goodyear
Although Goodyear was founded in 1917, the majority of construction and population growth happened after 1990. 22 communities that are completed and under construction have a total area of approximately 20,000 acres (31 sq mi). These communities, along with another 21 communities for future suburban development, will contain almost 200,000 homes, with only 25,000 built.[10]
Goodyear was affected by the 2000s Americanhousing bubble, reducing home values. Since then, the housing market has rebounded considerably. According toOpendoor, ZIP code 85338 in Goodyear was the fifth most popular place in the Phoenix metro area to buy a home, based on home sales. There are also a variety of home options in 2019 to accommodate families, those who are single, and seniors. As the population in Goodyear grows faster than ever, home builders and community developers are working quickly to keep up with the demand.
Estrella is the largest community in Goodyear, at 20,000 acres (31 sq mi). The master-planned community is home to about 10,000 residents. Palm Valley, located north of Interstate 10, is 9,000 acres (14 sq mi), with variously sized homes. PebbleCreek is a community for active adult living, with 54 holes of championship golf, fitness centers, and restaurants.
From the 1990s through the 2010s, residential development has stimulated the growth of Goodyear as a suburb of Phoenix. Goodyear's population is projected to be 358,000 by 2035.[11]
Goodyear is approximately 17 miles (27 km) west of downtownPhoenix. Nearby cities includeAvondale,Litchfield Park,Tolleson andBuckeye. From the original town center, the Goodyear city limits extend north 5 miles (8 km) to a border withGlendale and south-southeast into the Rainbow Valley 30 miles (48 km) to an area south ofArizona State Route 238.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 191.334 square miles (495.55 km2), of which 191.305 square miles (495.48 km2) is land and 0.029 square miles (0.08 km2) (0.02%) is water.[2] TheGila River passes through the city. The largest master-planned community isEstrella, south of the Gila River, located near the Estrella Mountains.[12]
The Estrella Mountain Regional Park covers almost 20,000 acres (81 km2), most of which is still desert. It contains eight trails over 30 mi (48 km) in combined length, two baseball fields, and a 9.5-mile (15.3 km) track.[13]
Goodyear has a hot desert climate (Köppen:BWh) due to its location in theSonoran Desert. The city receives somewhere around ten inches of rain annually. The city has more than 300 sunny days per year.
Winters are sunny with mild temperatures—nighttime lows averaging between 40 and 50 °F (4 and 10 °C) and daytime highs ranging from 60 to 75 °F (16 to 24 °C). The lowest temperature ever recorded in Goodyear is 16 °F (−9 °C).Summers are very hot, with daily high temperatures at or above 100 °F (38 °C) for the entirety of June, July, and August, as well as many days in May and September. An occasionalheat wave will spike temperatures over 115 °F (46 °C) briefly. Nighttime lows in the summer months average between 70 and 80 °F (21 and 27 °C), with an occasional overnight low above 80 °F (27 °C) not uncommon. The highest recorded temperature in Goodyear is 125 °F (52 °C).
Snow is rare in the area, occurring once every several years. Lows in the winter occasionally dip below freezing, which may damage some desert plants such assaguaros and othercacti. In the summer (mainly July, August and early September), theNorth American Monsoon can hit the Phoenix area in the afternoon and evening (possibly continuing overnight), causing thunderstorms and heavy rain even from a sunny morning. Dust storms are occasional, mainly during the summer.
According to realtor websiteZillow, the average price of a home as of June 30, 2025, in Goodyear is $472,852.[16]
As of the 2023American Community Survey, there are 38,956 estimated households in Goodyear with an average of 2.76 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $105,160. Approximately 7.4% of the city's population lives at or below thepoverty line. Goodyear has an estimated 58.2% employment rate, with 41.4% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 95.1% holding a high school diploma.[17]
The median age in the city was 39.2 years.
Goodyear, 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.
As of the2020 census, there were 95,294 people, 32,452 households, 25,165 families residing in the city.[24] Thepopulation density was 498.14 inhabitants per square mile (192.3/km2). There were 36,205 housing units at an average density of 189.26 per square mile (73.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 59.24%White, 7.65%African American, 1.37%Native American, 4.15%Asian, 0.30%Pacific Islander, 12.32% from some other races and 14.97% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 30.75% of the population.[25]
As of the2010 census, there were 65,275 people, 21,491 households, _ families residing in the city. The population density was 341.43 inhabitants per square mile (131.8/km2). There were 25,027 housing units at an average density of 130.91 per square mile (50.5/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 71.89%White, 6.70%African American, 1.30%Native American, 4.34%Asian, 0.17%Pacific Islander, 11.68% from some other races and 3.93% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 27.78% of the population.
As of the2000 census, there were 18,911 people, 6,179 households, and 4,986 families residing in the city. The population density was 162.4 inhabitants per square mile (62.7/km2). There were 6,771 housing units at an average density of 58.1 per square mile (22.4/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 78.13%White, 5.20%African American, 1.06%Native American, 1.71%Asian, 0.08%Pacific Islander, 10.87% from some other races and 2.95% from two or more races.Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 20.80% of the population.
There were 6,179 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.1% weremarried couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.3% were non-families. 14.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.2% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 34.1% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $57,492, and the median income for a family was $60,707. Males had a median income of $40,702 versus $28,410 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $22,506. About 3.6% of families and 6.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.
Goodyear has a council-manager form of government. The current mayor is Joe Pizzillo, a former city councilman who is completing the mayoral term of Georgia Lord, who died in December 2021. Lord was elected to fill a two-year unexpired term as mayor of the city of Goodyear in March 2011, was re-elected to serve a second term as Mayor in 2013, and was elected to serve her final term in 2017. There are six councilmembers, with three-term limits.[27]
Goodyear City Hall is located at 1900 N. Civic Square. Opening in August 2022, Goodyear City Hall was relocated from its previous location on Litchfield Road. The new city hall complex also houses a new two-story library (Georgia T. Lord Library, named after the late Mayor Lord), two-acre park, office space, as well as space for new restaurants, retail and entertainment.[28]
Franklin Pierce University has had a campus here since 2008, when theNew Hampshire-based university signed a lease with the city to purchase 30 acres (120,000 m2) of land.[36] It offers a Doctor of Physical Therapy program and other healthcare-related programs.[37]
On April 7, 2008, Goodyear's city council unanimously approved amemorandum to fund a new $33 millionbaseball spring training complex for Major League Baseball'sCincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians. This includes a 10,000-seat park,Goodyear Ballpark, that opened in 2009. The Reds and the Guardians have separate offices, clubhouses and practice fields. The Guardians had held their spring training in Tucson for many years until moving to Winter Haven in 1993. They agreed in 2006 to return their spring training location to Arizona at Goodyear.
Phoenix Goodyear Airport is located here. It has an 8,500 feet (2,600 m) runway capable of handling large jet aircraft. This airport, used by many international airlines for aircraft maintenance and storage, has no active commercial air service.
Union Pacific operates a railroad that goes through Goodyear. Rail lines provide Goodyear with access to 23 states in the western two-thirds of the United States.
The city is also served by the western ends of several bus routes of theValley Metro Bus.[38]
Other roads and highways serve the area.Loop 303 starts as Cotton Lane then heads up north toSurprise and then toInterstate 17.Van Buren Street and McDowell, Indian School and Camelback Roads are major arterial roads leading from the extreme western Phoenix area to pastScottsdale in the east. MC 85 (Maricopa County Highway 85) is a highway running fromArizona State Route 85 in Buckeye toLoop 202 in Phoenix. The highway passes the southern sections of Goodyear.
Valley Metro operates public transportation in Goodyear. They operate the Avondale ZOOM neighborhood circulator, the 562 Goodyear Express during weekday rush hours, which connects Goodyear Park and Ride to Downtown Phoenix, and the 17 McDowell bus on Monday thru Saturday (Sunday service ends at 99th Avenue on the Avondale/Tolleson border). Goodyear is also a member of WeRIDE, which operatesdemand-responsive transport inPeoria, Goodyear,Avondale, andSurprise.[39]
Interstate 10 was built through Goodyear in the late 20th century. Between 2008 and 2014, the road had significant expansions. It was expanded from two lanes in each direction to five or six (including oneHOV lane starting near Loop 303 going east). There were also new interchanges, including Exit 122 (Perryville Road), Exit 123 (Citrus Road) and Exit 125 (Sarival Avenue).
Arizona State Route 30 (originally designated as State Route 801) is a proposed highway south of Interstate 10 that will relieve traffic congestion. It is planned to run between Arizona State Route 85 to Interstate 17.[41]