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In the late 19th century, Avondale was a pit stop on the main thoroughfare for folks racing to the ‘Golden Coast’. Today, this vibrant city is a premier destination for International NASCAR racing, festivals, shopping, dining, recreation, education, family living, employment and business location. Avondale's founding father, William "Billy" G. Moore, arrived in Arizona in the late 1860s, settling near the Agua Fria River around 1880. Billy Moore called his settlement "Coldwater, Arizona" - apparently both for the river and for the water that flowed from a local spring. He served a brief stint as Justice of the Peace for the Agua Fria area. He bought land, established a stage stop, erected a saloon and a general store, and was even Postmaster of Coldwater from 1901 till 1905. In the early 1900s, the Coldwater post office moved to a site near the nearby Avondale Ranch. The post office soon became known as Avondale, and the name Coldwater was discontinued. In December 1946, the City of Avondale was incorporated.
Avondale is a modern city, near the heart of the Phoenix-metropolitan area. The current population is more than 70,000, and is expected to reach 123,000 by the year 2020. The anticipated build-out population is estimated to be 170,000 residents. That rapid growth makes Avondale one of the fastest-growing communities in the valley, and the nation. Over the last decade, housing starts grew more than 700% with a current average home price of $273,000. Household income has steadily increased and is currently estimated at $72,024.
To keep pace with the rapidly-growing population, a variety of cultural, economic, recreational and educational advantages have evolved. Resources range from the programs of the West Valley Arts Council to the academic resources of Estrella Mountain Community College and Universal Technical Institute. From the soccer fields of Friendship Park to the high excitement of Phoenix International Raceway(PIR), Avondale has something for everyone. PIR is billed as the world’s fastest one-mile paved oval and plays host to multiple NASCAR events annually, each attracting nearly 400,000 enthusiasts and hundreds of race teams, contributing hundreds of millions of dollars into the state and local economy. Avondale is situated in an ideal commercial corridor at the crossroads of Interstate 10 and the Loop 101, which has piqued the interest of many investors, especially along the I-10 and Avondale Boulevard. This corridor is a mecca of multiple power retail centers, an extensive auto mall, hotels, restaurants, business parks and more.
Avondale has already begun the next step in its evolution to meet the growing local demand for employment, with an emerging medical corridor, attraction of offices, business parks and light manufacturing. Over 400 acres, designated as employment in the General Plan, is currently in various stages of design approval, and under construction.
The Economic Development Strategic Plan is a blueprint of the priorities for economic development for the next five years. This plan provides the framework for action and identifies specific issues that Avondale and its Economic Development Department will focus on to realize both short and long-term economic development successes in the community.
Avondale prides itself as a wonderful community for people to live, work and play. As one of the area’s fastest growing communities, the City strives to provide open spaces and recreational amenities, and works to attract quality businesses and employers to the area.
Avondale is a City of Character, and the City’s award-winning Healthy Avondale 2010 initiative has been lauded as a program that is committed to improving the health of its residents.
Through its Community and Recreation Services Department, the City offers a wide variety of events and activities for residents, and is committed to developing quality recreational amenities such as Avondale Friendship Park, located along McDowell Road, east of the Agua Fria River. This $5 million, 55-acre facility offers nine multipurpose soccer/football fields, two Little League baseball fields, ramadas, a children’s playground, a dog park, walking trails, and a Japanese Garden surrounded by a water feature, and serves the needs of youth and amateur sports in the West Valley.
Learn more about this city
City of AVONDALE, AZ official site
City of AVONDALE, AZ chamber of commerce
City of AVONDALE, AZ general information
City of AVONDALE, AZ yellow pages
City of AVONDALE, AZ newspaper
County of MARICOPA, AZ official site