| Town of Gilbert | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Town — | |||
| The water tower in downtown Gilbert | |||
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| Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Arizona | ||
| County | Maricopa | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | John Lewis | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 76.0 sq mi (121.6 km2) | ||
| • Land | 75.76 sq mi (120.98 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.24 sq mi (0.62 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 1,237 ft (377 m) | ||
| Population (2010)[1][2] | |||
| • Total | 208,453 | ||
| • Density | 2,862.12/sq mi (1,788.82/km2) | ||
| Time zone | MST (no DST) (UTC-7) | ||
| ZIP codes | 85233, 85234, 85295-85298 | ||
| Area code(s) | 480 | ||
| FIPS code | 04-27400 | ||
| Website | http://www.gilbertaz.gov/ | ||
Gilbert is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, just southeast of Phoenix, within the Phoenix metropolitan area. Gilbert was recognized in 2010 as the "36th Best Place to Live in the nation",[3] as well as among the nation's "top places to live and learn"[3] by GreatSchools.org. Washington-based C.Q. Press rated Gilbert the "safest municipality in Arizona, and 24th safest in the nation,"[4] in their annual report released November 2009 using FBI statistics. Gilbert's Cosmo Dog Park has twice made Dog Fancy magazine's list of top dog parks in the nation since opening in 2006, including being named Dog Park of the Year in 2007.[5] The Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch is recognized by the National Audubon Society as being an "Important Bird Area".[6] Gilbert has been named as a "bicycle-"[7] and "tree-friendly"[8] community and receives "high satisfaction rates"[9] from citizens in town surveys.[9]
Today, Gilbert encompasses 76 square miles (197 km2) and has made a rapid transformation from an agriculture-based community to an economically diverse suburban center located in the southeast valley of the Phoenix metropolitan area. In the last two decades, Gilbert has grown at an extremely high rate, increasing in population from 5,717 in 1980 to 208,453 as of a 2010 Census Bureau estimate. Gilbert has evolved into a highly educated and affluent community supporting high-wage jobs in life science and health services, high technology, clean and renewable energy, and corporate and regional headquarters/offices in advanced business services.
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Gilbert owes its beginnings to William "Bobby" Gilbert who provided land to the Arizona Eastern Railway in 1902 to construct a rail line between Phoenix and Florence, Arizona. In 1912, many Mormons who had fled the Mormon colonies in Mexico due to the actions of the forces of Pancho Villa settled in Gilbert. By 1915, they began holding church meetings at the Gilbert Elementary School. In 1918, they were organized into the Gilbert Ward.[10]
Incorporated in July 1920, Gilbert was primarily a farming community fueled by the rail line and construction of the Roosevelt Dam and the Eastern and Consolidated Canals. It remained an agricultural town for many years and was known as the "Hay Capital of the World"[11] from 1911 until the late 1920s.
According to the United States Census Bureau, in the 2000 Census, the town had a total area of 43.2 square miles (112 km2). As of 2009, and due to annexations the current Municipal Planning Area of Gilbert has a total area of 76.0 square miles (197 km2), of which, 75.76 square miles (196.2 km2) of it is land and 0.24 square miles (0.6 km2) of it is water.
| Climate data for Gilbert, AZ | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °F (°C) | 67 (19) |
71 (22) |
77 (25) |
85 (29) |
94 (34) |
104 (40) |
106 (41) |
104 (40) |
99 (37) |
89 (32) |
75 (24) |
67 (19) |
87 (31) |
| Average low °F (°C) | 41 (5) |
45 (7) |
49 (9) |
54 (12) |
61 (16) |
70 (21) |
77 (25) |
76 (24) |
70 (21) |
59 (15) |
47 (8) |
40 (4) |
57 (14) |
| Precipitation inches (mm) | 1.01 (25.7) |
0.99 (25.1) |
1.19 (30.2) |
0.33 (8.4) |
0.17 (4.3) |
0.06 (1.5) |
0.89 (22.6) |
1.14 (29) |
0.89 (22.6) |
0.81 (20.6) |
0.77 (19.6) |
0.98 (24.9) |
9.2 (234) |
| Source: [12] | |||||||||||||
As of July 1, 2009, Maricopa Association of Governments,[13] Census 2000. United States Census Bureau. there were 217,521 people, 74,147 housing units, and 3.01 persons per household.
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1920 | 865 |
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| 1930 | 791 | −8.6% | |
| 1940 | 837 | 5.8% | |
| 1950 | 1,114 | 33.1% | |
| 1960 | 1,833 | 64.5% | |
| 1970 | 1,971 | 7.5% | |
| 1980 | 5,717 | 190.1% | |
| 1990 | 29,188 | 410.5% | |
| 2000 | 109,697 | 275.8% | |
| 2010 | 208,453 | 90.0% | |
2009 According to Nielsens Claritas Demographics,[16] in 2009 the racial makeup of the town was:
2009 Estimated Population Data by Gender/Age:[16]
2009 Estimated Population Age 15+ by Marital Status:[16]
2009 Estimated Population Age 25+ Educational Attainment:[16]
2009 Estimated Households by Household Income:[16]
Various religious denominations are represented in Gilbert, including 17.26% claiming to be Roman Catholic, 11.12% Protestant and 12.6% Mormon. The town has been known for its high Mormon population, a fact evidenced by the LDS church's recent announcement to construct a temple in Gilbert.[17][18] Gilbert is also rated as a town of relatively low crime. According to FBI records, Gilbert was the largest city in the United States with zero murders in 2005.[19]
The town is part of the sixth congressional district of Arizona, which is represented by Republican Jeff Flake.[20] The mayor of Gilbert is John Lewis.
Most of Gilbert is zoned to schools in the Gilbert Public Schools, while other portions are zoned to districts including the Chandler Unified School District, Mesa Public Schools, the Queen Creek Unified School District, and the Higley Unified School District. Also in Gilbert are charter schools such as Edu-Prize (the first charter school in Arizona).
Gilbert is served by one area freeway -- the Santan Freeway portion of Loop 202 around the East Valley. Several major arterials also serve the area, including Williams Field Road, Chandler Boulevard, and Gilbert Road. The town enjoys relative closeness to Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport, which is located in east Mesa; and is a twenty-five minute drive from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
Recently, a park-and-ride facility was constructed in downtown Gilbert for bus service and future commuter rail service. Although the facility borders the Union Pacific (formerly Southern Pacific) tracks and has provisions for commuter rail service, there is currently no such service. However, buses operate to downtown Phoenix from here, and future commuter rail service to Gilbert will require little modification since most of the facilities are already built.
Gilbert has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Gilbert,_Arizona Gilbert, Arizona] at Wikimedia Commons
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