Anthem, Arizona

Anthem, Arizona
Census-designated place
Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona
Coordinates: 33°52′2″N 112°8′49″W / 33.86722°N 112.14694°W / 33.86722; -112.14694Coordinates: 33°52′2″N 112°8′49″W / 33.86722°N 112.14694°W / 33.86722; -112.14694
Country	United States
State	Arizona
County	Maricopa
Elevation	1,863 ft (568 m)
Population
• Total	21,700
Time zone	Arizona does not observe Daylight Savings (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	85086, 85087
Area code(s)	623
GNIS feature ID	2054803[1]

Anthem is a census-designated place located in Maricopa County, Arizona, within the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 Census, Anthem's population was 21,700.^[2]

History

Anthem was developed by Del Webb in 1999 as a master-planned community in the foothills approximately 34 miles north of downtown Phoenix.^[3] Anthem has been described as one of the best places to raise a family by Parenting magazine and one of the best family friendly neighborhoods in the Phoenix area by Phoenix Magazine.^[4]

On July 31, 2012, a storm dropped 5.01 inches of rain on Anthem in the span of 90 minutes, causing widespread flooding that damaged homes and required the rescue of nine people. A subsequent investigation into the flood concluded that the storm was a "one-in-1,000 year rain catastrophe."^[5][6]

Anthem is well known for the year round activities, primarily geared towards families. The community center offers youth soccer, baseball, basketball, tennis, various forms of martial arts, and swimming amongst other activities for ages as early as toddler years. "Anthem Community Youth Sports".  HOA dues cover a pool larger than Olympic size, a community water park with slides and various depths for all swimming levels, paths that crisscross the town, bike paths that circle all major streets, and pocket parks scattered throughout the town. In addition, there is a 63 acre community park complete with an amphitheater, lots of grassy areas, volleyball, soccer, football, baseball and little league fields along with a train, pavilion, lakes and pagodas. "Anthem Community Amenities". 

Geography

Anthem is built on 5,856 acres (9.2 sq mi) at the base of Daisy Mountain and Gavilan Peak. The community's elevation ranges from 1,760 feet to 2,428 feet, with an average elevation of 1,863 feet. Approximately 36 percent of the community is preserved as open space, including 291 acres of open hillside.^[3]

Climate

Anthem is cooler and receives a higher level of rainfall than nearby Phoenix.^[7]

Demographics

As of the 2010 Census, there were 21,700 people, 7,451 households, and 6,037 families residing in the community. In 2014, there were 10,107 households and over 30,000 people. The racial makeup of the city was 89.7% White, 2.9% African American, 0.6% Native American, 2.6% Asian, 2.1% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 9.2% of the population. There were 7,451 households out of which 46.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.4% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 19.0% were non-families. 14.7% of all households were made up of individuals living alone and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.24. The median age in the community was 36.8 years.^[8]

According to the American Community Survey, 11.8% of residents had attained a graduate or professional degree as their highest degree, 27.7% had a bachelor's degree, 7.8% had an associate degree, 26.9% had some college but no degree, 20.4% had only a high school diploma, and 5.5% had less than a high school diploma.^[9]

Economy

The community is serviced by several large chain retailers, including Fry's Marketplace, Safeway and Walmart.^[10][11][12] The local outlet mall, Outlets at Anthem, includes over 60 designer brand stores.^[13]

Government

Anthem is governed by Maricopa County east of Interstate 17 and the City of Phoenix west of Interstate 17. The Anthem Community Council (ACC), a nonprofit umbrella organization, establishes plans and policies for the community and manages community assets. Since Anthem is not an incorporated community, ACC lacks authority over services such as law enforcement and fire protection.^[14] Water and sewer utilities are provided by a private utility, EPCOR Water^[15] on the east side and City of Phoenix services on the west side of I-17.

Education

Anthem is served by the Deer Valley Unified School District (DVUSD) as well as several private and charter schools. The nearest colleges and universities are Glendale Community College, Paradise Valley Community College, and Arizona State University at the West campus.^[16]

DVUSD Schools

• Anthem School (K-8)
• Boulder Creek High School (9-12)
• Canyon Springs School (K-8)
• Diamond Canyon School (K-8)
• Gavilan Peak School (K-8)
• New River Elementary School (K-8)^[17]

Charter Schools

• Anthem Preparatory Academy (1-12)^[18]
• Archway Academy (3-5)^[19]
• The Caepe School (Preschool-8)
• Caurus Academy (K-8)
• Adams' Traditional Academy (K-8)
• Jefferson Preparatory Academy (9-12)

Private Schools

• Creative Castle Preschool & Kindergarten
• North Valley Christian Academy Early Childhood Center with Preschool, KinderBridge, and Kindergarten.^[20]
• North Valley Christian Academy Lower School (1st-4th), Middle School (5th-8th), International Student Program, and HomeSchool Program.^[20][21]

Transportation

Interstate 17 is the primary connection between Anthem and the city of Phoenix. A frontage road running along the east side of Interstate 17 and connecting Carefree Highway in North Gateway to Gavilan Peak Parkway in Anthem opened in October 2009. This frontage road connects to North Valley Parkway and Norterra Parkway in North Gateway, providing Anthem with surface street access to the rest of the Phoenix metropolitan area.^[22] Valley Metro does not provide bus service to Anthem; however, the agency can provide a vehicle for vanpooling service.^[23]

Annual Events

• Anthem Days – an annual free event that features a business expo, egg hunt, craft vendors, live music, food vendors, kid zone, glass blowing demonstration, and carnival
• Autumnfest – an annual celebration each fall featuring a pumpkin patch, apple pie baking contest, craft vendors, carnival rides and live music
• Music in May – the ACC Community Park Amphitheater features a variety of musical shows every Friday night in May.^[24]
• Independence Day Celebration - usually July 2 or 3, this celebration features inflatables and water rides, food vendors, music & dancing, and culminates with a fireworks show.

References

External links

• Experience Anthem
• Chamber of Commerce at Anthem

Municipalities and communities of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States County seat: Phoenix Cities Apache Junction‡ Avondale Buckeye Chandler El Mirage Glendale Goodyear Litchfield Park Mesa Peoria‡ Phoenix Scottsdale Surprise Tempe Tolleson Towns Carefree Cave Creek Fountain Hills Gila Bend Gilbert Guadalupe Paradise Valley Queen Creek‡ Wickenburg‡ Youngtown CDPs Aguila Anthem Arlington Citrus Park Gila Crossing Kaka Komatke Maricopa Colony Morristown New River Rio Verde St. Johns Sun City Sun City West Sun Lakes Theba Tonopah Wintersburg Wittmann Unincorporated communities Chandler Heights‡ Circle City Desert Hills Fort McDowell Higley Laveen Liberty Palo Verde Rainbow Valley Sunflower Tortilla Flat Waddell Indian reservations Gila River Indian Community‡ Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Tohono O'odham Indian Reservation‡ Ghost towns Agua Caliente Marinette Vulture City Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties