Casa Grande, Arizona

Casa Grande, Arizona
City

Historic Casa Grande Union High School which now serves as the Casa Grande City Hall.

Location of Casa Grande in Pinal County, Arizona.
Casa Grande

Location in the United States

Coordinates: 32°53′9″N 111°44′38″W / 32.88583°N 111.74389°W / 32.88583; -111.74389Coordinates: 32°53′9″N 111°44′38″W / 32.88583°N 111.74389°W / 32.88583; -111.74389
Country United States
State Arizona
County Pinal
Founded 1879
Government
 • City Manager James Thompson 
 • Mayor Craig McFarland 
 • City Council Mary Kortsen,
Ralph Varela,
Karl Montoya,
Lisa Fitzgibbons,
Dick Powell,
Matt Herman
Area[1]
 • Total 110.20 sq mi (285.41 km2)
 • Land 110.20 sq mi (285.41 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation 1,398 ft (426 m)
Population (2010)[2]
 • Total 48,571
 • Estimate (2016)[3] 54,534
 • Density 494.87/sq mi (191.07/km2)
Time zone MST (no DST) (UTC-7)
ZIP codes 85122, 85130, 85193
Area code(s) 520
FIPS code 04-10530
Website http://www.casagrandeaz.gov

Casa Grande (O'odham: Wainom Wo:g) is a city in Pinal County, approximately halfway between Phoenix and Tucson in the U.S. state of Arizona. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 48,571.[2] It is named after the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, which is actually located in Coolidge. "Casa Grande" is Spanish for "big house".

History

Casa Grande was founded in 1879 during the Arizona mining boom, specifically due to the presence of the Southern Pacific Railroad. In January 1880, the community of Terminus, meaning "end-of-the-line," was established despite consisting of just five residents and three buildings.[4] In September 1880, railroad executives renamed the settlement Casa Grande, after the Hohokam ruins at the nearby Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. Casa Grande grew slowly, and suffered several setbacks both in 1886 and 1893, when fires ravaged the town, destroying all wooden housing structures within it.[4] When the mining boom slowed in the 1890s, the town was nearly abandoned, but with the advent of agriculture, the town remained alive and well, and was eventually incorporated in 1915.[4]

One of the founding fathers of Casa Grande was Thompson Rodney Peart. Peart Road, Peart Park, and the Peart Center, all of which are notable fixtures of Casa Grande, are named after him.

Casa Grande was home to a collective farm society which was part of the New Deal.

According to historian David Leighton, during World War II, from 1942 to 1945, a Japanese-American relocation camp was set up outside of Casa Grande, known as the Gila River War Relocation Center. Two notable people that were interned there were future actor Pat Morita and baseball player Kenichi Zenimura, who constructed a baseball field and set up a league in the relocation camp.[5]

Casa Grande is home to Francisco Grande Hotel & Golf Resort, former spring training location for the San Francisco Giants. Then owner, Horace Stoneham, began developing the property in 1959. The first exhibition game was played in Casa Grande in 1961, with Willie Mays hitting a 375-foot (114 m) home run. The San Francisco Giants no longer play at Francisco Grande, but the pool remains in a baseball bat and ball shape in memory of the past ballgames.[6]

During the Cold War, Casa Grande was the location of the Corona Satellite Calibration Targets. These targets consisted of concrete arrows located in and to the south of the city, which calibrated satellites of the Corona spy program.[7][8][9]

Casa Grande has also played a prominent role in semi-pro and collegiate baseball. The Casa Grande Cotton Kings, who were founded in 1948, qualified to play in the National Baseball Congress World Series ten straight times by winning Arizona state championships in the 1940s and 1950s, and were reactivated in the 2000s. They are now members of the Pacific Southwest Baseball League.[10]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, Casa Grande has a total area of 48.2 square miles (125 km2), all of it land.

Climate

Casa Grande is in an arid desert climate. In January, the normal high temperature is 64 with a normal low of 39. In July, the normal high temperature is 101 with a normal low of 77. Annual rainfall is around 10 inches (250 mm). [11]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
188033—
1890328893.9%
1920948—
19301,35142.5%
19401,54514.4%
19504,181170.6%
19608,31198.8%
197010,53626.8%
198014,97142.1%
199019,07627.4%
200025,22432.2%
201048,57192.6%
Est. 201654,534[3]12.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]

As of the census of 2010, there were 48,571 people, 22,400 households, and 6,547 families residing in the city. The population density was 523.7 people per square mile (202.2/km²). There were 11,041 housing units at an average density of 229.2 per square mile (88.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 49.9% non-Hispanic White, 4.27% Black or African American, 4.91% Native American, 1.17% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 21.09% from other races, and 3.56% from two or more races. 39.13% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,920 households out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the city, the population was spread out with 30.9% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,212, and the median income for a family was $40,827. Males had a median income of $34,858 versus $23,533 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,917. About 12.4% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The historic Southern Pacific Railroad Depot was built in 1925 and is located at 201 W. Main St.

The economy of Casa Grande was historically based on rural, agricultural industries such as cotton and dairy farms. Over time, the city has become home to many Phoenix or Tucson urbanites who own homes in Casa Grande. Most residents either commute north to work in the Phoenix metropolitan area, or to the south, to work in Tucson. This trend has contributed to growth in the service industry of Casa Grande. Many new businesses such as restaurants, gas stations, and retail outlets are opening throughout the city in order to keep up with demand from the growing population.

An outlet mall operates in southern Casa Grande. Phase one of The Promenade at Casa Grande opened on November 16, 2007. Built by Westcor and the Pederson Group, it is similar to Desert Ridge Marketplace (an outdoor shopping center in northeast Phoenix). The Promenade at Casa Grande is an open-air outdoor mall, built on a 100-acre (0.40 km2) patch of desert, and contains nearly a million square feet. An additional $11 million was spent by the city to fund the reconstruction of the Florence Blvd./I-10 freeway overpass.

Ehrmann Commonwealth Dairy operates a major dairy processing facility in the town that opened in 2013 and employs about 110 people.[13]

Cars

On November 29, 2016, officials from the state and the Lucid Motors car company announced a $700 million manufacturing plant will be constructed in Casa Grande that will employ up to 2,000 workers by 2022.[14][15][16]

Casa Grande was also a candidate for Tesla's Gigafactory 1 in 2014.[17]

Top employers

According to Casa Grande's 2014 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[18] the top employers in the city are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Casa Grande Elementary School District 1,076
2 Banner Casa Grande Medical Center 900
3 Wal-Mart Distribution Center 574
4 Hexcel Corporation 550
5 Frito-Lay Inc. 450
6 City of Casa Grande 444
7 Abbot Laboratories/Ross Products 435
8 Wal-Mart Supermarket 340
9 National Vitamin Company 270
10 Franklin Foods 175
11 Sam's Club 144

News

Library

The Casa Grande Public Library provides the standard services of access to reading materials, as well as some special services, including a volunteer reading club for elementary school, internet access, and a talking book program. The main library is 16,000 square feet (1,500 m2), provides 75,000 volumes, and provides 38 public access computers with internet access. The Vista Grande Public Library, a branch of the Casa Grande Library System, opened in the summer of 2009.[19][20]

City Court

The Casa Grande Municipal Court is the judicial branch of Casa Grande City government and accepted 6,609 filings, conducted 2,486 arraignments and held 156 civil, criminal and jury trials in Fiscal Year 2006-2007.[21]

Notable people

Education

The following schools are located in Casa Grande.

Public Elementary

  • Cottonwood Elementary School
  • Saguaro Elementary School
  • Evergreen Elementary School
  • Ironwood Elementary School
  • Cholla Elementary School
  • Palo Verde Elementary School
  • Mesquite Elementary School
  • Desert Willow Elementary School
  • McCartney Ranch Elementary School

Public Middle School

  • Casa Grande Middle School
  • Cactus Middle School
  • Villago Middle School

Public High School

Charter High School

Charter Schools

  • Casa Grande Innovations Academy
  • Legacy Traditional School

Private

  • St Anthony of Padua Catholic School (Private)
  • Logos Christian Academy (Private)

Colleges

Transportation

These highways serve Casa Grande.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "2016 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved Jul 18, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2014-06-19.
  3. 1 2 "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 "Casa Grande History" Archived 2015-07-01 at the Wayback Machine., retrieved 2013-09-10
  5. ↑ David Leighton, "Street Smarts: Miracle Mile went to 'Big House'," Arizona Daily Star, Feb. 3, 2015
  6. ↑ "The Birth of a Mecca, the Realization of a Dream", retrieved 2013-09-10
  7. ↑ Manaugh, Geoff (8 April 2014). "Zooming-In On Satellite Calibration Targets in the Arizona Desert". Atlas Obscura. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  8. ↑ Hider, Anna (3 October 2014). "What the heck are these abandoned cement targets in the Arizona desert?". Roadtrippers. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  9. ↑ "Corona Test Targets". borntourist.com. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  10. ↑ History - Casa Grande Cotton Kings, retrieved 2014-02-04
  11. ↑ "July Weather for Casa Grande, AZ | Weather Underground". Wunderground.com. Retrieved 2017-02-17.
  12. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Ehrmann Commonwealth Dairy to open $50M Casa Grande plant". Phoenix Business Journal. October 17, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Lucid Motors Has A 1000HP Tesla Challenger; Now To Find The Cash To Build It". Forbes. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  15. ↑ Ronald J. Hansen and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez (30 November 2016). "Tesla rival Lucid Motors plans Casa Grande plant". azcentral, The Republic. Retrieved 30 November 2016.
  16. ↑ FOX (2016-11-29). "Electric car factory planned in Arizona to have 2,000 workers - Story | KSAZ". Fox10phoenix.com. Retrieved 2017-02-17.
  17. ↑ "Atieva will launch its Tesla competitor by December". Recode. 20 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016. the factory will be built in Casa Grande, which happens to be one of the locations [for] Gigafactory to produce battery packs for Tesla vehicles. That facility ended up in Nevada.. "Arizona is not going to want to lose out a second time"
  18. ↑ City of Casa Grande CAFR
  19. ↑ Casa Grande Community Services Department - Library, retrieved 2013-09-11
  20. ↑ CG Library Notes, 8/18/09, retrieved 2013-09-11
  21. ↑ City of Casa Grande - City Court Archived March 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  22. ↑ Yardley, William (September 13, 2012). "Pedro Guerrero, Who Captured Art in Photos, Dies at 95". The New York Times.
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