Casa Grande

City of Casa Grande, Arizona
—  City  —
Location in Pinal County and the state of Arizona
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	Bob Jackson
- City Council	Mary Kortsen, Stephen Q Miller, Karl Montoya, Karl Peterson, Dick Powell, Ralph Varela
Area
- Total	48.2 sq mi (124.8 km2)
- Land	48.2 sq mi (124.8 km2)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	1,398 ft (426 m)
Population (2008)[1]
- Total	41,152
- Density	681.6/sq mi (263.3/km2)
Time zone	MST (no DST) (UTC-7)
ZIP codes	85122, 85130, 85193
Area code(s)	520
FIPS code	04-10530
Website	http://www.ci.casa-grande.az.us/

Casa Grande is a rapidly growing city in Pinal County, approximately halfway between Phoenix and Tucson in the U.S. state of Arizona. According to 2007 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 41,152.^[2] It is named after the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, which is actually located in Coolidge.

History

Casa Grande City Hall

Casa Grande was founded in 1879 during the Arizona mining boom and became Incorporated in 1915. It was named after the Hohokam ruins at the nearby Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.

A major railroad terminated in Casa Grande, which was originally named "Terminus".

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 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.

Geography

Casa Grande is located at 32°53′09″N 111°44′38″W / 32.885952°N 111.743851°W / 32.885952; -111.743851.^[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 48.2 square miles (124.8 km²), all of it land.

Climate

Casa Grande is in an arid desert climate. In January, the normal high temperature is 65 with a normal low of 38. In July, the normal high temperature is 105 with a normal low of 78. Annual rainfall is around 10 inches (250 mm).

Demographics

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 25,224 people, 8,920 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/sq mi (88.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.90% 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 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 [2] that serves many local patrons as well as Interstate highway travelers. 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 dollars was spent by the city to fund the reconstruction of the Florence Blvd./I-10 freeway overpass.

Business

• Red-Tail Books your local bookstore
• Francisco Grande Hotel & Golf Resort
• Round Trip Bike Shop
• Church of Christ
• Grace Church

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, will open Summer 2009.^[6]

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.^[7]

Notable people

• Joe Jonas
• Pablo Francisco

Schools

See also

• Gila River Indian Community Emergency Medical Services

References

External links

• City of Casa Grande — Official site

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Pinal County, Arizona County seat: Florence Cities Apache Junction‡ | Casa Grande | Coolidge | Eloy | Maricopa Towns Florence | Hayden‡ | Kearny | Mammoth | Queen Creek‡ | Superior | Winkelman‡ CDPs Ak-Chin Village | Arizona City | Blackwater | Chuichu | Dudleyville | Gold Camp | Oracle | Queen Valley | Sacaton | San Manuel | Santan | Stanfield | Top-of-the-World‡ Unincorporated communities Bapchule | Randolph | Red Rock | San Tan Valley Ghost towns Cochran | Copper Creek | Pinal City | Ray | Reymert | Sasco | Tiger Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties