The Golden Corridor

Pinal County’s Golden Corridor includes the communities along the primary routes between Phoenix and Tucson, the zone of largest growth and diversification in the county. Its principal cities include Casa Grande,

Coolidge, Eloy, Florence, Marana,

Maricopa, Queen Creek and San

Tan Valley, along with the entirety of the Ak-Chin Indian Community and a large portion of the Gila

River Indian Community, including

Sacaton, the community’s capital.

It generally follows the Santa Cruz

River Valley from Tucson in the south to its confluence with the Gila River in the north and has a long history of agricultural activity, dating to the earliest Native American farmers in the region.

It has become an area of phenomenal growth because it provides easy access to the benefits and assets of the two largest metropolitan areas in the state without the cost, congestion, limits and challenges posed by living in the big cities. The more relaxed lifestyle, coupled with the easy access, is fueling the area’s growth.

The Golden Corridor’s many attractions make for an interesting lifestyle and active level of engagement for resident and visitor alike. As the new, modern manufacturing projects move ahead, central Pinal County is establishing the Arizona Innovation and Technology Corridor between the two largest universities in the state and, with a community college dedicated to helping to build a local workforce, it’s leading to a kind of “reverse commute” for skilled and technical workers from Phoenix and Tucson.

The Golden Corridor is thought by some to be limited to the communities along I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson, like Casa Grande, Eloy and Marana. But it also includes the Phoenix suburban areas of San Tan Valley, the largest unincorporated community in the county, and Queen Creek, as well as the communities easily accessed from I-10, like Coolidge, and Sacaton along Highway 87 east of I-10, and Maricopa and Ak-Chin along Highway 347 west of I-10, as well as the County Seat, Florence, east of Coolidge at the junction of Highway 87 and Highway 79.

PHOTO BLUSHING CACTUS PHOTOGRAPHY

The area is accessed, of course, by I-10, which many think of as “the highway between Phoenix and Tucson,” but it is so much more. I-10 is America’s southernmost, and, “Warm Weather,” cross-country highway, stretching just under 2,500 miles from Santa Monica, California, to Jacksonville, Florida, providing direct easy access to and from Pinal County for such cities as San Antonio and Houston, Texas, Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana, and, of course, Los Angeles, California.

When you add the accessibility to San Diego, California, by way of Yuma, Arizona, provided by I-8, and the access to and from Mexico provided by I-19 via Nogales, it becomes clear why the crossroads location of Pinal County has become such a desirable location for exploration and for long-term business development. That, in turn, has led to the planned development of I-11, which will ultimately provide access all the way from Mexico to Canada through Pinal County.

In addition, with the extensive railroad network serving the county, it’s easy to see why such largescale projects as Lucid Motors, the new, innovative high-tech electric car company, chose Casa Grande for its manufacturing operation. Similarly, Nikola Motors (named for famed inventor Nikola Tesla) has chosen Coolidge to build a plant to manufacture their hybrid trucks with power units inspired by electric

locomotive engines, powered by hydrogen fuel cells. New technologies indeed! Both of these companies plan to start production in 2020 and are just two examples of the literally billions of dollars in investment exemplifying the new thinking in Pinal County. And there’s plenty to see and do.

There’s the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in Coolidge, built by the Hohokam Indians almost 700 years ago. The Ira Hayes Memorial in nearby Sacaton commemorates the Pima Indian who was one of the six marines pictured raising the flag on Iwo Jima during the Second World War. There’s skydiving and hang gliding in Maricopa and the world’s largest skydiving drop zone, home to numerous national and international competitions, in Eloy.

There is an amazing network of hiking and biking trails throughout the region and a myriad of high quality golf courses from which to choose. Picacho Peak State Park between Marana and Eloy and McFarland State Park in Florence are always worth a visit, as is the Florence Historic District with over 120 buildings on the National Register. Add in hunting, fishing, a wide selection of one-of-a-kind specialty shops, great restaurants, fascinating museums, a multitude of lodging options up to and including worldclass resorts and spas, and it’s easy to see why so many people are making Pinal County’s Golden Corridor their Arizona destination of choice.

Arts & Culture

CASA GRANDE ART ASSOCIATION www.casagrandeartassociation.org

Automotive

GARRETT MOTORS 197 N. Arizona Blvd. Coolidge, AZ 85128 520.723.5401 www.GarrettMotors.com

NORRIS RV 973 W Gila Bend Hwy, Casa Grande, AZ 85122 520.836.7921 www.NorrisRV.com

Dental

CASA GRANDE FAMILY DENTISTRY Tri-Valley Plaza 1355 E. Florence Blvd., Ste. 107 Casa Grande, AZ 85122 520.836.0100 smiles@casagrandefamilydentistry.com www.CasaGrandeFamilyDentistry.com

DICK & MITCHELL DDS 721 N Olive, Casa Grande 520.836.7111

Dining

EVA’S FINE MEXICAN FOOD 665 N. Pinal Ave. Casa Grande, AZ 85122 520.836.0016 www.evasmexicanfood.com HONEYCUTT COFFEE CAFE & WINE BAR 44400 Honeycutt Rd #109, Maricopa, AZ 85138 520.510.4468 www.HoneycuttCoffeeCafe.com Honeycutt

COFFEE CAFE WINE BAR

Education

CENTRAL ARIZONA COLLEGE 8470 N Overfield Rd Coolidge, AZ 85128 520.494.5111 www.centralaz.edu

Health & Beauty

CHATTY SHACK SALON & MED SPA 766 N. Park Ave. Casa Grande, AZ 85122 520.719.0859 www.CasaGrandeMedSpa.com

Home Improvement

COOPER PAINTING INC. www.cooperpaintinginc.com 520-836.3941 Cooperpaintingaz@gmail.com

Home Improvement

GALLO CONSTRUCTION 701 W. 2nd St. Casa Grande, AZ 85122 520.836.8899 www.GalloConstruction.com PHOTO BLUSHING CACTUS PHOTOGRAPHY

Home Related Services

AL & RILEY’S 40 N. Brown Ave. Casa Grande, AZ 85122 520.836.8450 www.alandrileys.com

AZ VALLEY POOLS 1.833.AZV.POOL www.AZValleyPools.com

MEEK GLASS 1226 E. Barcelona Ave. Casa Grande, AZ 85122 520.836.9532

Medical

ESSENTIAL HEALTH AND MEDICINE 609 W. Cottonwood Lane, Ste. 2 Casa Grande, AZ 85122 520.836.0666

HEALTHMATCH ADVOCACY 1664 E. Florence Blvd., #4-459 Casa Grande, AZ 85122 520.836.7735 www.healthmatchadvocacy.com

JENKINS CHIROPRACTIC 1891 N. Trekell Rd. #2 Casa Grande, AZ 85122 520.836.2969 www.CasaGrandeChiropractic.com

MARICOPA WELLNESS CENTER 41600 W Smith Enke Road. Bldg. 14, Suite 3 Maricopa, AZ 85138 520.464.6193