Retreats Arizona Living 6-04-2023

The Southeast Valley: Small farming communities have given rise to rapid-growth cities and towns

Plenty of jobs, healthcare and housing options

BY PAULA HUBBS COHEN

Last month, we highlighted the Northwest Valley and Southwest Valley. is issue of Retreats Arizona Living showcases the Southeast Valley focusing on Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa and Queen Creek.

It’s not a stretch to say that most, if not all, of these cities and towns began as small farming communities and still retain that friendly hometown vibe — even as many of them also boast high-tech employers, rst-class dining/ entertainment venues and so much more. But it’s important to note that several of them enjoy “agritainment” districts or neighborhoods that pay homage to days gone by. at’s why these communities are o en referred to as having “the best of both worlds.”

Streets and Avenues — oh my!

How were streets originally named in Phoenix? Here’s some of the scoop, including information from an 1892 newspaper article

Naming conventions

“In 1870, community leaders began to call for the establishment of an o cial townsite. William A. Hancock was hired to do the survey; his plan contained 98 blocks separated by wide streets and alleys. Streets running east-west were named for presidents and north-south streets for Indian tribes, with the exception of Center (Central Avenue). In 1893, o cials would replace the Indian street names with numbered streets and avenues. Washington Street served as the major thoroughfare and Center the main cross-street.”

Source: Phoenix, e History of a Southwestern Metropolis by Bradford Luckingham. Used with permission of e University of Arizona Press.

Size and boundaries

“ e original Phoenix townsite covered 360 acres. e northern boundary was Van Buren, the southern boundary was Harrison, the western boundary was Yavapai and the eastern boundary was Apache.”

Source: Steve Schumacher, City of Phoenix O cial Historian

Name-changes in the 1890s

Dec. 24, 1892: “ e city council met last night under pressure. It is proposed to change the names of the streets running north and south and substitute numbers instead. Center Street will probably be made a starting point. Cortes Street will become West Second Street and Montezuma will be changed to East Second and so on. e names of the East and West streets will remain as they are and points upon them will be described as East Washington, West Adams, etc., as they may happen to lie east or west of Center.”

Source: Excerpted from the Arizona Republican newspaper (now known as e Arizona Republic), Dec. 24, 1892. Used with permission of the Library of Congress.

Local lore

City streets in Phoenix were originally designed to be 100-feet wide so that wagon trains could make a complete turn to go in the opposite direction.

—Reported by Paula Hubbs Cohen

Welcome to Retreats Arizona Living!

Last month, Retreats Arizona Living profiled several cities in the Northwest Valley and Southwest Valley. This month, we’re highlighting prominent cities and towns in the Southeast Valley: Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa and Queen Creek. Boasting a combined population of more than one million people, all of these areas are terrific places to purchase a home, rent an apartment or enjoy life in a Senior Living community. And if you love nature — and who doesn’t? — the Southeast Valley is home to a bounty of beautiful parks, wetlands, working farms and more.

For example, Gilbert is home to the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, a 110-acre wildlife habitat in the middle of an urban setting. Veterans Oasis Park in Chandler is a renowned recreation area featuring 100+ acres of wetlands and desert habitats. Queen Creek has a number of working farms o ering family-oriented experiences, while Mesa is gateway to the Tonto National Forest, Lost Dutchman State Park and Usery Mountain Park. Other reasons to consider these communities as a great place to live: High-paying jobs: Healthcare is a huge employer in Gilbert (population: 279K), while Chandler (population: 285K) is home to numerous

nationally recognized employers including Intel which has 12,000 employees on two campuses.

Urban vibe: Mesa (population: 514K) is doing some amazing things with new multi-family developments that combine apartments and lofts with retail space, boutiques and eateries — all in the same multi-story building.

Outdoorsy lifestyle: Queen Creek (population: 72K) is where you’ll find the 38-acre Horseshoe Park & Equestrian Centre, plenty of parks and trails as well as unique agritainment destinations.

No matter which part of town and which community you plan to live in, those of us at Retreats Arizona Living — our executive team, sta ers and advertisers — hope you enjoy the summer in your new or new-to-you home. Just remember to stay cool, stay hydrated and please — stay safe around water.

Tom Niva

Tom Niva, PUBLISHER Retreats Arizona Living

More than one million people love living in the Southeast Valley

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Taking the mystery out of history

Historical tidbits about the Southeast Valley

Valley. By 1900, Dr. Chandler owned an 18,000-acre ranch. However, the charter of the Salt River Project said landowners could only obtain enough water to irrigate 160 acres. Dr. Chandler then subdivided his ranch and advertised the sale of Chandler Ranch sites.

Source: City of Chandler. Used with permission.

Mesa

Afer the decline of the Hohokam culture in the 15th century, no long-term settlement existed in the Mesa area for hundreds of years until the U.S. Army established Fort McDowell in 1865. In 1877, Mormon

Chandler

In 1891, Dr. Alexander John Chandler, the frst veterinary surgeon for the Arizona territory, bought 80 acres from the federal government south of Mesa in the Salt River

Home should be a place that refects your needs, embodies your style and enables you to live your best life. It’s why Cachet is committed to building high-quality Arizona homes and inspiring communities that embrace the qualities you desire most.

settlers were sent from Utah to support the Church’s expansion into Mexico. In 1878, a second group of Mormon settlers — known as the “Mesa Company” — settled on the mesa top and cleared ancient Native American canals so that water could be diverted to higher ground.

Source: Mesa Historical Museum. Used with permission.

Gilbert

In 1902, the Arizona Eastern Railway established a rail line between Phoenix and Florence with a rail siding established on property owned by William “Bobby” Gilbert. Te siding and the town that sprung up

around it became known as Gilbert. Fueled by the construction of the Roosevelt Dam and the Eastern and Consolidated Canals in 1911, Gilbert remained a prime farming town for many years. Until the late 1920s, the town was known as the “Hay Capital of the World.”

Source: Town of Gilbert. Used with permission.

Queen Creek

Te Silver Queen Mine and Picket Post Creek were located in the mountains near the town of Superior. When the ore-rich mine opened, the name of Picket Post Creek was changed to Queen Creek. Tis creek runs down the mountains and through Queen Creek Canyon into the area surrounding the present-day town. Before it was known as Queen Creek, the town was called Rittenhouse because of the railroad spur located near Rittenhouse Road. People used to fag down the train to get a ride into Phoenix.

Source: Town of Queen Creek. Used with permission.

—Reported by Paula Hubbs Cohen

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Chandler

“Chandler is known for safe neighborhoods, superior schools and abundant recreation, dining and shopping, making it an excellent choice to purchase or rent a home or apartment,” said Stephanie Romero, Public Information O cer, City of Chandler. e city is home to 60+ parks including Veterans Oasis Park, a renowned recreation area featuring 100+ acres of wetlands and desert habitats, hiking/biking trails, birding/ shing, picnic areas and more. Both resale and newconstruction homes dot the landscape in Chandler, with prices generally ranging from the $300Ks to more than $2M.

e leading employer in Chandler is Intel, with 12,000 employees on two campuses. Chandler is also home to a number of other nationally recognized employers representing industries such as semiconductors, nance/ insurance, aviation/aerospace, healthcare and automotive technology. Chandler Fashion Center is the state’s second-largest mall, while Downtown Chandler is home to an array of eateries and boutiques. Chandler is also proud home of the Chandler Center for the Arts.

Population 285,226

is a 110-acre wildlife habitat in the middle of an urban setting. For sports fans, Cactus Yards boasts eight ball elds that are scaleddown replicas of famous ballparks including Chicago’s Wrigley Field and Boston’s Fenway Park. Gilbert is also a big cycling community with more than 60 miles of bike trails. Topping the employment category in Gilbert is healthcare which has an employment base of more than 15,000. Other notable employers include Deloitte, Northrop Grumman, SilentAire, Footprint and Li-Cycle. Soon to be added to this list is Corning.

Population

278,911

Mesa

Residents of Mesa appreciate the urban amenities of being the third-largest city in Arizona, but also enjoy easy access to hiking, biking and o -roading adventures in the Tonto National Forest, Lost Dutchman State Park and Usery Mountain Park. Familyfriendly agritainment options include

Gilbert

Similar to many Valley cities and towns, Gilbert began as an agriculture village, but this East Valley gem has grown-up into one of the Southwest’s fastest-growing communities. From a housing perspective, Gilbert has several established and new master-planned communities including Agritopia, a leading “agri-hood” that includes a 12-acre urban organic farm. e multi-family housing space is highlighted by the ve-story Epicenter, home to shops, eateries and boutiques on the rst oor and apartments on the upper oors. Popular with birders and photographers, Gilbert’s Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch

Queen Creek

Vertuccio Farms, while Spring Training fans get their baseball x at Sloan Park (Chicago Cubs) and Hohokam Stadium (Oakland A’s). Major employers in Mesa include Mesa Public Schools, Banner Health and Boeing.

“Mesa has a variety of home choices, from established neighborhoods to new residential developments such as Eastmark and Cadence,” said Bill Jabjiniak, Mesa’s Economic Development Director. “In addition, Downtown Mesa is undergoing an incredible resurgence with new restaurants and drinking establishments as well as some wonderful new multifamily developments.” Some of these include seven-story ECO Mesa (102 housing units; 4,000 squarefeet of commercial space); e GRID (196 apartments, 75 urban ats, 15 three-level rowhomes, rst- oor retail/dining; 14,000 square-feet of o ce space); and the fourstory 335-unit Melody on Main (studios, one-, two- and three-bedroom units; 13,000 square-feet of commercial space).

Population

513,977

“Queen Creek is a family-friendly community with unique agritainment destinations, numerous hometown events and great schools,” said Constance HalonenWilson, Communications and Marketing Manager for the Town of Queen Creek. is “outdoorsy” town’s General Plan calls for the preservation of Queen Creek Wash and Sonoqui Wash as public trails and open space. ese washes are home to many kinds of birds and wildlife.

Queen Creek has several working farms o ering family-oriented experiences complemented by the Town’s Agritainment District that includes the Queen Creek Olive Mill, Schnepf Farms and Hayden Flour Mill at Sossaman Farms. e 38-acre Horseshoe Park & Equestrian Centre is a nationally known equestrian facility that is home to several equine-related organizations including the Arizona Cutting Horse Association, Arizona oroughbred Breeders Association and many more. Zillow recently showed homes in Queen Creek that ranged from the $300Ks to more than $4M.

Population

72,000

City of Chandler

Town of Gilbert Visit Mesa

Town of Queen Creek

The legacy of Ladlow’s Fine Furniture

In 1964, The Beatles spent a whopping 18 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. That same year, Dan Roark and his young family arrived in Phoenix and he was eager to begin his professional career. Dan had just graduated from Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. The population of Phoenix at the time was 683,000 and growing, but jobs were scarce.

“Fortunately, I was hired into a management training program with the Valley National Bank (VNB) of Arizona. VNB was a great bank and the five and a half years with them was spent entirely in the main

ofice in downtown Phoenix,” Roark said. “It was an invaluable learning experience.”

“The transition from banking to retail is a separate side story but the move was a great opportunity that became a passion. My interest in furniture and design continued to grow, so when a small well-established store came on the market in 1976, the entrepreneurial gene kicked in. We purchased Ladlow’s and never looked back!”

“Ladlow’s was founded by Mr. and Mrs. Earl Ladlow in 1954. They had a 10,000 square-foot building

designed and built for them. The building is located at 4221 East Thomas Road in Phoenix. At the time, they represented just a handful of quality furniture lines and employed one professional interior designer. The business had a small but loyal customer base that helped us learn and grow to become one of the larger and best-known fine furniture stores in the country.”

When asked why Ladlow’s has been so successful, Roark said: “Carefully selected quality products, everyday value pricing and outstanding employees that care. We always tried to run a solid business by keeping it simple and straight-forward.”

Now, after 47 years of continuous success, Roark is retiring. The family sold the Scottsdale location nearly two years ago and Ladlow’s is winding down its operations in a conveniently located showroom at the northeast corner of Tatum and Shea Blvd. They expect to close by July 10th.

Impressive savings!

Ladlow’s is closing out all remaining inventory, including recent arrivals, at reduced prices. Our close-out showroom is more than 40,000 squarefeet so you can choose from an excellent selection of fine furniture for every room in your home. Everything is available for immediate delivery,

IF YOU GO

LADLOW’S FINE FURNITURE

10845 N. Tatum Blvd

Phoenix 85028

Open until July 10, 2023

480-609-5000 ladlows.com

Hours

Mon.-Sat.: 10AM-6PM

Sunday: 11AM-5PM

LADLOW’S

with special pricing on living rooms, bedrooms, dining rooms and accessories from famous name brands and premier industry suppliers. You’ll find all the best you have come to expect from Ladlow’s for the last 47 years!

All of us at Ladlow's want to thank our thousands of loyal customers for your wonderful support over the past five decades!

new-spring-savings-arizona.

Representing a $60 million investment, the new facility will utilize highly automated assembly lines to produce high-e ciency solar panels for commercial and residential roo op applications as well as for utilityscale solar power plants deployment. Once operational, this facility will be the largest manufacturing site of solar/PV products in Arizona with a capacity of 2

Photos by Shell Photographics via K. Hovnanian

480-448-1219

480-448-1219

Cultural history museum in Phoenix changing its name

Pueblo Grande Museum is now S’edav Va’aki Museum

BY DEBRA GELBART

Refecting the museum’s Native American essence, Pueblo Grande Museum has been renamed S’edav Va’aki Museum. Situated on a 1,500-yearold archaeological site adjacent to Sky Harbor International Airport, the museum showcases Hohokam culture. Over the coming weeks, the museum will be transitioning to its new name.

“Center platform”

Pronounced “SUE-duhf VAH-ah-kee,” the new name means “center platform.” It’s of O’Odham origin and refects the connection the site has with the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community and the Gila River Indian Community. “Te O’Odham have lived in the Sonoran Desert

IF

for thousands of years; their ancestors — the Hohokam — were recognized from early A.D. to about 1450,” said museum director Nicole Armstrong-Best.

What you’ll find

A walking trail takes you through an ancestral archaeological village site, while

(for now)

inside, a main gallery displays Hohokam artifacts plus there is a kids’ hands-on gallery, changing-exhibits galleries and a store ofering authentic Native American gifs, art and jewelry.

MADERA

Photos Courtesy Tri Pointe Homes