Welcome to Buckeye
The city is a wealth of alfalfa, birds and invested residents By Buckeye Valley Chamber of Commerce
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uckeye was founded in 1888 and incorporated in 1929 as a 400-acre town. The city now sits on 600 square miles, making it, geographically, Arizona’s largest city. The cotton, alfalfa and maize fields are still here, interspersed with housing developments and booming businesses. Buckeye is the country’s fastestgrowing city, according to the 2015 U.S. Census Bureau. Located just 35 miles west of Phoenix, Buckeye is convenient to work, sightseeing and an exciting nightlife, yet far enough away to retain a comfortable small-town feeling. Residents can take advantage of offerings found in a metropolitan city and then return to the quiet comforts of home. Population figures reflect the tremendous growth the city is experiencing. The special Census recorded Buckeye’s population as 83,000 residents. These folks are hugely invested in this community and strive to make it the most ideal place to live, work and raise a family. The growth is not just in residential development. Sundance Towne Center, Sundance Crossing and the Market on Broadway are home to a number of small retail businesses and restaurants, as well as large national retailers, banks and restaurant chains and retail outlets. The southwest corner of Dean and Yuma roads is home to the justice court, Buckeye Police and Fire departments, and the Coyote Branch Library. Educational opportunities include the West-MEC campus, the ASU Entrepreneur Innovation Center and the Grand Canyon University bachelor’s degree program. Estrella Mountain Community College Buckeye Educational Center offers classes in what used to be the original Buckeye Union High School. Every day, more than 75,000 cars travel through Buckeye on Interstate 8
WEST VALLEY NEWCOMERS’ GUIDE
10, making the frontage roads an ideal location for a marketing and/or billboard signage opportunities. The city’s unique partnership with the State Department of Water Resources and Developers determined the ample water supply in the Hassayampa River Basin west of the White Tank Mountains can provide our growing city with water in the future. The Hassayampa River Basin is the largest untapped aquifer in Arizona. HISTORIC MAIN STREET Formerly old U.S. Highway 80, Monroe Avenue is Buckeye’s Historic Main Street. A stretch of the original roadbed is still in use where Monroe Avenue dead-ends into Apache. Old U.S. Highway 80 was originally called the Dixie Overland Highway or the Broadway of America. Before 1926, developers and towns scrambled to be on a coast-to-coast route. The Dixie Overland Highway was the first allyear, coast-to-coast roadway. Because many of these highways shared the same roadbed through parts of the country, people became confused by the colorful names given. In 1926, the federal government stepped in and replaced it with a numerical system. Old U.S. Highway 80 started at Tybee Island, Georgia, and crossed the country entering Arizona near Douglas, continuing through Tucson, Phoenix and Buckeye, south to Gila Bend and exited the state in Yuma. Its western terminus was San Diego. EDUCATION Arizona is a right-to-choose state for education. Parents are provided the right to choose from a wide variety of school options, including public, charter, private, online or home education. Expanding school choice is the single best strategy for improving education for all children and the state of Arizona proudly supports this initiative. The city of Buckeye is no exception.
ENVIRONMENT In spite of the heat and rain, the Sonoran Desert is one of the most diverse ecosystems in North America. Among the wildlife living in the Sonoran Desert are mountain lions, bobcats, javelina, mule deer, coyotes, ring-tailed cats and even bighorn sheep. A wide variety of desert plants ranging from mesquite and Palo Verde trees to brittlebrush and, of course, the mighty saguaro, happily call the desert home. Cactus and creosote flourish, along with a wide array of wildflowers making their annual debut in early spring and again occasionally after the beginning the monsoon. The diversity and quantity of birds migrating through make bird watching one of the most popular activities. In Buckeye, you may see them at Robbin’s Butte Wildlife Area, and White Tank Mountains and Skyline regional parks. WEATHER Living in the surroundings dominated by a desert climate is an adjustment for many new residents. Buckeye sits in a microclimate somewhat different than Phoenix, with less rain than the Phoenix average, higher summer temperatures, cooler winter nights and more days of sunshine. Average spring temperatures range from 48 to 72 F and summer temperatures range from 65 to 108 F. Annual precipitation is 7.6 inches, and the average is 36.4 days with precipitation. The annual sunshine average is 325 days. The monsoon season, which occurs between midJune and mid-September, brings powerful rain and dust storms. Humidity ranges from a record low of 2% to as high as 78%, with the annual average at 50% in the mornings and 23% in the afternoons. July and August are the months of highest afternoon humidity due to monsoon.
