YESTERDAY Avondale's founding father, William "Billy" G. Moore, arrived in Arizona in the late 1860s, settling near the AguaFria River in 1880. Billy Moore called his settlement "Coldwater, Arizona" - apparently both for the river and the water that flowed from a local spring. He served a brief stint as Justice of the Peace for the AguaFria area. He bought land, established a stage stop, erected a saloon and a general store, and was even Postmaster of Coldwater from 1901 till 1905!
In the early 1900s, the Coldwater post office moved to a site near Avondale Ranch. The post office soon became known as Avondale, and the name Coldwater was discontinued. In December 1946, the City of Avondale was incorporated.
TODAY Avondale is a modern city, near the heart of the Phoenix-metropolitan area. The current population is more than 76,000, and is expected to reach 123,000 by the year 2020. The anticipated build-out population is estimated to be 170,000 residents. That rapid growth makes Avondale one of the fastest-growing communities in the Valley, and the nation. Over the last decade, housing starts grew more than 700% with a current average home price of $200,000. Household income has steadily increased and is currently estimated at $72,024.
View why Avondale is such a great place to live, work and play by viewing the City’s promotional video here.
FAST PACE To keep pace with the rapidly-growing population, a variety of cultural, economic, recreational and educational amenities have evolved. Resources range from the programs at the West Valley Arts Council to the academic resources of Estrella Mountain Community College and Universal Technical Institute. From the soccer fields of Friendship Park to the high excitement of Phoenix International Raceway (PIR), Avondale has something for everyone. PIR is billed as the world’s fastest one-mile paved oval and plays host to multiple NASCAR events annually, each attracting nearly 400,000 enthusiasts and hundreds of race teams, contributing hundreds of millions of dollars into the state and local economy.
ON THE MOVE Avondale is situated in an ideal commercial corridor at the crossroads of Interstate 10 and the Loop 101, which has piqued the interest of many investors, especially along I-10 and Avondale Boulevard. This corridor is a mecca of multiple power retail centers, an extensive auto mall, hotels, restaurants, business parks and more.
Avondale has already begun the next step in its evolution to meet the growing local demand for employment, with an emerging medical corridor, attraction of offices, business parks and light manufacturing. Over 400 acres, designated as employment in the General Plan, is currently in various stages of design approval and active construction.
Economic Development Department 11465 West Civic Center Drive, Ste. 210 Avondale, AZ 85323 623.333.1400; Fax: 623.333.0140
Dina Mathias, Economic Development Project Manager
Major Employers Aqua Fria Union High School District Avondale Auto Mall Avondale Elementary School District Avondale Integrated Medical Services City of Avondale Costco Wholesale Home Depot Litchfield Park Elementary School District Sam’s Club Tolleson Union High School District Universal Technical Institute Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
