Glendale () is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. Bordering the state capital, as a suburb of Phoenix, Glendale is known for State Farm Stadium, which is the home of the Arizona Cardinals football team. The city also contains the Arrowhead Towne Center shopping mall. As of the 2020 census, Glendale had a population of 248,325.
History In the late 1800s the area that is now Glendale was all desert. William John Murphy, a native of New Hartford, New York, who resided in the town of Flagstaff in what was then the territory of Arizona, was in charge of building the Arizona Canal from Granite Reef to New River for the Arizona Canal Company. In 1885, he completed the canal, which would bring water to the desert land. Murphy was deep in debt, since he had agreed to be paid in Arizona Canal Company stock and bonds and land instead of cash.
In 1887, Murphy formed the Arizona Improvement Company. His objective was to sell the land and water rights south of the canal. Murphy raised capital from out of state sources in order to meet payroll and construction expenses. Murphy decided to refer to this land as "Glendale". In order to develop and interest potential investors and settlers in this new town, Murphy decided to provide a better way of access from Phoenix to Glendale and ending in the town of Peoria by building an diagonal road which he named Grand Avenue.
In 1891, Burgess Hadsell worked with Murphy to bring 70 Brethren and River Brethren families to Glendale to form a temperance colony. Soon settlers, attracted by the town's ban on alcoholic beverages, continued to arrive. In 1895, Murphy platted the original town site and amended the plat to include a town park and some business lots. It was bounded by Lamar Road on the south, 55th Avenue on the east, Myrtle Avenue on the north, and 59th Avenue on the west. The construction of a railroad from Prescott to Phoenix was made possible with an exchange of the right-of-way made by Murphy along Grand Avenue. The railroad allowed Glendale settlers to transport goods to the north and easily receive building materials.
The construction and commercial applications of the Beet Sugar Factory in 1906 also contributed to the growth of Glendale. Though the operations of the factory only lasted until 1913, it played an important role in the increase of immigrant and migrant settlers in the city. Several other businesses were founded around this time such as Glendale Ice Company, Pacific Creamery Company, Glendale Milling Company, and Southwest Flour and Feed.
World War I ushered in a renewal for Glendale, with cotton prices rising throughout the period. Cotton continues to be a source of economic prosperity in Glendale with many farms still along the Loop 101, despite many farmers switching to more profitable crops. A high demand for food also kept farmers busy. Numerous farms and orchards were established and thrived through the early 1900s.
World War II brought the birth of Thunderbird Field to train civilian pilots for the Army. In late 1940, a few Hollywood actors and businessmen, headed by Leland Hayward, approached the Army to establish a primary flight training school. This group chose the site of Thunderbird Field primarily because of its abundance of space, excellent weather, and good visibility. While this field was being built in 1941, the Army was busy working on a larger base for $4.5 million, Luke Field (now Luke Air Force Base). This base was named for the first pilot to receive a Medal of Honor, Lt. Frank Luke Jr. Thunderbird Field would later become the Thunderbird American Graduate School for International Management.
The military and college presence, as well as the increase in population (nearly doubling between 1950 and 1960), sparked a need for utilities, parks, schools and streets. Over the next 40 years, the city added a landfill, water treatment plant, sewage plants, libraries, parks, public safety facilities, an airport, a city hall and a civic center. In the 1970s, Glendale practiced strip annexation to claim future territory to annex that another city couldn't claim. Current strip borders are along Northern Avenue, Peoria Avenue, Perryville Road, and Camelback Road.
Arrowhead Towne Center opened in 1993, and the surrounding neighborhood, Arrowhead Ranch, made the area a hotspot for housing and shopping. The completion of Loop 101 throughout Glendale opened the city to the rest of the Valley.
In recent decades, the city has begun major investment into tourism. The establishment of the Westgate Entertainment District, housing Desert Diamond Arena, and State Farm Stadium in the early 2000s made Glendale a destination for locals and visitors. Construction of the VAI Resort and Mattel Adventure Park will continue to grow Glendale's tourism economy creating hundreds of new jobs and providing more than a thousand new hotel rooms for the city. The completion of Loop 303 in 2011 also resulted in an increase in industrial development.
In 2024, the city called on the Department of Defense to lobby for Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs to veto bipartisan legislation to increase housing supply in Arizona. Ryan Lee, the city's intergovernmental-programs director, confirmed to Jerusalem Demsas of The Atlantic that he was behind the move but refused to otherwise comment. Demsas speculated the Department of Defense was "doing a favor for a NIMBY local government" due to Luke Air Force Base being located nearby. State Representative Analise Ortiz, whose district includes parts of Glendale, criticized the city for going behind legislators' back to lobby against the legislation, "This is not the way we typically go about creating policy."
Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.63%, is water. The New River and Agua Fria River flow southward through the western extremities of the city.
Climate Glendale has a hot desert climate (Köppen: BWh) typical of Southern Arizona, with very hot and dry summers and mild winters.
Demographics
+Glendale, Arizona – Racial and ethnic compositionRace / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic)Pop 2000Pop 2010% 2000% 2010White alone (NH)141,462116,866107,69564.65%51.55%43.37%Black or African American alone (NH)9,81812,76617,8724.49%5.63%7.20%Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)2,4602,7073,0301.12%1.19%1.22%Asian alone (NH)5,8608,61811,2722.68%3.80%4.54%Pacific Islander alone (NH)2303554920.11%0.16%0.20%Other race alone (NH)2893291,1710.13%0.15%0.47%Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)4,3504,5799,1761.99%2.02%3.70%Hispanic or Latino (any race)54,34380,50197,61724.84%35.51%39.31%Total218,812226,721248,325100.00%100.00%100.00%
2020 census The 2020 United States census counted 248,325 people, 86,483 households, and 59,565 families in Glendale. The population density was 4,031.5 per square mile (1,556.6/km). There were 91,912 housing units at an average density of 1,492.2 per square mile (576.1/km). The racial makeup was 51.14% (126,983) white or European American (43.37% non-Hispanic white), 7.66% (19,027) black or African-American, 2.01% (5,003) Native American or Alaska Native, 4.69% (11,639) Asian, 0.23% (574) Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, 18.59% (46,153) from other races, and 15.68% (38,946) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 39.31% (97,617) of the population.
Of the 86,483 households, 35.8% had children under the age of 18; 43.9% were married couples living together; 27.9% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. 23.5% of households consisted of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.0 and the average family size was 3.6. The percent of those with a bachelor's degree or higher was estimated to be 14.8% of the population.
25.3% of the population was under the age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.2 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older, there were 106.7 males.
The 2016-2020 5-year American Community Survey estimates show that the median household income was $56,991 (with a margin of error of +/- $1,677). The median family income was $65,763 (+/- $1,945). Males had a median income of $36,152 (+/- $1,047) versus $28,175 (+/- $1,327) for females. The median income for those above 16 years old was $31,982 (+/- $609). Approximately, 12.7% of families and 17.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.1% of those under the age of 18 and 12.6% of those ages 65 or over.
2010 census As of the census of 2010, there were 226,710 people, 79,114 households, and 54,721 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 79,667 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 75.54% White, 6% Black or African American, 1.7% Native American, 3.9% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 16.95% from other races, and 4.0% from two or more races. 35.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 79,114 households, out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.5% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.33.
In the city, 30.1% of the population was under the age of 18, 10.8% was from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,015, and the median income for a family was $51,162. Males had a median income of $35,901 versus $27,736 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,124. About 8.8% of families and 11.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.3% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
Economy Top employers
# Employer # of Employees 1 Luke Air Force Base 5,100 2 Banner Health 3,000 3 Arrowhead Towne Center 2,650 4 Walmart 2,175 5 Glendale Union High School District 1,974 6 Glendale Community College 1,948 7 The City of Glendale 1,693 8 Deer Valley Unified School District 1,594 9 Glendale Elementary School District 1,400 10 Tanger Outlets 1,200 Source: AZCentral.com
Arts and culture Attractions
Adobe Mountain Desert Park Cerreta Candy Co. factory tour Camelback Ranch Elsie McCarthy Sensory Garden Desert Diamond Arena Glendale Chocolate Festival (every February) Glendale Folk & Heritage Festival Glendale Glitters (every December) Glendale Jazz and Blues Festival Manistee Ranch Mattel Adventure Park (opening 2027) Sahuaro Ranch State Farm Stadium Westgate Entertainment District
Shopping Glendale is noted for its retail sales of antiques.
The Arrowhead Towne Center mall is located here.
Historic sites
Concerts Glendale was temporarily renamed as Swift City on March 17 and 18, 2023,Attributed to wide media coverage:
as per the mayor and the city council's proclamation, to celebrate the opening concerts of the Eras Tour, the sixth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, at State Farm Stadium. The Westgate Entertainment District, a mixed-use complex in the city, additionally put up welcoming messages, with the local restaurants offering Swift-themed menu items. State Farm also hosted the Super Bowl LVII halftime show, headlined by Barbadian singer Rihanna, shortly before the tour.
Sports