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Renting an Apartment in Peoria
What You Should Know
Peoria is a city located primarily in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with a
small portion in Yavapai County. It is considered a major suburb of Phoenix. As
of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 108,364, but a July 1,
2002 Census estimate put the fast-growing suburb's population at 123,239, making
it the tenth fastest-growing incorporated place in Arizona. By 2005 the
population had grown to 138,200 according to the mid-decade Census survey
estimates.[1] Peoria is currently the fourth largest city in the state of
Arizona in terms of land area, and the ninth largest city in the state in terms
of population. The city was named after Peoria, Illinois. It is the spring
training home of the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners who share the Peoria
Sports Complex.
History
The City of Peoria began as a small farming community near Phoenix in the 1880s.
William J. Murphy’s vision of fertile farm lands fed by water from the Salt
River became reality with the completion of the Arizona Canal in 1885. Once this
canal was completed, Murphy travelled east to interest people in settling in
this new community. He was successful in catching people’s attention – over
5,000 acres (20 km�) of land in the new district was purchased by citizens from
Peoria, Illinois. Four families from Peoria, Illinois, were among the first to
move to Arizona to occupy and work their land. The founders decided to name the
new area Peoria to bring a sense of home to this unfamiliar area.
Residences in the new community quickly sprang up, and by 1888, the population
of the town was 27. A school and Post Office were established by 1889. More
people followed the original families and Peoria continued to grow as a farming
community. The farmlands were fertile and the people made a good living, despite
having to battle swarms of red ants and the occasional rattlesnake in the
kitchen.
By 1910, the city's population was 300, and by 1920, the population had reached
2,370. The population did not grow too much until the 1990s, and in 1998 it had
reached 87,048 and in 1999 was 101,235.
Peoria was incorporated as a city in 1954, with boundaries covering one square
mile (2.6 km�) of land. The warm climate and small-town atmosphere of Peoria
continued to attract people, and still do today.
Geography
Peoria is located at 33�38′59″N, 112�15′6″W (33.649738, -112.251584)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 366.9
km� (141.7 mi�). 358.0 km� (138.2 mi�) of it is land and 9.0 km� (3.5 mi�) of it
(2.44%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 108,364 people, 39,184 households, and
29,309 families residing in the city. The population density was 302.7/km�
(784.0/mi�). There were 42,573 housing units at an average density of 118.9/km�
(308.0/mi�). The racial makeup of the city was 84.95% White, 2.78% Black or
African American, 0.68% Native American, 1.92% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander,
7.09% from other races, and 2.48% from two or more races. 15.41% of the
population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 39,184 households out of which 37.7% had children under the age of 18
living with them, 62.0% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female
householder with no husband present, and 25.2% were non-families. 20.5% of all
households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who
was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the
average family size was 3.16.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 6.7%
from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65
years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there
were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $52,199, and the median income
for a family was $58,388. Males had a median income of $40,448 versus $29,205
for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,726. About 3.3% of
families and 5.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8%
of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Peoria is governed by an elected mayor and city council. The city council
consists of the mayor and six elected district representatives. The current
mayor is John Keegan, but newly elected Bob Barrett will take office in January.
Sister cities
Peoria has one sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc.:
Borough of Ards, in Northern Ireland. Recently, the devastated town of Long
Beach, Mississippi was adopted following hurricane damage, and aid money was
sent.
Education
The Peoria Unified School District (PUSD) is the third largest district in the
State of Arizona, and serves most of the city of Peoria, and portions of the
neighboring Glendale.
As of 2005, there are 7 high schools (grades 9-12): Cactus, Centennial,
Ironwood, Peoria, Raymond S. Kellis, Sunrise Mountain and Liberty. Also, as of
2005, the district has 29 elementary schools (grades K-8): Alta Loma, Apache,
Canyon, Cheyenne, Copperwood, Cotton Boll, Country Meadows, Coyote Hills, Desert
Harbor, Desert Palms, Desert Valley, Foothills, Frontier, Heritage, Ira Murphy,
Kachina, Marshall Ranch, Oakwood, Oasis, Parkridge, Paseo Verde, Peoria,
Pioneer, Sahuaro Ranch, Santa Fe, Sky View, Sun Valley, Sundance, and Zuni
Hills.
The Deer Valley Unified School District serves a very small portion of Peoria.
Geography
Phoenix is located at 33�31'42" North, 112�4'35" West (33.528370�,
-112.076300�)GR1 in the Phoenix Valley or "Valley of the Sun" in central
Arizona. It lies at a mean elevation of 1,117 feet (340 m) in the heart of the
Sonoran Desert.
The Salt River course runs westward through the city of Phoenix; the riverbed is
normally dry except when excess runoff forces the release of water from the four
dams upriver. The city of Tempe has built two inflatable dams in the Salt River
bed to create a year-round recreational lake, called Tempe Town Lake. The dams
are deflated to allow the river to flow unimpeded during releases.
The Phoenix area is surrounded by the McDowell Mountains to the northeast, the
White Tank Mountains to the west, the Superstition Mountains far to the east,
and the Sierra Estrella to the southwest. Within the city are the Phoenix
Mountains and South Mountains. Current development (as of 2005) is pushing
rapidly beyond the geographic boundaries to the north and west, south through
Pinal County towards Tucson, and beginning to surround the large Salt River and
Gila River reservations.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 475.1
square miles (1,230.5 km�)—474.9 square miles (1,229.9 km�) of it is land and
0.2 square miles (0.6 km�) of it is water. The total area is 0.05% water.
The Phoenix Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) (officially known as the
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale MSA), is the 14th largest in the United States, with a
total population of 3,251,876 at the 2000 U.S. Census. It includes the Arizona
counties of Maricopa and Pinal. Major cities include Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale,
Glendale, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, and Peoria. Several smaller communities are
also included, such as Queen Creek, Goodyear, Fountain Hills, Litchfield Park,
Anthem, Sun Lakes, Sun City, Sun City West, Surprise and Tolleson. The community
of Ahwatukee is a part of the City of Phoenix itself, but is almost entirely
separated from it by South Mountain.
Climate
Phoenix's arid climate is characterized by some of the hottest seasonal
temperatures anywhere. In fact, out of the world's large cities, only Riyadh and
Baghdad have higher average summer temperatures. The temperature reaches or
exceeds 100 �F (38 �C) on an average of 89 days during the year, including most
days from early June through early September. On June 26, 1990, the temperature
reached an all-time high of 122 �F (50 �C). The dry Arizona air makes the hot
temperatures more tolerable early in the season; however, the influx of
monsoonal moisture has been known to make August in Phoenix almost as humid as
summers in the Southeastern United States. On the other hand, mild, sunny
weather in the winter months makes the area a mecca for golfers and others
seeking to escape the cold typical of the northern U.S.
Phoenix sees some 300 sunny days per year and scant rainfall, the average annual
total at Sky Harbor International Airport being 8.4 inches (210 mm). March is
the wettest month of the year (1.07 inches or 27 mm). Rain is particularly
scarce from April through June. Although thunderstorms occur on occasion during
every month of the year, they are most common during the monsoon season from
July to mid-September as humid air surges in from the Gulf of California. These
can bring strong winds, large hail, or tornadoes. Winter storms moving inland
from the Pacific Ocean occasionally produce significant rains but occur
infrequently. Fog is observed from time to time during the winter months.
At the airport, the mean date of first frost is December 12 and the last is
February 7; however, these dates do not represent the city as a whole because
the frequency of freezes varies considerably among terrain types and elevations.
Some areas of Phoenix may see frost for a month or more before and after the
airport readings. The earliest frost on record occurred on November 3, 1946, and
the latest occurred on April 4, 1945. Successive winters without any frosts at
the airport have been recorded, and the longest period without a freeze
stretched from November 23, 1979 to January 31, 1985. The all-time lowest
temperature in Phoenix was recorded at 16 �F (-8.8 �C) on January 7, 1913.
Snow is extremely rare in the area, though still can occur from time to time.
Snowfall was first officially recorded in 1896, and since then accumulations of
0.1 inches (0.25 cm) or greater have occurred only seven times. The heaviest
snowstorm on record dates to January 20-21, 1937, when 1 to 4 inches fell (2 to
10 cm) in parts of the city and did not melt entirely for four days. Prior to
that, 1 inch (2.5 cm) had fallen on January 20, 1933. On February 2, 1935, 0.5
inches (1 cm) fell. Most recently, 0.4 inches (1 cm) fell on December 21-22,
1990. Snow also fell on March 12, 1917 November 28, 1919, and December 11, 1985.
Colleges and Universities
Public education in the Phoenix area is provided by over 30 school
districts.[5] The Phoenix Union High School District operates most of the public
high schools in the city of Phoenix.
The main institution of higher education in the area is Arizona State
University, with its main campus located in Tempe, and satellite campuses in
Phoenix and Mesa. ASU is currently one of the largest public universities in the
U.S., with a 2004 student enrollment of 57,543.
The University of Phoenix is also headquartered in Phoenix. This is the nation's
largest private, for-profit university with over 130,000 students at campuses
throughout the United States (including Puerto Rico), Canada, Mexico, and the
Netherlands.
There are also ten community colleges and two skills centers throughout Maricopa
County, providing adult education and job training.