Peoria

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Peoria, Arizona is situated within both Yavapai and Maricopa counties. The city of Peoria sits mainly within the county of Maricopa and is considered a main suburb of the city of Phoenix. Peoria's population was 154,065 during the year 2010, based on the United States Census Bureau. When it comes to land area, Peoria is presently the 6th biggest city within the state of Arizona.

Peoria was first named after Peoria, Illinois, as the word "Peoria" is a corruption of the Illini word that means "prairie fire." The population of Peoria is currently larger than that of its namesake. The Seattle Mariners and the San Diego Padres share the Peoria Sports Complex here and Peoria is both teams home for spring training.

The city of Peoria is located on gently sloping, flat desert terrain in the Salt River Valley. The landscape stretches into the foothills of the mountains located to the north. The Salt River is filled with mountain snowmelt runoff and seasonal rainfall. There are times when the valley becomes flooded and numerous months of backbreaking labor is demolished. In order for the area to become habitable and productive the entire year, the cycle of drought and of flood had to be replaced with a reliable water supply that could be controlled year-round.

The pioneers decided to explore irrigation in order to solve their water woes. John W. "Jack" Swilling organized a group of men in 1868 to dig the first modern irrigation ditch in the Salt River Valley. A lot more people were enticed to settle in the area due to their success and eventually the area flourished due to the revitalized irrigation system.

There are two rivers that flow into Peoria: the Agua Fria River and the New River. The Agua Fria River is often dry because of the New Waddell Dam, that holds back Lake Pleasant to the north of Peoria. The New River Dam and other flood control methods often make the New River dry as well. There are a variety of washes and creeks which flow through the city of Peoria. Skunk Creek is amongst the best known and most important due to its connection with Glendale that is nearby and its vast trail system.

There are numerous hills and mountains in the northern end of Peoria. Calderwood Butte, West Wing Mountain, Sunrise Mountain, Twin Buttes, Cholla Mountain, Hieroglyphic Mountains, White Peak and East Wing Mountain are among the popular places for nature enthusiasts to photograph and hike.

Peoria continues to successfully expand. The majority of the land around Lake Pleasant Regional Park was annexed into the city during the year 1999. The Challenger Space Center of Arizona calls the city home and has made the city of Peoria a world class cultural and educational place.

In the year 2007, Peoria constructed the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts. Although most of the growth within the area has taken place within the northern and northwestern areas of Peoria, numerous projects have sprung up in southern Peoria as well as within the area known as "Old Town."