When Jack McRae, then president of the Arizona City Development Corporation decided to develop 2 1/2 acres of land in Arizona City in January of 1959, the driving force behind it was the water. Located in the Santa Cruz Valley, south of Casa Grande, and midway between Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona City boasts one of the purest water sources in the state. Surveys had shown that in certain areas in the Santa Cruz Valley, close to the Sawtooth Mountains, southwest of Arizona City, there existed an abundance of deep water.
The source of the water is the Santa Cruz river, which flows north from Mexico, one of the few in North America that do. Runoff from the local Sawtooth Mountains also helps contribute to the pure tasting water. An interview with a local Arizona City resident in 1963 by the Arizona City Daily Star said this about the water:
| "Our water is unusually pure and soft. It has very few minerals, just enough to give it a good taste. You'd be surprised at the number of people who remark about the quality of our water as soon as they stop for a drink. Compared with other municipal wells in the area, we are considered to have very sweet water, tasty and pure. Each 14 days we send samples to the state Health Department and their analysis reports come back consistently reading 100 percent pure." (AZ City Daily Star July 1963). |
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The first Post Office was established on April 1, 1962 with J. David Knudson as the first Postmaster General. Arizona City was first listed on an Arizona State Highway map in 1963 by Rand McNally. (On a side note, there was an Arizona City in Yavapai County near a mining town in the late 19th century. It is uncertain how the name Arizona City was chosen.)
Statistics from: City-Data.com 2000 census.
Population (year 2000): 4,385
Males: 2,199 (50.1%)
Females: 2,186 (49.9%)
Pinal County
Median resident age: 41.1 years
Arizona median age: 34.2 years
Zip code: 85223.
Estimated median household income in 2005: $43,000 (it was $37,432 in 2000)
Arizona City $43,000
Arizona: $44,282
Estimated median house/condo value in 2005: $118,600 (it was $85,000 in 2000)
Arizona City $118,600
Arizona: $185,400
Elevation: 1510 feet
Land area: 6.10 square miles.