GOODYEAR, AZ

Goodyear (O'odham: Valin Thak) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is a suburb of Phoenix and at the 2020 census had a population of 95,294, up from 65,275 in 2010 and 18,911 in 2000. It was the third-fastest-growing city in Arizona between 1990 and 2000.

The city is home to the Goodyear Ballpark, where the Cleveland Guardians and Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball hold spring training.

In 2008, Goodyear won the All-America City Award, sponsored by the National Civic League. The city is named after the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. The company cultivated extensive farmland here to grow cotton for use in its tires.

History

Goodyear was established in 1917 with the purchase of of land by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company to cultivate cotton for vehicle tire cords. World War II was important to Goodyear in the 1940s as the current Phoenix Goodyear Airport was built, but after the war, the economy suffered. Goodyear became a town on November 19, 1946. At the time, it had 151 homes and 250 apartments, a grocery store, a barber shop, beauty shop and a gas station.

World War II

Luke Field Auxiliary #6 (Goodyear Field) was built by the United States Army Air Forces in 1943. It served as a satellite airfield for Luke Army Air Field (AAF). According to the History of Luke AFB, this airfield boasted the most facilities. It had separate buildings for crew chiefs, operations, supply, barracks, pit latrine, crash truck shed, generator shed and a control tower. Luke AF Auxiliary #6 ceased operations by 1971.

The property, which is in a state of complete abandonment, is owned by the State of Arizona, which has worked with developers on proposals for use.

See the gallery of images below.

Modern history

In January 1965, the Phoenix Trotting Park, a harness racing track, opened. The current Interstate 10 passes north of the site. As the region lacked major roads from Phoenix to Goodyear, there was not enough business and the track closed two years later. The park was demolished in 2017.

The town became a city in 1985. In the same decade, the remaining of the original farmland was sold for future development. The Phoenix Goodyear Airport received its current name in 1986.

Housing and growth

Although Goodyear was founded in 1917, the majority of construction and population growth happened after 1990. 22 communities that are completed and under construction have a total area of approximately . These communities, along with another 21 communities for future suburban development, will contain almost 200,000 homes, with only 25,000 built.

Goodyear was affected by the 2000s American housing bubble, reducing home values. Since then, the housing market has rebounded considerably. According to Opendoor, ZIP code 85338 in Goodyear was the fifth most popular place in the Phoenix metro area to buy a home, based on home sales. There are also a variety of home options in 2019 to accommodate families, those who are single, and seniors. As the population in Goodyear grows faster than ever, home builders and community developers are working quickly to keep up with the demand.

Estrella is the largest community in Goodyear, at . The master-planned community is home to about 10,000 residents. Palm Valley, located north of Interstate 10, is , with variously-sized homes. PebbleCreek is a community for active adult living, with 54 holes of championship golf, fitness centers, and restaurants.

From the 1990s through the 2010s, residential development has stimulated the growth of Goodyear as a suburb of Phoenix. Goodyear's population is projected to be 358,000 by 2035.

Geography

Goodyear is approximately west of downtown Phoenix. Nearby cities include Avondale, Litchfield Park, Tolleson and Buckeye. From the original town center, the Goodyear city limits extend north to a border with Glendale and south-southeast into the Rainbow Valley to an area south of Arizona State Route 238.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.02%, are water. The Gila River passes through the city. The largest master-planned community is Estrella, south of the Gila River, located near the Estrella Mountains.

The Estrella Mountain Regional Park covers almost , most of which is still desert. It contains eight trails over in combined length, two baseball fields, and a track.

Climate

Goodyear has a hot desert climate (Köppen: BWh) due to its location in the Sonoran Desert. The city receives somewhere around ten inches of rain annually. The city has more than 300 sunny days per year.

Winters are sunny with mild temperatures—nighttime lows averaging between 40 °F and 50 °F (4 °C and 10 °C) and daytime highs ranging from 60 °F to 75 °F (16 °C to 24 °C). The lowest temperature ever recorded in Goodyear is 16 °F (-9 °C). Summers are very hot, with daily high temperatures at or above 100 °F (38 °C) for the entirety of June, July, and August, as well as many days in May and September. An occasional heat wave will spike temperatures over 115 °F (46 °C) briefly. Nighttime lows in the summer months average between 70 °F and 80 °F (21 °C and 27 °C), with an occasional overnight low above 80 °F (27 °C) not uncommon. The highest recorded temperature in Goodyear is 125 °F (52 °C).

Snow is rare in the area, occurring once every several years. Lows in the winter occasionally dip below freezing, which may damage some desert plants such as saguaros and other cacti. In the summer (mainly July, August and early September), the North American Monsoon can hit the Phoenix area in the afternoon and evening (possibly continuing overnight), causing thunderstorms and heavy rain even from a sunny morning. Dust storms are occasional, mainly during the summer.

Demographics

2010 Census

As of 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that there were 65,275 people living in the city. 71.9% of the city's population was White, 6.7% were Black, 1.3% were Native American, and 4.3% were Asian. 27.8% were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 25,027 housing units in the city. 31% of the population is between ages 35 and 49.

2000 Census

, there were 18,911 people, 6,179 households, and 4,986 families living in the city. The population density was 162.4 people per square mile (62.7/km²). There were 6,771 housing units at an average density of 58.1 per sq9re mile (22.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.1% White, 5.2% African American, 1.1% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 10.9% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. 20.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,179 households, out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.1% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.3% were non-families. 14.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.2% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 34.1% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $57,492, and the median income for a family was $60,707. Males had a median income of $40,702 versus $28,410 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,506. About 3.6% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

Goodyear has a council-manager form of government. The current Mayor is Joe Pizzillo, a former city councilman who is completing the mayoral term of Georgia Lord, who died in December 2021. Lord was elected to fill a two-year unexpired term as Mayor of the City of Goodyear in March 2011, was re-elected to serve a second term as Mayor in 2013, and was elected to serve her final term in 2017. There are six councilmembers, with three-term limits.

The Arizona Department of Corrections operates the Arizona State Prison Complex-Perryville in Goodyear. The prison houses the female death row.

Education

Several school districts serve the city of Goodyear. Elementary school districts include Avondale Elementary School District, Liberty Elementary School District, Litchfield Elementary School District, and Mobile Elementary School District. High school districts include Agua Fria Union High School District and Buckeye Union High School District.

Elementary/middle schools

High schools

Colleges and universities

Franklin Pierce University has had a campus here since 2008, when the New Hampshire-based university signed a lease with the city to purchase of land. It offers a Doctor of Physical Therapy program and other healthcare-related programs.

Sports

Goodyear is known as a site for professional baseball teams' spring training sessions. The Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball's American League moved their spring training facility to Goodyear from Winter Haven, Florida and rejoined the Cactus League in February 2009, after a 15-year absence. Before that, the Guardians (then known as the Indians) held spring training for many years in Tucson.

On April 7, 2008, Goodyear's city council unanimously approved a memorandum to fund a new $33 million baseball spring training complex for Major League Baseball's Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians. This includes a 10,000-seat park, Goodyear Ballpark, that opened in 2009. The Reds and the Guardians have separate offices, clubhouses and practice fields. The Guardians had held their spring training in Tucson for many years until moving to Winter Haven in 1993. They agreed in 2006 to return their spring training location to Arizona at Goodyear.

The Goodyear Centennials, of the Freedom Pro Baseball League, played their home games at the Goodyear Ballpark. Two other baseball teams in the Arizona Complex League, the Arizona Complex League Guardians and the Arizona Complex League Reds, also play at the stadium.

Transportation

Air

Phoenix Goodyear Airport is located here. It has an runway capable of handling large jet aircraft. This airport, used by many international airlines for aircraft maintenance and storage, has no active commercial air service.

Rail

Union Pacific operates a railroad that goes through Goodyear. Rail lines provide Goodyear with access to 23 states in the western two-thirds of the United States.

Road transport

Interstate 10 passes through Goodyear, heading west to Buckeye and Los Angeles. I-10 heads east to Phoenix, Tucson, and the Southern states.

The city is also served by the western ends of several bus routes of the Valley Metro Bus.

Other roads and highways serve the area. Loop 303 starts as Cotton Lane then heads up north to Surprise and then to Interstate 17. Van Buren Street and McDowell, Indian School and Camelback Roads are major arterial roads leading from the extreme western Phoenix area to past Scottsdale in the east. MC 85 (Maricopa County Highway 85) is a highway running from Arizona State Route 85 in Buckeye to Loop 202 in Phoenix. The highway passes the southern sections of Goodyear.

Road improvements

Interstate 10 was built through Goodyear in the late 20th century. Between 2008 and 2014, the road had significant expansions. It was expanded from two lanes in each direction to five or six (including one HOV lane starting near Loop 303 going east). There were also new interchanges, including Exit 122 (Perryville Road), Exit 123 (Citrus Road) and Exit 125 (Sarival Avenue).

Loop 303 improvement

The Arizona Department of Transportation built a new interchange near the Interstate 10/Loop 303 junctions. The interchange is being expanded from a diamond interchange to a stack interchange. As a result, Loop 303 under Interstate 10 was cleared, and Exit 124 on Interstate 10 has been shut down; the new interchange was completed in 2014.

South of Interstate 10, Loop 303 is being planned to extend to a future State Route 30. Loop 303 will go south of future State Route 30 to Estrella Mountain Ranch and to Interstate 8 near Mobile, Arizona.

State Route 30 (formerly State Route 801)

Arizona State Route 30 (originally designated as State Route 801) is a proposed highway south of Interstate 10 that will relieve traffic congestion. It is planned to run between Arizona State Route 85 to Interstate 17.

Galleries

This gallery includes photos of the following:

Lake Field gallery

Notable people