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The City of Peoria was established in the 1880’s when 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 went East to interest people in settling in this new community. Mr. Murphy was successful in catching people’s attention – over 5,000 acres 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.
Residences in the new community sprang up, and 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.
Peoria was incorporated in 1954, with boundaries covering one square mile of land. The warm climate and small-town atmosphere of Peoria continued to attract people, and still do today. Currently, Peoria covers 162 square miles, and is home to over 120,000 residents. Peoria is Arizona's 4th largest city in terms of incorporated area, and 9th largest city in terms of population.
From a simple visionary farming community, Peoria, Arizona - a dynamic desert city, has grown.
City of Peoria Workforce Overview
• The area offers a large, educated labor pool that is younger than the national average, and over half of Peoria’s residents have more than one year of college education.
• A wide range of workers live in and near the community, including traditional blue-collar workers, skilled and unskilled workers and professionals in a wide variety of fields.
• There is a high percentage of technical and professional workers in the general population in the northwest Valley. Many of these individuals commute to other cities, and informal surveys indicate that they would be excellent candidates for positions in the northwest region of the Valley.
• The rapid population growth in Peoria and the surrounding metropolitan area has resulted in an abundant labor force. Over half of this area population resides within a thirty minute commute shed of the Peoria area. The estimated labor force for the population age of 16+ in 2006 was 101,388. The unemployment rate was 2.2%. (Source: Applied Geographic Solutions 08/06.
Learn more about this city
City of PEORIA, AZ official site
City of PEORIA, AZ general information
City of PEORIA, AZ yellow pages
County of MARICOPA, AZ official site