Casa Grande, Arizona

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This article is about Casa Grande, Arizona. For Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, see Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.

Casa Grande is a rapidly growing city located directly off of U.S Interstate-10, approximately halfway between Phoenix and Tucson. It is the largest city in Pinal County with a population of 32,855 according to 2005 Census Bureau estimates.^[1]

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Economy 5 References 6 External links

[edit] History

Casa Grande was founded in 1879 during the Arizona mining boom and became Incorporated in 1915. It was named after the Hohokam ruins at the nearby Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.

A major railroad terminated in Casa Grande, which was originally named "Terminus".

One of the founding fathers of Casa Grande was Thompson Rodney Peart, Went by the name of "T.R. Peart" Born in woods N.D. married to Lillian Cordelia Weaver.The Peart Center and Peart Road are named for T.R.

[edit] Geography

Casa Grande is located at 32°53′9″N, 111°44′38″W (32.885952, -111.743851)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 124.8 km² (48.2 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 25,224 people, 8,920 households, and 6,547 families residing in the city. The population density was 202.2/km² (523.7/mi²). There were 11,041 housing units at an average density of 88.5/km² (229.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 64.90% White, 4.27% Black or African American, 4.91% Native American, 1.17% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 21.09% from other races, and 3.56% from two or more races. 39.13% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,920 households out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.24.

In the city the population was spread out with 30.9% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,212, and the median income for a family was $40,827. Males had a median income of $34,858 versus $23,533 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,917. About 12.4% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Economy

The economy of Casa Grande was historically based on rural, agricultural industries such as cotton and dairy farms. Over time, the city has become home to many Phoenix or Tucson urbanites who own homes in Casa Grande. Most residents either commute north to work in the Phoenix metropolitan area or to the south to work in Tucson. This trend has contributed to growth in the service industry of Casa Grande. Many new businesses such as restaurants, gas stations, and retail outlets are opening all over the city in order to keep up with demand from the growing population.

An outlet mall operates in southern Casa Grande [1] that serves many local patrons as well as highway travelers. Rumors exist in Casa Grande that the city will be the site of a major outdoor mall. Construction dates have not been set, but the mall is rumored to have a target completion date of Mid 2007. Like Desert Ridge (an outdoor shopping center in Scottsdale, Arizona), this mall will be outdoors, will be built on a 100 acre patch of desert, and will be 900,000 square feet. A sign is now posted at the designated site, indicating construction begins summer of 2006.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 32.885952° -111.743851°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
• Casa Grande Directory

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