Sun City revolutionized housing and retirement in the United States. It became the nation's largest and most successful retirement development and contributed to a new formulation in how Americans thought about life during retirement. It provided…

Built by an investement group that was led by prominent Phoenicians Marion Isbell and Del Webb, the Sahara Motor Inn opened in 1955. It became one of the signature hotels of the Ramada Inn motel chain during the 1960s and served a generation of…

The Victory Acres neighborhood of Tempe highlights the unique story of Mexican-American suburbanization. La Victoria, a tight-knit, predominantly Mexican American, community, emerged during the post-War growth of Tempe and the surrounding region. La…

The Kon Tiki Hotel was constructed in 1961 by the R.L Branaman Construction Company for a cost of $528,000. The hotel was designed by James Salter who worked at the influential mid-century architecture firm Haver & Associates. The development…

From its first sparsely-attended football games played at Goodwin Stadium, Arizona State University’s football program grew dramatically, even as Arizona State Teachers College (ASTC) matured into a full-fledged university. Goodwin…

El Mirage was first founded 20 miles west of Phoenix near Grand Avenue. It began as a community of farm workers who were struggling to build homes for themselves. Not long after the early settlers setup homes and farms in the area, the the Army Air…

The Vance Auditorium was built in 1904 by John Thomas Vance. People all around Mesa came to the dances. At the time of its construction, it was the biggest auditorium in the southwest. In 1919, Vance sold the building to the Maricopa Stake of The…

Monti’s La Casa Vieja has been there since the beginning of Tempe. This building was first built by Charles Hayden. After seeing the river and the surrounding land he decided it would be a good place to build and settle. He built a general store, a…

An iconic blonde in blue swimsuit stands at the heart of Mesa's identity. The 78 foot tall neon light lady lit up the Starlite Motel. Owners Elmo and Richard Kaesler added the sign--now a classic piece of roadside American architecture from the…

Settled by Mormon pioneers in 1880, “Stringtown” emerged as one of Mesa's earliest settlements-a linear district running south for a couple of miles along present-day Alma School Road.   Settlers dug an extension of the Mesa Canal canal bringing…

During the twentieth century, jobs,  mild winters, sunshine, and outdoor recreation attracted millions of people from all over the United States to Arizona. Boating and sport fishing on Arizona's many reservoirs lured newcomers from states like…

The Salt River Valley has a long history of agricultural production. The ancient canal systems were hand built long before the age of electricity. Fast forward to 1920 and the round table of George H. Maxwell and Arizona state representative Fred…

Western names and stylized architecture are Old Town’s lasting memorials to early Scottsdale’s efforts to craft a unique identity for the town—one that would bring tourists in and set Scottsdale apart from other westward destinations. This…

If you visit Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church on Miller Road, seek out the small chapel in the northwestern corner of the parish property. Within its walls rests Our Lady of Guadalupe, a statue of the Virgin Mary with deep connections to the…

Across 19 major-league baseball stadiums in 19 states, are scattered the ashes of former Pink Pony owner, Charlie Briley. Perhaps one of the most well-known fans in the history of American baseball, Briley is largely responsible for bringing the…

During the 1950s Craftsman Court and Fifth Avenue were the heart of Scottsdale’s robust and vibrant arts scene. This vibrancy was both cause and symptom of Scottsdale’s newly inaugurated status as a glamorous, tourist destination. National…

Lloyd Kiva New was a leading artist and designer in Scottsdale's burgeoning arts and crafts community following World War II before emerging as a national leader in arts education. Born in Oklahoma in 1916 to Cherokee and Scot-Irish…

When the Hotel Valley Ho opened in 1956, it quickly became a playground for Hollywood refugees. James Cagney, Rudy Vallee, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Marilyn Monroe all relaxed under its roof. Like many local resorts, the…

If, as poet Wallace Stevens suggested, “The only emperor is the emperor of ice cream,” then Sugar Bowl founder Jack Huntress was a very important man. Huntress opened the Sugar Bowl on Christmas Eve 1958, a date that seems especially appropriate…

On March 12, 1956, America met Scottsdale on the pages of LIFE Magazine. Nina Leen’s photographic essay, “Sands of the Desert Turn Gold” introduced the burgeoning Western town, which had been incorporated only 5 years earlier. Here was a place where…