Goodyear, Arizona facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Goodyear
City
Goodyear City Hall building at 190 N Litchfield Road
Seal
Location of Goodyear in Maricopa County, Arizona
Goodyear, Arizona Location in Arizona Goodyear, Arizona Location in the United States Goodyear, Arizona Location in North America
Country	United States
State	Arizona
County	Maricopa
Area
• Total	191.33 sq mi (495.54 km2)
• Land	191.30 sq mi (495.46 km2)
• Water	0.03 sq mi (0.08 km2)
Elevation	968 ft (295 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	95,294
• Density	498.14/sq mi (192.33/km2)
Time zone	UTC-7 (MST (no DST))
ZIP code	85338, 85395
Area code(s)	623
FIPS code	04-28380
GNIS feature ID	5172
Website	http://www.goodyearaz.gov/

Goodyear (O'odham: Valin Thak) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is a suburb of Phoenix and at the 2010 census had a population of 65,275. It was the third-fastest-growing city in Arizona between 1990 and 2000. The 2019 population estimate was 86,840.

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 16,000 acres (65 km²) of land by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company to cultivate cotton for vehicle tire threads. 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.

In January 1965, the Phoenix Trotting Park, a harness racing track opened. At the time, there was no Interstate 10 or any major roads from Phoenix to Goodyear for access to the track. It closed under two years later, but still stands, and has been abandoned ever since. It is located south of Interstate 10 and is clearly visible from the freeway.

The town became a city in 1985. In the same decade, the remaining 10,000 acres (40 km²) of the original farmland was sold for future development. The Phoenix Goodyear Airport received its current name in 1986.

Throughout the 1990s, 2000s and 2010s, new homes and communities brought the population increasing rapidly. Goodyear continues to grow as more communities and homes are continuing to be built. Goodyear's population is projected to be 358,000 by 2035.

Geography

Goodyear is located at 33°27′00″N 112°21′30″W (33.449917, -112.358382). Nearby cities include Avondale, Litchfield Park, Tolleson and Buckeye. Goodyear is about 17 miles (27 km) west of downtown Phoenix.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 116.5 square miles (302 km²), all of it land. 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 20,000 acres (31 sq mi), which most of that area is still desert. It contains eight trails over 30 mi (48 km) in length combined, two baseball fields, and a 9.5 mi (15.3 km) track.

Climate

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

Winters are mild and temperate, with lows in the upper 30s to the lower 50s and highs ranging from 60 to 75. Spring is warm with highs easily going over 90 in April and 100 in May. Summers are very hot, with many of the days with highs over 110. Falls are still very warm, with temperatures commonly going over 90 in October.

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 rain showers even from a sunny morning. Dust storms are occasional, mainly during the summer.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1930	1,135		—
1950	1,254		—
1960	1,654		31.9%
1970	2,140		29.4%
1980	2,747		28.4%
1990	6,258		127.8%
2000	18,911		202.2%
2010	65,275		245.2%
2015 (est.)	79,003		21.0%
U.S. Decennial Census 2015 Estimate

2010 Census

As of 2010, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that there were 65,275 people residing 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

As of 2000, there were 18,911 people, 6,179 households, and 4,986 families residing 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 square mile (22.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 78.13% White, 5.20% African American, 1.06% Native American, 1.71% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 10.87% from other races, and 2.95% from two or more races. 20.80% 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.

Transportation

Air

Phoenix Goodyear Airport is located here. It has an 8,500 feet (2,600 m) 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, 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 2 lanes in each direction to 5 or 6 (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 & 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.

Gallery

This gallery includes some photos of the Phoenix Trotting Park and a photo of a remodeled Goodyear-Wingfoot house in Goodyear. Both of these structures are abandoned and boarded up.

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  South Lake Park in Estrella, on the southern end of Goodyear.

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  Front of the Phoenix Trotting Park, built in 1965, closed in 1966.

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  A different view of the front of the Phoenix Trotting Park.

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  Another view of the Phoenix Trotting Park.

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  The Phoenix-Goodyear Airport "bone-yard" where planes that are no longer in use are kept.

Events

• Movies at the Ballpark
• Dry Heat Comedy Nights
• Family Concert Series
• Spring Training Baseball
• Ballet Under the Stars
• Skate Fest
• Heart and Sole Run
• Goodyear Lakeside Music Fest
• Star Spangled Banner 4 July Event
• The Art of Cultures Festival
• Tres Rios
• Home Plate for the Holidays
• Wag and Tag

Source:

Sports

Goodyear Ballpark

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.

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

• Incito Schools
• Mabel Padgett Elementary School
• Palm Valley Elementary School
• Desert Star Elementary School
• Centerra Mirage S.T.E.M Academy
• Copper Trails Elementary School
• Desert Thunder Elementary School
• Estrella Mountain Elementary School K–8
• Westar Elementary School
• Western Sky Middle School
• Wildflower Elementary School
• Odyssey Preparatory Academy
• St. John Vianney Catholic School

High schools

• Desert Edge High School
• Millennium High School
• Estrella Foothills High School

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 30 acres (120,000 m²) of land. It offers a Doctor of Physical Therapy program and other healthcare-related programs.

Notable people

• Mitchell Watt, former Buffalo Bulls basketball player from Desert Edge High School
• Carrick Felix, former Arizona State Sun Devils men's basketball and current Cleveland Cavaliers player
• Rick Manning, former MLB player and current baseball broadcaster

Images for kids

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  Landing Strip L288 with its original markings

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  Different view of the landing Strip L288 with its original markings.

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  USAAF building ruins.

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  More USAAF building ruins.

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  Luke Field Auxiliary #6 landing strip.