Maryvale, Phoenix facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Maryvale
Urban Village of Phoenix
Maryvale Urban Village within Phoenix.
Maryvale Baseball Park and surrounding suburban development.
Country	United States
State	Arizona
City	Phoenix
Area
• Total	37.6 sq mi (~97.4 km2)
Elevation	1,119 ft (341 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	208,189
• Density	6,500/sq mi (2,500/km2)
Area code(s)	602 623
Website	Maryvale Village Planning Committee

Maryvale is a busy part of Phoenix, Arizona. It's known as an urban village, which means it's a large community within the city.

History of Maryvale

Plans for Maryvale started in the 1950s. A developer named John F. Long (1920-2008) had an idea. He wanted to build a new community on the west side of Phoenix. His goal was to create a suburb with homes that people could afford.

Maryvale was one of the first communities in the country to be planned out completely before it was built. It was designed to have places for parks, schools, and other important services. To help sell homes, famous actors like Buster Keaton, Pat Boone, and even future President Ronald Reagan helped with the marketing!

The community was named after John Long's wife, Mary. A famous architect named Victor Gruen helped design the first plans for the area. By 1956, Maryvale was so popular that John Long was selling 125 homes every week!

Over time, the people living in Maryvale changed. In the 1970s, some residents moved to other parts of the city. Then, in the 1980s, more Hispanic families began to move into the area. Like many large communities, Maryvale has faced challenges, but people continue to work to make it a great place to live.

In 2014, Maryvale was in the news because of funny reports about wild chihuahuas causing trouble for residents. However, some news sources later said these reports might not have been entirely true.

Where is Maryvale?

Maryvale is located on the western side of the City of Phoenix. It's found southwest of Grand Avenue, west of Interstate 17, north of McDowell Road and Interstate 10, and east of the Phoenix city limits.

People of Maryvale

Maryvale is the largest of Phoenix's urban villages when it comes to how many people live there.

In 2010, Maryvale had a population of 208,189 people. While no single group makes up more than half of the population, White people were the largest group, making up about 49.5% of the community. Other groups include Black or African Americans (6%), American Indian or Alaska Native (1.9%), Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders (1.9%), and Asian (1.5%). About 37% of the population identified as "Some Other Race."

A large number of Maryvale's residents, about 76%, are Hispanic. This means that Maryvale is a minority-majority community, where groups that are minorities in the country as a whole make up the majority of the local population.

The average household income in Maryvale is about $40,504 per year. About 20.63% of the people in the community live below the poverty line.

Fun and Culture

Maryvale is home to Ak-Chin Pavilion, a large outdoor music venue. It's located at 2121 N 83rd Avenue and is a popular spot for concerts and shows in the Phoenix area. The amphitheater first opened in 1990 and can hold about 20,000 people.

Sports and Outdoor Fun

Baseball in Maryvale

Maryvale is a big spot for baseball fans! The American Family Fields of Phoenix is a huge 56-acre sports facility. It's located at 51st Avenue and Indian School Road. This is the spring training home for the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team. The stadium first opened in 1998 as Maryvale Baseball Park. In 2017, the Phoenix City Council agreed to keep the Brewers at this facility for another 25 years. The city will help with renovations to the park.

Another great baseball spot is Camelback Ranch. This 141-acre facility is located at 107th Avenue and Camelback Road. It's the spring training home for two other famous baseball teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox.

Golf in Maryvale

Maryvale also has a fantastic golf course! The City of Phoenix used to run the Maryvale Golf Course. It was designed by William F. Bell, who also designed the famous Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego, California. This 130-acre course opened in 1961.

In 2016, the golf course reopened as the Grand Canyon University Golf Course. This happened through a partnership between the City of Phoenix and Grand Canyon University (GCU). The new golf course was redesigned by John Fought and includes a rebuilt clubhouse. GCU invested $10 million into the project, helping to make it a top-notch course for everyone to enjoy.

Getting Around Maryvale

Transportation

The Desert Sky Transit Center, which opened in December 2015, helps people use public transportation in the area. Many Valley Metro bus routes stop at this station. This includes the I-10 West RAPID bus route, which takes passengers from the center to Downtown Phoenix. There's also the Phoenix/Gila Bend Regional Connector, which connects the Transit Center to Gila Bend.

Maryvale also has a special local bus route called Phoenix Neighborhood Circulator MARY. This bus helps people travel within the community.

Maryvale's Environment

Maryvale was built on old farmland. In the past, a pesticide called DDT was used regularly in farming. Maryvale is also the site of a state clean-up area known as the West Central Phoenix Water Quality Assurance Revolving Fund (WQARF). This area had some chemicals, like TCE, from industries that used to be there.

According to Arizona's Department of Environmental Quality, the West Central Phoenix WQARF area has five spots where groundwater (water under the ground) was affected by chemicals. These include things like Volatile organic compound, PCE, and TCE. It's important to know that the water under this area is not used for public drinking water.

Health Concerns in the Past

In the late 1980s, people in Maryvale became aware of a health concern. Studies showed that from 1970 to 1986, there was a higher rate of Leukemia among young people (newborns to 19-year-olds) in the area compared to the national average. Also, a study that started in 1983 found higher rates of birth defects in the same general area.

The state's Department of Health Services (ADHS) looked into these concerns. A study was launched, overseen by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This study faced some delays but eventually concluded that there was no clear link found between environmental factors and the leukemia cases. Some people felt that the study didn't look closely enough at the community's water supply. As recently as 2009, Arizona's Department of Environmental Quality has stated that there is no proven link between Maryvale's groundwater issues and increased cancer rates.

Famous People from Maryvale

• Henry Cejudo, a wrestler who won a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and became a UFC Flyweight Champion.
• Doug Mathis, a professional baseball pitcher.
• Sandra Day O'Connor, the very first female justice on the United States Supreme Court.
• CeCe Peniston, a well-known R&B singer.
• Phillippi Sparks, a former NFL player.
• Darren Woodson, another former NFL player.