Buckeye, AZ Community

With humble beginnings, Buckeye began in 1877, when the founder led a party of 6 men, three women and ten children, from Creston, Iowa, bound for Arizona. Thomas Newt Clanton was the leader. His purpose for heading west was his health. A good move for Clanton, as he went on to live 49 years in Arizona before dying at age 82. Development of the Buckeye Canal, named by Malin Jackson in honor of his native state of Ohio, “The Buckeye State”, was the first big boost to the town. By 1912, many buildings were constructed, and Buckeye established a business community.

Buckeye was incorporated in 1926 and included 440 acres. In 1935, the Buckeye Chamber of Commerce started the Helzapoppin Days, which became a local tradition. The festival included a parade, a carnival, a rodeo and street dances. Proceeds were given to a local church, which distributed the money to the needy and funded scholarships. Cowboy singing star, Gene Autry was among the celebrities who attended the events.

Today there are currently 30 master planned communities planned for the 600 square mile planning area of Buckeye. Nearly 400,000 single family units have been approved. In 6 of those developments, more than 250,000 homes are planned, as well as 71 elementary schools, 13 high schools, and more than 4,500 acres of commercial, retail and employment development. Buckeye is also the home of the 20th youth baseball field donated by the Arizona Diamondbacks- Craig Counsell Field.

While many communities in Maricopa County have been criticized for destroying the desert with a sea of rooftops, Buckeye is striving to preserve almost 120 square miles of pristine Sonoran Desert land for future generations. Buckeye is definitely an great area in which to buy a home, getting in on the ground floor of this major growth that is going to occur in the very near future. The population has gone from 6,537 in 2000 to more than 25,000 in 2005. By 2010, projections call for a population of 100,000, and by 2010, a population of 265,000.