History Of Chandler Arizona

Chandler, Arizona is a plush suburb of the city of Phoenix. Chandler is home to many wealthy residents that reside within Maricopa County. The suburb of Chandler has a long history with Phoenix. While Chandler is connected to Phoenix it remains its own independent city. Here is a presentation of Chandler Az history. You will discover how this city was established and why it’s so important to the greater Phoenix metropolitan area.

The area of Chandler Arizona was founded in 1912. However, the land where Chandler now resides was settled in 1891 by Dr. Alexander John Chandler. This physician specialized in veterinarian medicine. He was the first veterinarian surgeon in Arizona.

The good Dr. Chandler wasn’t just a veterinarian surgeon, he was also a knowledgeable irrigation engineer and land developer. He brought 80 acres of land from the government. He took this land and built canals with it. Dr. Chandler’s land and irrigation system was set up in Salt River Valley.

Dr. Chandler worked his land for many years. By the year 1900 he had managed to start his own personal ranch. This was a huge sprawling ranch project that had 18,000 acres. There was a charter that only allowed ranch owners to water 160 acres of their land.

Chandler owned way too much land to water. So, he had to hire architects and planners to divvy up his territory. After his land was divide up, he started to sell it off under the name of Chandler Ranch sites. He eventually took the original ranch site that he settled and turned this into the city of Chandler.

Once he established the town’s first center, he attracted 300 buyers from around the country to purchase his land. The town center was connected to a railroad which helped travelers to visit the area. Chandler had also built a dining hall and a grocery store called Morison next to the town center.

These three buildings would lay the foundation for Chandler. As time passed, Dr. Chandler began to add more buildings into the area. Businesses and town administration buildings were starting to spring up along Chandler’s landscape. A year after Chandler was founded it was now alive and thriving.

The city’s main industry was agriculture and cotton were very important to its economy. There was hotels, restaurants, parks and terraces for visitors to experience. Roads were available and traveling through the city was convenient during that era.

Cotton was so abundant in the area that it was purchased from Chandler and used to help build the town of Goodyear. It was also used to help the war effort for World War I. By 1920’s the city had reached a population of 1,000 people. It also had paved roads since cars were common.

Eventually the city set up a charter and elected a mayor and city council. The area suffered during the Great Depression. This is because cotton was no longer being purchased like was in the past. Still, the city survived. By the early 1940’s a major highway and air force base were placed in and near Chandler.

Chandler’s population had doubled during Second Great War. For the next 40 years, Chandler’s population continued to increase. By 1980 the city had grown to 30,000 people. It’s agriculture economy started to shift in the 1980’s. Tech companies were settling into the area at the time.

When the tech companies arrived, Chandler was dubbed the Silicon Desert. Commercial and residential development are constantly expanding within the city. The city of Phoenix was started in 1912 and it grew at a rapid pace. Phoenix outpaced Chandler and became the dominant city in the area.

However, Chandler is wealthier. Chandler was designated a suburb of Phoenix and it’s only 22 miles from Phoenix. Even though Chandler is a suburb it still has its own identity, charm and economy. People from all over Arizona and the nation visit this place every year.