Avondale's founding father, William "Billy" G. Moore, arrived in Arizona in the late 1860s, settling near the Agua Fria (Spanish for "cold water") River around 1880. Legend has it that Moore was a member of the Quantrill gang of Civil War guerrillas led by Willard Clarke Quantrill. Moore, the gang's blacksmith, was banished by the governor of Missouri to the Arizona Territory in 1867 (he was later pardoned). He first took up residence near Kingman, before becoming the first settler to put roots into the desert land by the Agua Fria River.

Billy Moore called his settlement "Coldwater, Arizona" - apparently both for the river and for the water that flowed from a local spring. He served a brief stint as Justice of the Peace for the Agua Fria area. He bought land, established a stage stop on the Butterfield Stage Run, erected a saloon and a general store, and was even Postmaster of Coldwater from 1901 till 1905.

In the early 1900s, the Coldwater post office moved to a site near the nearby Avondale Ranch. By then, Billy Moore had lost his position as Postmaster, reportedly because he violated postal regulations, which prohibited the dispensing of alcohol from the same building that houses a post office.

The post office soon became known as Avondale, and the name Coldwater was discontinued.

In December 1946 the City of Avondale was incorporated. Each year, Avondale and its neighboring communities celebrate the area's colorful past with a parade down Western Avenue, a fun-filled carnival, burro races, a golf tournament and much more.

Avondale Today

Today, Avondale is a modern city, near the heart of the Phoenix metropolitan area. The current population is over 60,000, and is expected to reach 125,000 by the year 2020. The anticipated build-out population is estimated to be 170,000 residents. That rapid growth makes Avondale one of the fastest-growing communities in the valley, and the nation. Over the last decade, housing starts grew more than 700% with a current average home price of $157,000. Household income has steadily increased and is currently estimated at $68,000.

Quality of Life

To keep pace with the rapidly growing population, a variety of cultural, economic, recreational and educational advantages have evolved. Resources range from the programs of the West Valley Arts Council to the academic resources of Estrella Mountain Community College and Universal Technical Institute. From the soccer fields of Friendship Park to the high excitement of Phoenix International Raceway, (PIR) Avondale has something for everyone. PIR is billed as the world’s fastest one-mile paved oval and plays host to NASCAR, Indy Racing League and USAC open-wheel cars. PIR hosts two NASCAR events annually, each attracting nearly 400,000 enthusiasts and hundreds of race teams, contributing hundreds of millions of dollars into the state and local economy.

Friendship Park is a recently completed $5.6 million youth sports complex funded in part by the Maricopa Tourism and Sports Authority. This facility has become host to various sporting events including soccer, Pop Warner Football, baseball and softball. The park features 11 soccer fields, 4 baseball fields, a dog park, and a sculpture garden with a traditional Japanese gazebo generously donated by the community of Kaizu, Japan.

Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC) is one of the fastest growing educational centers within the Maricopa Community College system; enrollment is projected to grow to more than 20,000 students in the next 15-20 years. Located adjacent to the EMCC campus will be the future home of the West Valley Arts Council, a regional organization that is striving to bring arts and culture in its many forms to the region.

Avondale prides itself on service to the public. To better serve the residents, the Avondale Civic Center opened in December 2003 providing a one-stop-shop government center complex. Located on a 60-acre parcel along Avondale Boulevard, just south of Van Buren Street, this 105,000 sf facility includes City Hall, the Police Administration Building and the Avondale Municipal Court.

Commercial Opportunities

Avondale has evolved from an old west outpost to agriculture and from a bedroom community to a diverse city that is able to attract and support employment in many forms, from office to light industrial. Avondale is situated in an ideal commercial corridor at the crossroads of Interstate 10 and the 101, which has piqued the interest of new investors, especially along the I-10 and Avondale Boulevard corridors.

In 2002, a concerted effort was made to attract retail sales to support a growing city budget. Since then, the Auto Mall has grown to fourteen new car dealers, Gateway Pavilions, a 734,000 sf retail power center located at 99^th Avenue and McDowell has become home to big-box retailers such as Costco, Harkins Theaters 18-plex, Borders Books, Circuit City, Mor Furniture, PetCo, Bed Bath & Beyond and Sports Authority. Coldwater Plaza, with almost 500,000 sf of shopping at the I-10 and Dysart Road is anchored by Sam’s Club and Home Depot and includes Ashley Furniture and Lane Furniture. One of the newer developments, Alameda Crossing, located at the intersection of Dysart Road and McDowell Road is home to Kohl’s with the balance of the 300,000 sf center under design and expected to grow during 2005.

To meet Avondale’s demand for hotel space, a 160,000 sf Hilton Garden Inn and Hilton Homewood Suites is in the final design stages and will begin construction in the third quarter of 2005. The Hilton complex will be the anchor tenant for a 45-acre development at the SE corner of I-10 and Avondale Boulevard that will include restaurants, retail, offices and flex space to meet the market needs and supply a steady source of local employment opportunities.

Avondale has already begun the next step in its evolution, the attraction of offices, business parks and light manufacturing to meet the growing local demand. Over 400 acres, designated as employment in the General Plan, is currently in various stages of design and approval. Recent employer locates include Universal Technical Institute (UTI), with over 250 jobs and Cummins Rocky Mountain Diesel, with over 80 jobs. In addition, Avondale Medical Campus is under construction and will offer 180,000 sf of state-of-the-art medical facilities and over 400 trained medical personnel.

Even with the exceptional growth and rapid evolution, Avondale has not forgotten its roots. Programs such as the Infill Incentive Program and the Central Business Development Advisory Committee have been integral to the slow, but steady redevelopment of Avondale’s older commercial districts. Shopping, restaurants and new office employment have combined to create new opportunities where business once thrived.

A Place to Call Home

Avondale is a dynamic City with a wide variety of opportunities and a great future. The City Council, volunteers, citizens and staff have worked as a team to not only keep up with the surge of growth, but have actively partnered to control how and where growth occurs and to ensure it adheres to a high standard. Avondale’s goals are to develop as a sustainable community that offers amenities, residential choice, employment opportunities and quality of life to all residents, both old and new alike. The time is right to take a step forward and discover Avondale.