, settlement_type =

City A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

, image_skyline = Casa Grande-Casa Grande Union High School-1920-2.jpg , imagesize = 250px , image_caption = Historic Casa Grande Union High School which now serves as the Casa Grande City Hall. , image_map = Pinal County Arizona Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Casa Grande Highlighted 0410530.svg , mapsize = , map_caption = Location of Casa Grande in Pinal County, Arizona. , image_map1 = , mapsize1 = , map_caption1 = , pushpin_map = USA , pushpin_map_caption = Location in the United States , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name =

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, subdivision_type1 =

State State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

, subdivision_type2 =

County A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

, subdivision_name1 =

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, subdivision_name2 = Pinal , established_title = Founded , established_date = 1879 , government_type = , leader_title = City Manager , leader_title1 = Mayor , leader_name1 = Craig McFarland , leader_title2 = Mayor Pro Tempore , leader_name2. = Bob Huddleston , area_magnitude = , area_total_km2 = 290.10 , area_total_sq_mi = 112.01 , area_land_km2 = 290.10 , area_land_sq_mi = 112.01 , area_water_km2 = 0.00 , area_water_sq_mi = 0.00 , elevation_m = 426 , elevation_ft = 1398 , population_total = 53658 , population_as_of =

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

, population_density_km2 = 184.96 , population_density_sq_mi = 479.06 , population_metro = , postal_code_type = ZIP codes , postal_code = 85122, 85194, 85130, 85193 , area_code = 520 , unemployment_rate = , website = http://www.casagrandeaz.gov , footnotes = , pushpin_label = Casa Grande , leader_title3 = City Council , leader_name3 = Dick Powell,
Matt Herman,
Lisa Navarro Fitzgibbons,
Donna McBride,
Bob Huddleston,
Jeff Lavender , timezone = MST (no

DST Daylight saving time (DST), also referred to as daylight savings time or simply daylight time (United States, Canada, and Australia), and summer time (United Kingdom, European Union, and others), is the practice of advancing clocks (typicall ...

) , utc_offset = −7 , blank_name =

FIPS code The Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) of the United States are a set of publicly announced standards that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed for use in computer systems of non-military, American ...

, blank_info = 04-10530 , blank1_name =

GNIS The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...

feature ID , blank1_info = , unit_pref = Imperial , area_footnotes = , pop_est_as_of = , pop_est_footnotes = , population_est = , population_footnotes = Casa Grande (

O'odham The O'odham peoples, including the Tohono O'odham, the Pima or Akimel O'odham, and the Hia C-ed O'odham, are indigenous Uto-Aztecan peoples of the Sonoran desert in southern and central Arizona and northern Sonora, united by a common herita ...

: ''Wainom Wo:g'') is a city in

Pinal County Pinal County is in the central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. According to the 2020 census, the population of the county was 425,264, making it Arizona's third-most populous county. The county seat is Florence. The county was founded in 187 ...

, approximately halfway between

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

and

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

. According to U.S. Census estimates, the population of the city is 55,653 as of 2020. It is named after the

Casa Grande Ruins National Monument Casa Grande Ruins National Monument ( ood, Siwañ Waʼa Ki: or ''Sivan Vahki''), in Coolidge, Arizona, just north-east of the city of Casa Grande, preserves a group of Hohokam structures dating to the Classic Period (). History of the area ...

, which is actually located in Coolidge. "Casa Grande" is

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

for "big house". Among resident English speakers, there is no consensus on how to pronounce the city's name.

History

Casa Grande was founded in 1879 by The Carter Family during the Arizona mining boom, specifically due to the presence of the Southern Pacific Railroad. In January 1880, the community of Terminus, meaning "end-of-the-line," was established despite consisting of just five residents and three buildings."Casa Grande History"
, retrieved September 10, 2013 In September 1880, railroad executives renamed the settlement Casa Grande, after the Hohokam ruins at the nearby

. Casa Grande grew slowly, and suffered several setbacks both in 1886 and 1893, when fires ravaged the town, destroying all wooden housing structures within it. When the mining boom slowed in the 1890s, the town was nearly abandoned, but with the advent of agriculture, the town remained alive and well, and was eventually incorporated in 1915. One of the founding fathers of Casa Grande was Thompson Rodney Peart. Peart Road, Peart Park, and the Peart Center, all of which are notable fixtures of Casa Grande, are named after him. Casa Grande was home to a collective farm society which was part of the Farm Security Administration. According to historian David Leighton, during World War II, from 1942 to 1945, a Japanese-American relocation camp was set up outside of Casa Grande, known as the

Gila River War Relocation Center The Gila River War Relocation Center was an American concentration camp in Arizona, one of several built by the War Relocation Authority (WRA) during the Second World War for the incarceration of Japanese Americans from the West Coast. It was lo ...

. Two notable people that were interned there were future actor

Pat Morita Noriyuki "Pat" Morita (June 28, 1932 – November 24, 2005) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his roles as Matsuo "Arnold" Takahashi on '' Happy Days'', Mr. Miyagi in ''The Karate Kid'' film series, Captain Sam Pak on the sitc ...

and baseball player

Kenichi Zenimura Kenichi Zenimura (January 25, 1900 – November 13, 1968) was a Japanese-American baseball player, manager, and promoter. He had a long career with semiprofessional Japanese-American baseball leagues in the western United States and Hawaii; these ...

, who constructed a baseball field and set up a league in the relocation camp. Casa Grande is home to

Francisco Grande Francisco Grande is a hotel and golf resort located in Casa Grande, Arizona, approximately 46 miles south east of Phoenix. History In 1959 the San Francisco Giants' owner Horace Stoneham developed the property as a spring training camp for his ...

Hotel & Golf Resort, former spring training location for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Y ...

. Then owner,

Horace Stoneham Horace Charles Stoneham ( ; April 27, 1903 – January 7, 1990) was an American Major League Baseball executive and the owner of the New York / San Francisco Giants from 1936 to 1976. Inheriting the Giants, then one of the most prominent franch ...

, began developing the property in 1959. The first exhibition game was played in Casa Grande in 1961, with

Willie Mays Willie Howard Mays Jr. (born May 6, 1931), nicknamed "the Say Hey Kid" and "Buck", is a former center fielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Regarded as one of the greatest players ever, Mays ranks second behind only Babe Ruth on most all-tim ...

hitting a

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

. The San Francisco Giants no longer play at Francisco Grande, but the pool in a baseball bat and ball shape remains in memory of the past ballgames. During the Cold War, Casa Grande was the location of the

Casa Grande Photogrammetric Test Range The Casa Grande Photogrammetric Test Range is a test range established in the mid-1960s to test the dynamic performance of aerial survey cameras. The range consisted of consist of 272 concrete calibration markers embedded into the Earth's surface ...

. These targets consisted of concrete arrows located in and to the south of the city, which calibrated aerial cartographic cameras. Casa Grande has also played a prominent role in semi-pro and collegiate baseball. The Casa Grande Cotton Kings, who were founded in 1948, qualified to play in the

National Baseball Congress The National Baseball Congress of Wichita, Kansas is an organization of 17 amateur and semi-professional baseball leagues operating in the United States and Canada. Since its founding in 1935 by Hap Dumont, it has conducted an annual North America ...

World Series ten straight times by winning Arizona state championships in the 1940s and 1950s, and were reactivated in the 2000s. They are now members of the

Pacific Southwest Baseball League The Pacific Southwest Collegiate Baseball League is a Collegiate summer baseball, collegiate summer baseball league. The PSWL was a member of the National Baseball Congress. The PSWL League Champion represented the league annually at the National ...

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, Casa Grande has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Casa Grande has a hot desert climate (

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

BWh), typical for the

Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert ( es, Desierto de Sonora) is a desert in North America and ecoregion that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the southwestern United States (in Ariz ...

. The city experiences long, extremely hot summers and brief winters consisting of mild afternoons and chilly evenings. The area averages only of rain per year. The coolest month on average is December, with highs averaging , and lows typically averaging around . The lowest temperature ever recorded in Casa Grande was . July is the warmest month of the year, with an average high of and an average low of . The highest temperature ever recorded in the city was . Along with the rest of southern Arizona, the community is prone to

dust storms A dust storm, also called a sandstorm, is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions. Dust storms arise when a gust front or other strong wind blows loose sand and dirt from a dry surface. Fine particles are trans ...

and in the summer months is affected by the

North American Monsoon The North American monsoon, variously known as the Southwest monsoon, the Mexican monsoon, the New Mexican monsoon, or the Arizona monsoon is a pattern of pronounced increase in thunderstorms and rainfall over large areas of the southwestern Uni ...

, which brings high winds and heavy rain.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 48,571 people, 22,400 households, and 6,547 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 11,041 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 49.9% non-Hispanic

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 4.27%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 4.91% Native American, 1.17%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.10%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 21.09% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 3.56% from two or more races. 39.13% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. There were 8,920 households, out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were married couples living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.24. In the city, the population was spread out, with 30.9% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males. The median income for a household in the city was $36,212, and the median income for a family was $40,827. Males had a median income of $34,858 versus $23,533 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $15,917. About 12.4% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 21.2% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Casa Grande-Southern Pacific Railroad Depot-1925

The economy of Casa Grande was historically based on rural, agricultural industries, such as cotton and dairy farms. Over time, the city has become home to many Phoenix or Tucson urbanites who own homes in Casa Grande. Most residents either commute north to work in the Phoenix metropolitan area, or to the south, to work in Tucson. This trend has contributed to growth in the service industry of Casa Grande. Many new businesses such as restaurants, gas stations, and retail outlets are opening throughout the city in order to keep up with demand from the growing population. A retail shopping mall operates in southern Casa Grande. Phase one of The Promenade at Casa Grande opened on November 16, 2007. Built by Westcor and the Pederson Group, it is similar to Desert Ridge Marketplace (an outdoor shopping center in northeast

). The Promenade at Casa Grande is an outdoor mall, built on a patch of desert, and contains nearly a million square feet. An additional $11 million was spent by the city to fund the reconstruction of the Florence Blvd./I-10 freeway overpass. Ehrmann Commonwealth Dairy operates a major dairy processing facility in the town that opened in 2013 and employs about 110 people.

Top Employers

According to Casa Grande's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the city are:

Electric Cars

On November 29, 2016, officials from the state and the

Lucid Motors Lucid Group, Inc. is an American electric vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Newark, California. The company was founded in 2007. Deliveries of the Dream Edition launch versions were made available to the first group of 520 reservation hold ...

car company announced a $700 million manufacturing plant will be constructed in Casa Grande that will employ up to 2,000 workers by 2022. The LUCID Electric Car plant opened up for operation in November 2020.

News

Casa Grande Valley Newspapers Inc. Casa Grande Valley Newspapers Inc. is a family owned and operated newspaper and commercial printing company based in Casa Grande, Arizona. Since its inception, it has grown to 6 community newspapers, 4 specialty publications, 3 news websites and ...

Fire Department

The Casa Grande Fire Department (CGFD), ISO Class 2, provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the City of Casa Grande The Casa Grande Fire Department operates out of 4 Fire Stations and an Administrative Headquarters at the Public Safety Building. CGFD is serving 109.65 square miles with over 60,000 residents.

Library

The Casa Grande Public Library provides the standard services of access to reading materials, as well as some special services, including a volunteer reading club for elementary school, internet access, and a

talking book ''Talking Book'' is the fifteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter, and musician Stevie Wonder, released on October 27, 1972, by Tamla, a subsidiary of Motown Records. This album and '' Music of My Mind'', released earlier the same y ...

program. The main library is , provides 75,000 volumes, and provides 38 public access computers with internet access. The Vista Grande Public Library, a branch of the Casa Grande Library System, opened in the summer of 2009.

City Court

The Casa Grande

Municipal Court City court or municipal court is a court of law with jurisdiction limited to a city or other municipality. It typically addresses "violations of city ordinances and may also have jurisdiction over minor criminal cases...and over certain civil cases ...

is the judicial branch of Casa Grande City government and accepted 6,609 filings, conducted 2,486 arraignments and held 156 civil, criminal and jury trials in Fiscal Year 2006–2007.

Notable people

* Eduardo C. Corral, award-winning poet and teacher * Fred Enke, University of Arizona basketball, football and golf coach * Fred Enke, Jr., professional football quarterback and cotton farmer *

Pablo Francisco Pablo Ridson Francisco (born January 4, 1974) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He started his career doing improv in Tempe, Arizona. Career In the 1990s, he appeared on ''MADtv'' as a featured player. His stand-up act was introduced ...

, stand-up comedian * Pedro E. Guerrero, photographer * Joe Jonas, pop singer, musician, actor, and dancer *

Joy Oladokun Joy Oladokun (born April 6, 1992) is an American singer-songwriter. Oladokun's music spans the genres of folk, R&B, rock, and pop and is influenced by her identity as a queer woman of color. She has released three studio albums: ''Carry'' (20 ...

, singer-songwriter * Lewis Storey, singer-songwriter * Michael Sullivan *

Alex Torres Alex is a given name. It can refer to a shortened version of Alexander, Alexandra, Alexis. People Multiple * Alex Brown (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Gordon (disambiguation), multiple people * Alex Harris (disambiguation), multiple ...

, guitarist

Education

The following schools are located in Casa Grande. Public Elementary * Cottonwood Elementary School * Saguaro Elementary School * Evergreen Elementary School * Ironwood Elementary School * Cholla Elementary School * Palo Verde Elementary School * Mesquite Elementary School * Desert Willow Elementary School * McCartney Ranch Elementary School Public Middle School * Casa Grande Middle School * Cactus Middle School * Villago Middle School Public High School *

Casa Grande Union High School Casa Grande Union High School is a high school in Casa Grande, Arizona. It is part of the Casa Grande Union High School District. The original high school and gym, now used as the Casa Grande City Hall, are listed on the National Register of His ...

* Desert Winds High School *

Vista Grande High School Vista Grande High School is a high school in Casa Grande, Arizona started in 2009. It is part of the Casa Grande Union High School District. It was opened to relieve continuing enrollment growth at Casa Grande Union High School Casa Grande Uni ...

Charter High School * Pinnacle Charter High School * Casa Verde High School *

ASU Preparatory Academy, Casa Grande ASU Preparatory Academy, Casa Grande is a University-preparatory school in the Arizona State University Preparatory Academy, located in Casa Grande, Arizona, United States. The ASU Preparatory Academy, Casa Grande High School is part of a seri ...

* Mission Heights Preparatory High School * PPEP TEC High School Charter Schools * Grande Innovation Academy * Legacy Traditional School Private * St Anthony of Padua Catholic School (Private) * Logos Christian Academy (Private) Colleges *

Central Arizona College Central Arizona College (CAC) is a public community college near Coolidge, Arizona. CAC serves the population of Pinal County. History and campus Since 1969, Central Arizona College has been serving and educating the communities of Pinal Co ...

* Northern Arizona University (Extended Learning Campus)

Transportation

These highways serve Casa Grande. * I-8 (AZ)

Interstate 8 * I-10 (AZ)

Interstate 10 * I-11

the proposed

Interstate 11 Interstate 11 (I-11) is an Interstate Highway that currently runs for on a predominantly northwest–southeast alignment in the US state of Nevada, running concurrently with US Route 93 (US 93) between the Arizona state line ...

would begin in Casa Grande and end in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

Arizona State Route 287 State Route 287, also known as SR 287, is a predominantly east–west state highway in central Arizona. Originally, this highway number only applied to Florence-Coolidge Highway; the branch to Casa Grande was added later. Route description S ...

Arizona State Route 84 State Route 84, also known as SR 84, is a east–west highway in south-central Arizona, with its western terminus at Exit 151 of Interstate 8 and its eastern signed terminus at its junction with State Route 387 and State Route 287 in Cas ...

Arizona State Route 387 The City of Coolidge operates Central Arizona Regional Transit (CART), which provides transportation between

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany Regions of Italy, region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilan ...

, Coolidge,

and Casa Grande. Greyhound serves Casa Grande from a stop in Eloy. The closest major airports to Casa Grande are Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and

Tucson International Airport Tucson International Airport is a civil-military airport owned by the City of Tucson south of downtown Tucson, in Pima County, Arizona, United States. It is the second busiest airport in Arizona, after Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airp ...

. Casa Grande Shuttle provides an airport shuttle to Sky Harbor.

References

External links

City of Casa Grande — Official site

Casa Grande Valley Historical Society — Official site

{{authority control Cities in Arizona Phoenix metropolitan area Cities in Pinal County, Arizona Populated places established in 1879 Populated places in the Sonoran Desert Mining communities in Arizona