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Maryvale is an
urban village In urban planning and design, an urban village is an urban development typically characterized by medium-density housing, mixed use zoning, good public transit and an emphasis on pedestrianization and public space. Contemporary urban village id ...
of
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 ...
,
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 ...
.


History

Plans for Maryvale began to take shape in the 1950s, when developer John F. Long (1920-2008) came up with the idea of a master-planned community on the western part of the city of Phoenix, with an aim of turning the area into a suburb with affordable homes and one of the first master planned communities in the country. Maryvale was designed to include space for parks, schools, and the fulfillment of other community services. Marketing involved famous actors of that era including
Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...
,
Pat Boone Patrick Charles Eugene Boone (born June 1, 1934) is an American singer and actor. He was a successful pop singer in the United States during the 1950s and early 1960s. He sold more than 45 million records, had 38 Top 40 hits, and appeared in mo ...
, and future
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
. The community was named after Long's wife, Mary, and its initial master plan was drawn up by architect
Victor Gruen Victor David Gruen, born Viktor David Grünbaum
retrieved 25 February 2012
(July 18, 1903 – February 1 ...
. By 1956, Long was selling 125 homes a week in Maryvale. Demographic changes came to the area by 1975, as residents began moving to the north Valley. Meanwhile, Hispanic families began moving into the area in the 1980s. Additionally, the discovery of a cancer cluster in the 1980s ( see below) reportedly contributed to
white flight White flight or white exodus is the sudden or gradual large-scale migration of white people from areas becoming more racially or ethnoculturally diverse. Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, the terms became popular in the United States. They refer ...
in the community. Maryvale is noted for having a crime problem. Gangs moved into
condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...
and apartment complexes in the area, and were not afraid of challenging law enforcement. Gang members at one particular condominium complex, Woodmar, were noted to have threatened law enforcement officials to the extent that Phoenix police did not allow its officers to enter the complex without the backup of at least two other police officers. The area also has a problem with
graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...
. In 1999,
Phoenix Police Department The Phoenix Police Department is the law enforcement agency responsible for the city of Phoenix, Arizona. As of October 2021, the Phoenix Police Department comprises just under 2,800 officers, some 350 below authorized strength of 3,125 and mo ...
officer Marc Atkinson was shot and killed in Maryvale, in the first fatal shooting of a police officer in the city of Phoenix since 1991. In that same year, Phoenix police began an effort aimed at reducing crime at Woodmar, with search warrants served, drug and criminal syndicate charges filed against individuals, and restraining orders served on people who did not live at the complex. As a result, there was a decrease in crime at the complex, but the Maryvale community, as a whole, is still experiencing crime problems. The community was rocked by a number of shootings that were allegedly committed by the Serial Street Shooter in 2016. At the time, community leaders expressed concerns that Maryvale had been ignored by city leaders and the Phoenix Police Department. Maryvale made local, national, and international headlines in 2014, after reports surfaced of feral
chihuahuas The Chihuahua or es, Chihuahueño, italic=no is a Mexican breed of toy dog. It is named for the Mexican state of Chihuahua and is among the smallest of all dog breeds. It is usually kept as a companion animal or for showing. History DN ...
terrorizing area residents. The veracity of the reports, however, has been challenged by the
Phoenix New Times ''Phoenix New Times'' is a free digital and print media company based in Phoenix, Arizona. ''New Times'' publishes daily online coverage of local news, restaurants, music and arts, as well as longform narrative journalism. A weekly print issue ...
.


Geography

The community is located on the western edge of the City of Phoenix, and encompasses an area southwest of Grand Avenue, West of
Interstate 17 Interstate 17 (I-17) is a north–south Interstate Highway entirely within the US state of Arizona. I-17's southern terminus lies in Phoenix, at I-10, and its northern terminus is in Flagstaff, at Milton Road north of I-40. Most of I-17 ...
, north of McDowell Road and
Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally p ...
, and east and southeast of Phoenix city limits.


Demographics

Maryvale is the most populous of Phoenix's urban villages. As of 2010, Maryvale had a population of 208,189. While census figures show no single ethnic group being in the majority, Caucasians made up the largest single racial group, comprising 49.5% of the community's population. Blacks or African Americans make up 6% of Maryvale's population, followed by American Indian or Alaska Native (1.9%), Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islanders (1.9%), and Asian (1.5%). (37% of the community's population are identified as members of "Some Other Race".)
Hispanics 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 for ...
comprise 76% of Maryvale's residents. This makes the village a
minority-majority A majority-minority or minority-majority area is a term used to refer to a subdivision in which one or more racial, ethnic, and/or religious minorities (relative to the whole country's population) make up a majority of the local population. Term ...
community. The median household income in Maryvale is $40,504 per year, and 20.63% of the community's population live under the poverty line.


Arts and culture

Maryvale is home to
Ak-Chin Pavilion Ak-Chin Pavilion (originally known as the Desert Sky Pavilion) is an amphitheater located in Phoenix, Arizona, which seats 8,106 under a pavilion roof and an additional 12,000 on a hillside behind the main stands. It opened on November 11, 1990 ( ...
, located at 2121 N 83rd Avenue, an entertainment venue for the Phoenix metropolitan area. The amphitheater first opened in 1990, with a total capacity of approximately 20,000.


Sports and recreation


Baseball

The American Family Fields of Phoenix, a 56-acre facility located at 51st Avenue and Indian School Road is the
spring training Spring training is the preseason in Major League Baseball (MLB), a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spring training allows new players to try out for roster and position spots, and gives estab ...
home for the
Milwaukee Brewers The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
. The stadium first opened in 1998 as Maryvale Baseball Park. In November 2017, the Phoenix City Council approved a deal that will keep the Brewers at the facility for another 25 years. In exchange, the city will contribute US$2 million per year, for five years, towards park renovation efforts.
Camelback Ranch Camelback Ranch–Glendale is a baseball complex located in Phoenix, Arizona and owned by the city of Glendale. It is operated by Camelback Spring Training LLC. It is the spring training home of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox. The m ...
, a 141-acre facility located at 107th Avenue and Camelback Road, is the spring training home for the
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League West, West division. Established in 1883 i ...
and
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central division. The team is owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, and ...
.


Golf

The City of Phoenix once operated the ''Maryvale Golf Course,'' a championship-length course that was designed by William F. Bell, who also designed Torrey Pines Golf Course in
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
. The 130-acre facility opened in 1961, but the City of Phoenix eventually ran the golf course at a loss of $250,000 per year. The golf course reopened as the ''Grand Canyon University Golf Course'' on January 6, 2016, as a partnership between the City of Phoenix and
Grand Canyon University Grand Canyon University (GCU) is a private for-profit Christian university in Phoenix, Arizona. Based on student enrollment, Grand Canyon University was the largest Christian university in the world in 2018, with 20,000 attending students on c ...
(GCU). The new golf course was redesigned by John Fought, with a rebuilt clubhouse. GCU, which invested $10 million into the project, will split the golf course's profits with the City of Phoenix after it recoups its initial investment.


Infrastructure


Transportation

The Desert Sky Transit Center, which opened for service in December 2015, serves public transit users in the area. A number of
Valley Metro The Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority, more popularly known as Valley Metro, is the unified public brand of the regional transit system for the Phoenix metropolitan area. Within the system, it is divided between Valley Metro ...
bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
routes call at the station, including the
bus rapid transit Bus rapid transit (BRT), also called a busway or transitway, is a bus-based public transport system designed to have much more capacity, reliability and other quality features than a conventional bus system. Typically, a BRT system includes ...
route ''I-10 West RAPID,'' which carries passengers from the center to
Downtown Phoenix Downtown Phoenix is the central business district (CBD) of the City of Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is located in the heart of the Phoenix metropolitan area or Valley of the Sun. Phoenix, being the county seat of Maricopa County and ...
, and the ''Phoenix/Gila Bend Regional Connector,'' which carries passengers between the Transit Center and Gila Bend. The Maryvale community is also served by a local circulator bus route called ''Phoenix Neighborhood Circulator MARY.''


Health

In 2011,
non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
community health center group Mountain Health Center converted an abandoned theater in Maryvale into a clinic. In December 2017, Abrazo Community Health Network closed its
campus A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a college campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls, student centers or dining halls, and park-li ...
, citing declining demands for its services. The decision to close the hospital was announced in October of that year and, although officials with Abrazo said the closure would not impact the community's access to healthcare, residents were concerned that the extra time spent traveling to other healthcare facilities nearby could be detrimental during an emergency situation. The public hospital system,
Valleywise Health Valleywise Health (formerly Maricopa Integrated Health System) is a network of taxpayer-funded hospitals and medical facilities in Maricopa County, Arizona. History Maricopa Integrated Health System was founded in 1991 in Maricopa County, A ...
(formerly Maricopa Integrated Health System), operates the Valleywise Community Health Center – West Maryvale, Valleywise Emergency – Maryvale, and the Valleywise Behavioral Health Center – Maryvale. Its sole hospital is Valleywise Health Medical Center in Phoenix. In 2018, Maricopa Integrated Health System announced it will reopen the former Abrazo hospital facility, along with its emergency department, in 2019. The former hospital facility reopened as Valleywise Behavioral Health Center – Maryvale and Valleywise Emergency – Maryvale. On October 28, 2021, the Maryvale clinic moved to West Maryvale.


Environment

Maryvale was noted as being built on farmland at a time when the pesticide DDT was in regular use. Maryvale is also the location of a state
Superfund Superfund is a United States federal environmental remediation program established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). The program is administered by the Environmental Protection Agency ...
site known as the West Central Phoenix Water Quality Assurance Revolving Fund (WQARF), which involves the dumping of chemicals, including TCE, by a number of industries in the area. The West Central Phoenix WQARF, according to Arizona's Department of Environmental Quality, is an area that contains five plumes of groundwater contamination, including
Volatile organic compound Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are organic compounds that have a high vapour pressure at room temperature. High vapor pressure correlates with a low boiling point, which relates to the number of the sample's molecules in the surrounding air, a ...
, PCE, and TCE. The water under the area is not used in the public drinking water system.


Cancer cluster

In 1987, community residents became aware of the fact that Maryvale was part of a
cancer cluster A cancer cluster is a disease cluster in which a high number of cancer cases occurs in a group of people in a particular geographic area over a limited period of time.
. From 1970 to 1986, newborns to 19-year-olds died of
Leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...
at a rate twice the era's national average. In addition, a study that began in 1983 and was released in 1987 revealed that, in the same general area of the cancer cluster, elevated rates of
birth defects A birth defect, also known as a congenital disorder, is an abnormal condition that is present at birth regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disabilities that may be physical, intellectual, or developmental. The disabilities can ...
were identified. The state's Department of Health Services (ADHS) was reportedly aware of the cancer cluster problem at least five years prior to the report, and repeatedly refused to launch a substantive investigation. In addition, the agency also told the principal of a parochial school in the area - who first discovered that children were dying - to not talk about the issue. A study was later launched by the state, with an original completion deadline of 1991. The study, under the oversight of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georg ...
, faced a number of delays, but eventually found no link between environmental factors and the leukemia cases. Critics accused ADHS of not looking seriously at the community's water supply, instead focusing on collecting data on a wide array of variables. Some critics also leveled accusations that the study was drawn out, with the intention of deflecting litigation against the city of Phoenix and pollution generating industries. As recently as 2009, Arizona's Department of Environmental Quality maintains there is no link between Maryvale's groundwater contamination and increased cancer rates.


Notable residents

*
Henry Cejudo Henry Cejudo (born February 9, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler. He is the former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight Champion and Bantamweight Champion. He is the fourth UFC fighter to h ...
, wrestler and UFC Flyweight Champion; won gold medal at
2008 Beijing Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...
*
Doug Mathis Douglas Alan Mathis (born June 7, 1983) is a former professional baseball pitcher and current pitching coach with the Los Angeles Dodgers for their AAA affiliate in Oklahoma City. He played in Major League Baseball, the KBO League, Nippon Profes ...
, professional baseball pitcher *
Sandra Day O'Connor Sandra Day O'Connor (born March 26, 1930) is an American retired attorney and politician who served as the first female associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. She was both the first woman nominated and th ...
, first female justice of the
United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
*
CeCe Peniston Cecilia Veronica "CeCe" Peniston (; born September 6, 1969) is an American singer and former beauty queen. In the early 1990s, she scored five number one hits on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Music/Club Play. Her signature song " Finally" re ...
, R&B singer *
Phillippi Sparks Phillippi Dwain Sparks (born April 15, 1969) is a former American football cornerback in the National Football League. Sparks graduated from Maryvale High School in Phoenix, Arizona, in 1987. He attended and played football for Glendale Communi ...
, NFL player *
Darren Woodson Darren Ray Woodson (born April 25, 1969) is a former American football safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played his entire career for the Dallas Cowboys from 1992 to 2003. He was drafted by the Cowboys in the second round (37th o ...
, NFL player


References


External links


City of Phoenix

Maryvale Village Planning Committee

Ak-Chin Pavilion website

Camelback Ranch website

American Family Fields of Phoenix website

Valleywise Community Health Center - Maryvale website

Grand Canyon University Golf Course website
{{Phoenix neighborhoods Urban villages of Phoenix, Arizona Neighborhoods in Phoenix, Arizona