Estrella is a

master-planned community A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...

in Goodyear,

Maricopa County, Arizona Maricopa County () is a County (United States), county in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 4,420,568, or about 62% of the state's total, making it the List ...

, United States. Estrella is located in the foothills of the

Sierra Estrella Mountains The Estrella Mountains or The Sierra Estrella (, , ) is a mountain range located southwest of Phoenix, Arizona. Much of the range falls within the Gila River Indian Reservation, but of BLM land is protected as the Sierra Estrella Wilderness, ...

, in the

Sonoran Desert The Sonoran Desert () is a hot desert and ecoregion in North America that covers the northwestern Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur, as well as part of the Southwestern United States (in Arizona and California). It ...

. In 2023, there were approximately 7,600 homes in Estrella, and a population of about 21,000.

History

Estrella was created by

Charles Keating Charles Humphrey Keating Jr. (December 4, 1923 – March 31, 2014) was an American sportsman, lawyer, real estate developer, banker, financier, conservative activist, and convicted felon best known for his role in the savings and loan sc ...

, who purchased the land for approximately $100 million, and was later indicted on federal criminal charges alleging the development "was the vehicle for phony land transactions that hid from regulators and investors the fact that Keating's companies were headed for bankruptcy". Keating envisioned Estrella as "a safe, clean, pornography-free community", and the original plans included deed restrictions forbidding residents from watching pornography or having abortions, and "the right to strip businesses and homes of art and publications he and his board saw as smut". Development began in the 1980s, and Estrella opened in 1988. In 2021, a partnership of developers purchased of land in Estrella for $212.5 million, which included "current and future homesites, multifamily and commercial parcels, and developer-owned amenities". The new owners are entitled to build another 8,000 to 10,000 homes.

Neighborhoods

Neighborhoods in the master-planned community include: * Estrella Mountain Ranch * Montecito * Cantamia – 55+ homes

Parks and recreation

Parks and recreation include of hiking trails, of lakes and parks, the Estrella Lakeside Amphitheater, the Golf Club of Estrella, a community welcome center, a waterpark, and the Yacht Club of Estrella.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Populated places in Maricopa County, Arizona Neighborhoods in Arizona Populated places established in 1989 Goodyear, Arizona