Once a quiet farming town, Buckeye is booming
In a metro area synonymous with explosive growth in recent decades, Buckeye stands out as the Valley's biggest boomtown.
The big picture: Over the past quarter-century, Buckeye, once a sleepy farming town on the outskirts of metro Phoenix, has become one of the fastest-growing cities not only in Arizona but in the United States.
By the numbers: From 1940 to 2000, Buckeye's population grew from 1,305 to 6,537.
The early 2000s housing boom inflated the population to nearly 51,000 in 2010 and more than 91,000 in 2020.
Today, Buckeye has about 120,000 residents, Mayor Eric Orsborn tells Axios.
The intrigue: Rick West, president of the development company Carefree Partners, predicted that Buckeye's population will hit 1.5 million in 50 years.
The rapidly growing East Valley is hemmed in by federal land and Native American reservations, but there are no such limitations in Buckeye and the West Valley.
Zoom out: Buckeye has more than enough room to grow. Its city limits stretch from near Wittmann in the north almost to Gila Bend in the south.
Most of its 639-square-mile planning area is uninhabited desert.
Christine Larson, a longtime resident who runs the Buckeye Valley Museum, said she's come to terms with her city's growth. "But then when you start really thinking about it … and this blank slate that's in front of us, and it's like, ooh, let's make it what we want it to be."
1 long road: The Sun Valley Parkway, once known as the "Road to Nowhere," runs north from Interstate 1-10 around the western side of the White Tank Mountains and connects to Bell Road in Surprise.
The four-lane road weaves through miles of empty desert within Buckeye's city limits, an area that Orsborn said could someday be home to as many as 750,000 people.
The incoming Teravalis community from development company Howard Hughes that broke ground along Sun Valley Parkway in 2022 could eventually have 300,000 residents.
Zoom in: Residential growth is fueling economic and industrial development. In recent years, the city has attracted huge distribution warehouses for companies like Five Below, Funko and Ross, and manufacturing from companies like Rehrig Pacific Co. and Blue Polymers is coming to Buckeye, too.
Sintra Hoffman, president and CEO of the West Valley economic development organization WESTMARC, said Buckeye is well positioned geographically because it's the first "point of entry" into the Phoenix area for people coming from California.
Abrazo Health broke ground on a medical campus in Buckeye last year, and Banner Health is building a hospital there.
"There's a massive amount of employment that's headed our way," Orsborn noted.
Between the lines: Kore Power in late January abandoned plans for a billion-dollar battery plant in Buckeye, which the company attributed to restructuring.
The city described Kore Power's decision as an "isolated incident" that doesn't change Buckeye's position as a premier business destination.
What's next: The city has big plans for a downtown redevelopment that Orsborn said could be like downtowns in Chandler, Gilbert and Glendale.
What we're watching: The city has infrastructure needs in order to reach its potential.
Orsborn touted State Route 30, a planned freeway that would run south of I-10, as a "critically important" reliever for the West Valley.
Interstate 11, which is on hold due to an environmental lawsuit, is also a major need for Buckeye's future.
Orsborn believes there's an opportunity to turn Buckeye Municipal Airport into an industrial and general aviation hub, similar to Mesa Gateway Airport.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
5 hours ago
- Newsweek
More Women Are Becoming CFOs and CEOs But the Path Forward Remains Murky
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Women are making their mark in the executive ranks, but the fervor and effort behind improving representation in the corporate world took a slight hit as the national investment in DEI investment slowed after the 2024 U.S. presidential election. Many fairly wonder if the future will include more progress. Both the labor market and consumers continue to express their interest in working for and patronizing diverse companies that represent their customers, so companies must make an intentional effort to build stronger leadership pipelines for women and other underrepresented groups to drive meaningful improvement. Lindsay Trout, a partner and talent consultant at executive search firm Egon Zehnder, recently told Axios that search committees are less interested in diverse candidate pools, saying "that is not part of the conversation or expectation," and the committees are also providing requirements such that, "you end up with a list that inevitably excludes females from consideration." In 1972, Katherine Graham became the first female CEO of a Fortune 500 company at the Washington Post. A lot has changed since then: The Post is no longer one of the world's largest companies, technology has reshaped the working world and the representation of women in the corporate executive ranks has trickled up but is still not anywhere close to equitable. Today, 55 women serve as Fortune 500 CEOs, the highest number ever, following a net gain of three from last year and marking the first time female representation has exceeded 10 percent. Experts point to an increase in internal promotions and a rise in women assuming pipeline roles such as CFO as signs that internal development of female leadership is on the rise in the corporate realm. But they also note that growth has been up and down over the last few years and other indices, such as the S&P 500, suggest that growth has stagnated or is merely happening at random instead of consistently progressing. Women are making some progress in executive representation at major companies, but it has been gradual. Women are making some progress in executive representation at major companies, but it has been gradual. Getty Images While the overall picture is one of progress, the incredibly gradual crawl of this figure, along with similarly inconsistent growth in other indicators such as female entrepreneurship, securing venture capital funding or admission into prestigious incubators, indicate a more principled and foundational approach to equity in executive representation is needed. Graham was born into a wealthy family. Her father was the former chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve before buying the Washington Post and later handing the reins to his son-in-law, Philip, Katherine's husband. That path is not exactly replicable. Companies are doing a better job of placing women into the roles that typically come before a CEO hire, like CFO. Progress in these feeder roles is crucial in order to continue growing female representation in the executive ranks.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Leader in Fields of Archaeology and Anthropology Named to Chronicle Heritage Board
PHOENIX, June 9, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Elizabeth Perry, a renowned anthropologist and President and CEO of Crow Canyon Archaeological Center in Cortez, Colorado, has been named to the Board of Directors at Chronicle Heritage. Crow Canyon is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization that empowers present and future generations by making the human past accessible and relevant through archaeological research, experiential education, and American Indian knowledge. The center is located on a 170-acre campus in southwestern Colorado. Dr. Perry is a seasoned business executive and professional archaeologist, and is an innovative leader of successful companies and non‐profit organizations with social/cultural and educational/research missions. In her career, Dr. Perry has led environmental and cultural resources management initiatives and major projects, is skilled in lands, natural resources and technology investment and development, and is effective at collaboration and consultation among corporations, government agencies, and Native American and Alaska Native communities. As President and CEO of Crow Canyon, Perry reports to the nonprofit's Board of Trustees and is accountable to thousands of stakeholders. She was recruited to Crow Canyon in 2018 to design and implement an organizational turnaround, which resulted in the elimination of debt and significant growth of financial reserves, enabling the organization to focus on mission-driven programs. Prior to Crow Canyon, Perry was the CEO of Koniag Inc., an Alaska Native corporation with over 700 employees nationwide and nearly 4,000 predominantly Alaska Native shareholders. She led Koniag's approximately $270 million parent company with full profit and loss responsibility and accountability for the creation and implementation of strategic business plans across Koniag's subsidiary companies and nonprofit affiliates. Perry's responsibilities included the preservation and management of assets in lands, natural resources, real estate, and securities, and investing for the greatest economic and cultural impact. She grew business sectors including cultural and environmental resources management, energy and water resources, technology, government contracting, real estate, securities, and natural resources development. Before Koniag, Perry was an executive and professional archaeologist at SWCA Environmental Consultants, leading operations in the company's Pacific West region. Perry has a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Arizona and has led numerous research projects and produced peer-reviewed publications. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Fort Lewis College Foundation and the PaleoWest Foundation. About Chronicle Heritage Chronicle Heritage is a global cultural and heritage resource management consultancy committed to the possibilities in a prosperous balance between the needs of the future and the uses of the past. Throughout our history we have worked for clients in both the public and private sectors, guiding one successful project after another through the complex regulations that govern the management of prehistoric, historic, architectural, ethnographic, archaeological, and paleontological resources. Along the way, we have earned an industry-wide reputation for creativity, innovation, and leadership. View original content: SOURCE Chronicle Heritage Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Axios
7 hours ago
- Axios
Light rail service to south Phoenix gets underway
Light rail in the Valley entered a new era over the weekend when the first train traversed the system's south Phoenix expansion. The big picture: A 5.5-mile extension that runs south along Central Avenue from downtown Phoenix opened Saturday. The extension has eight stations, with Central and Baseline Road marking the end of the line. The light rail system now has 35 miles of track. Federal funds covered about half the cost of the $1.3 billion project, with revenue from the Proposition 400 transportation tax and the city paying for much of the rest. Why it matters: About 44% of area residents have limited or no access to cars, according to Valley Metro. Jessica Mefford-Miller, CEO of Valley Metro, which runs the light rail system, noted the new line is a bridge across the Salt River, making it "a literal" and "symbolic connection" between south Phoenix and the rest of the metro area. Valley Metro expects the extension to add more than 8,000 daily riders to the system, which averages about 32,000 boardings per day. Driving the news: A large crowd gathered Saturday morning for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. "I believe the expansion will do justice for the people out here. Providing opportunities to get downtown, and also for people downtown to come down here," an attendee named Lindsay told ABC15. Zoom in: The south Phoenix extension was not the only major change to the light rail over the weekend. The system is now separated into A and B lines, with the former running east to west from downtown Mesa to downtown Phoenix, and the latter north to south from Metro Parkway to south Phoenix. Riders can switch lines at the new downtown Phoenix transit hub, which also opened Saturday. There are 14 new trains, which will now arrive at stations every 12 minutes, down from 15. Catch up quick: Construction began in 2019 and was originally expected to be completed in 2023, but the pandemic and other factors meant delays. What they're saying: "This is us really growing up in the world," Mefford-Miller told Axios. The intrigue: When Republican lawmakers referred Proposition 479 — the renewal of the regional transportation tax — to the 2024 ballot, they included a provision prohibiting the money from being used to extend light rail. Yes, but: Cities can still use local and federal funds to lay more tracks. What's next: Valley Metro, which runs the light rail system, has grand expansion plans. The Capitol Extension will run along Washington and Jefferson streets to 15th Avenue next to the Arizona Supreme Court. An environmental review and design processes are underway. The I-10 West Extension will connect to the Capitol area and will largely run along the freeway median, ending at the Desert Sky Transit Center at Thomas Road and 79th Avenue. That project is still in the planning phase. Valley Metro is also looking to expand the Tempe streetcar system into Mesa.
