Phoenix area history: From 1920s to 2025, coaches, governors, laws
From the 1920s to 2025, see how things have changed in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Chandler, Gilbert and Peoria, from coaches to governors to parks to laws.
Arizona’s Valley of the Sun is full of rich history.
As the cities expanded further east and west, the population of the area continued to boom. Between 1950 and 2000, the city of Phoenix’s population ballooned from about 105,000 to about 1.3 million. Current estimates put the city’s population at about 1.6 million, with the entire metro area having grown to about 4.8 million.
That makes the area one of the fastest growing in the country. Farmland has quickly become metro areas, supported by colleges like Arizona State University and industries like health care and technology.
Here is a gallery that tells the story of metro Phoenix through pictures. Click through the photos to see how much has changed since the 1930s.