Glendale, Arizona is a popular desert retirement community. Senior Travel Genie has resources for seniors researching Glendale’s hotels, restaurants and much more.

Glendale, AZ History

In 1880, the land that is now Glendale was nothing more than empty desert. But in 1882, William J. Murphy joined three Arizona builders to lead the Arizona Canal Co. project, which would bring water to the desert land. With the help of 225 mules and whatever machinery was available, Murphy and his team completed the canal in May 1885.

By the late 1880s, several homesteaders began to settle around the new canal.

On February 27, 1892, (which Glendale celebrates as its birthday) the first residential area of the city began to take shape. Downtown Glendale began to take shape soon after and the first school, the Glendale Grammar School, was built in 1895. Its opening drew people from all over the Valley. In the mid 1890’s, Glendale became the pathway for a line of the Santa Fe Railroad, linking the Valley to Prescott and northern Arizona.

More and more families began to settle in Glendale after the turn of the century. The city’s water system was sold from the Sine family to the town government in 1915. Glendale’s Beet Sugar Factory was instrumental in the city’s early economic success. Farms and orchards continued to take off through the early 1900s. World War I brought a new surge of energy into Glendale, with cotton prices reaching $2 a pound and a high demand for food, which kept farmers busy.

Glendale, Arizona – Desert Retirement Community

Today, Glendale Arizona is a thriving city that has become a popular desert retirement community. Located near Sun City and Phoenix, it is very conveniently located near many other retirement communities. Senior Travel Genie details resources for restaurants, hotels and more in Glendale.