With a population of nearly 250,000, Glendale is Arizona's fourth largest city. This friendly community has a small-town feeling, the charm and character of its past as important as its growth and progress toward the future. Glendale is perhaps best known for its reputation as Arizona's "antique capital." In fact, Historic Glendale was named by both USA Today and Sunset Magazine as one of the Top 10 places in the country to shop for antiques. The city's downtown area features original 100-year-old brick storefronts, enhanced with quaint awnings, wrought iron benches and brick sidewalks lined with nostalgic gaslight lamps. Its picturesque Catlin Court District, a four-block area set off by tea rooms housed in converted bungalows, was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. Glendale also is home to Luke Air Force Base, the largest fighter pilot training center in the world. The base's population includes about 7,500 military and civilian members and 15,000 family members. Geographically, Glendale occupies 57 square miles and sits 9 miles northwest of downtown Phoenix, about 25 minutes from Sky Harbor International Airport. Most Glendale residents are young, college-educated, married with children, and an average annual income of more than $53,000. Glendale homes run the gamut from newer, luxury estate homes to older houses, cozy bungalows, charming townhomes, planned communities, and many houses affordable to the first-time buyer. Prices start at about $80,000 and head northward of $3 million.
 Founded in the 1880s, Peoria is a suburban community located about 11 miles from Central Phoenix, named for after the hometown of families from Peoria, Illinois, who moved to the area to work the fertile land created by the Arizona Canal. One of its best-known attributes is the Peoria Sports Complex, Cactus League Spring Training home to the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners. In addition to sports, however, Peoria has quietly built a reputation for brining arts and culture to the West Valley. According to GreatSchools.net, Peoria has some of the best schools in the West Valley. Today, the city is home to some 85,000 residents and covers about 117 square miles northwest of Phoenix. As of March 2009, the median sales price for a home in Peoria was $174,000. |