AVONDALE

A short history of Avondale

William "Billy" G. Moore arrived in Arizona in the late 1860s, settling near the Agua Fria River in 1880. Moore called bought land and named his settlement "Coldwater, Arizona" - apparently for both the river and the water that flowed from a local spring. He served a brief stint as justice of the peace for the Agua Fria area. He eventually established a stage stop near Agua Fria crossing, the Coldwater Stage Station in the 1880s. This was one of the earliest stage stations in the region, supplying travelers with provisions on their way from Tucson to northern Arizona and California. A saloon and a general store were also built, bringing in more commerce for the settlement.

The post office was established in 1896 at a site near Avondale Ranch. From 1901 until 1905, William Moore served as postmaster of the Coldwater post office. The post office eventually became known as Avondale, taking the name of the nearby ranch, and the name Coldwater was discontinued. In December 1946, the City of Avondale was incorporated.

Subsequent development resulted in a conglomeration of styles and architecture along Western Avenue typical of small western towns, with ranching, the railroad, and cotton farming as the main industries. Recently, the city has seen tremendous growth in new development, both residential and commercial, while the Old Town area along Western Avenue preserves the historic business district and safeguards opportunities for small, independent businesses. The residential population is on track to exceed 100,000 by 2030.

Avondale is a modern city, near the heart of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Over the last decade, population growth took place at a rate of over 114%, making the city one of the fastest-growing in Maricopa County.

Adapted (trimmed) from the Wikipedia article Avondale, Arizona, revision 1378481590 by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.