Scottsdale, Arizona

The city of Scottsdale, Arizona is known as "The West’s Most Western Town."  The city is named after Army Chaplain Major Winfield Scott, who first visited the area in 1881 while stationed at Fort Huachuca in southern Arizona some 160 miles to the southeast. Major Scott, like many early settlers to the New Mexico Territory (which later became the states of New Mexico and Arizona), was able under the Donation Act of July 22, 1854, to lay claim to a 640-acre (one-square-mile) tract of land situated in what was to become Scottsdale.

According to Granger ("Arizona’s Names: Historical Names of Places in Arizona," 1983), "The name Scottsdale became official in 1896 with the establishment of a school district." The following year, on January 21, 1897, Scottsdale’s first U.S. Post Office was established.

The city is part of the Phoenix Metropolitan area, situated in the northeasterly part of Maricopa County in central Arizona. It was incorporated on June 25, 1951, having a population of 2,000 residents and encompassing one square mile of area. Over the years, the city has grown—both in population and area—to over 220,000 (estimated) residents with a land area of 185 square miles. It extends some 31 miles from the city of Tempe along its southerly boundary to the town of Carefree to the north, and the Tonto National Forest to the north and northeast.

With over 7 million visitors to the area annually, it’s no wonder tourism is the largest industry supporting Scottsdale’s world-class resorts. It’s estimated that 90 percent of the visitors come from all over the continental U.S., with 10 percent coming from overseas.

For more information visit the City's Parks & Recreation Web site.

Getting Around Town