Glendale, AZ

Located in Maricopa County, Arizona, northwest of Phoenix, the city of Glendale covers 55.8 square miles and is home to about 250,000 people. Glendale ranks as the state's fourth-largest city, and between 1990 and 2000 it saw a population growth rate of nearly 50 percent. Glendale has made itself into a tourist destination, particularly for sports fans: It hosts the Fiesta Bowl, hosted the 2008 Super Bowl, has a number of sports arenas, and is home to several professional sports teams, including the National Hockey League's Phoenix Coyotes and the NFL's Arizona Cardinals.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

The city of Glendale offers a number of popular destinations and historical sites for visitors and residents to enjoy.

• Historic Downtown Glendale has enjoyed recognition from both Sunset magazine and USA Today for its numerous, well-stocked antique shops. Throughout the spring months the antique shops stay open late one day per month for an evening of entertainment and shopping. Contact the Glendale Visitor Center for specific details and dates.
• Sahuaro Ranch Park Historical Area, which is listed with the National Register of Historic Places, has an impressive number of ranch buildings and a rose garden, all of which are open to guests. The Park also hosts a number of annual events.
• Thunderbird Park, encompassing over 1,000 acres of desert trails and preserved land, features walking, biking, and horseback riding trails, as well as picnic areas.

SHOPPING

Glendale's major shopping venue is the perennially popular Arrowhead Towne Center Mall, located northwest of downtown Glendale. Anchored by Macy's, Dillard's, and AMC Theatres, the mall is surrounded by a larger shopping area that stretches for a number of blocks and includes a variety of retailers and restaurants.

Cabela's, a retailer of outdoor gear with an emphasis on hunting and fishing, has a large store in Glendale that offers visitors not only a shopping experience but a hunting and fishing museum and other attractions.

FAMILY FUN

Glendale features several attractions that the whole family can enjoy.

• The Bead Museum, holding more than 100,000 beads and beaded artifacts, has exhibitions, tours, lectures, and classes for visitors.
• White Tank Mountain Regional Park is located west of Glendale, and has more than 20 miles of trails suitable for hiking, biking, and walking.
• Glendale Xeriscape Botanical Garden, home to hundreds of varieties of desert plants, is a four-acre garden that is open daily and is free to visitors.
• The Cerreta Candy Factory offers self-guided tours for chocolate aficionados.
• Manistee Ranch, which dates from the late 1800s, is a Glendale landmark and is currently owned by the Glendale Historical Society, which offers tours of the historic Manistee Ranch and Guest House. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

Around the turn of the twentieth century, one of Glendale's best-known exports was ostrich feathers, which were prized for their distinctive luster. Today the city is supported by a number of other primary industries, including:

• Manufacturing
• Service
• Aerospace
• Warehousing
• Electronics
• Communications
• Chemicals
• Precision Metalworking

Major employers in the area include the City of Glendale, Glendale Community College, Luke Air Force Base, Banner Thunderbird Medical Center and Arrowhead Towne Center.

SPORTS TEAMS

In recent years Glendale has become a hub for sports teams, franchises and events in the Greater Phoenix metropolitan area.

• The Arizona Cardinals, an NFL franchise, make their home in Glendale, playing football at the University of Phoenix Stadium, which is known for its roll-out natural grass field.
• The Phoenix Coyotes, an NHL team, also hang up their skates in Glendale, playing hockey at the Jobing.com Arena (formerly Glendale Arena).
• In 2007 the University of Phoenix Stadium began hosting the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl, and in 2008 the stadium hosted Super Bowl XLII, between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants.
• In 2009 two Major League Baseball teams, the Chicago White Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers, will begin to hold their spring training at Camelback Ranch-Glendale, a new complex and baseball stadium in Glendale.

EDUCATION

Glendale is home to several colleges and universities, and residents also have access to a number of institutions of higher education in the Greater Phoenix metropolitan area.

• Glendale Community College, a part of the Maricopa County Community College District, offers associate's degrees, certificate programs, university transfer credits and industry-specific training.
• Midwestern University is a private graduate school of medicine that offers degrees in a variety of specialty areas, including clinical psychology, physical therapy and osteopathy.
• Thunderbird School of Global Management is an award-winning private business school specializing in international business and management.

LOCAL MEDIA

Glendale receives a wide variety of television and radio station broadcasts from the Greater Phoenix metropolitan area. These include the following stations:

• KMLE FM-107.9
• KOOL FM-94.5
• KNIX FM-102.5
• KUPD FM-97.9
• KJZZ FM-91.5
• KAET - Channel 8
• KTVK - Channel 3
• KPHO-TV - Channel 5
• KPNX - Channel 12
• KNXV-TV - Channel 15
• KUTP - Fox affiliate
• KTVK - Channel 3
• KDRX-CA - NBC affiliate