Editing Peoria, Arizona (section)

===Postwar expansion===
[[File:Peoria Sports Complex WT.JPG|thumb|right|Peoria Sports Complex]]

Increased economic activity, combined with the presence of [[Luke Air Force Base]] and [[air conditioning]], led to an increase in residential housing in Peoria. A postwar construction boom set the stage for Peoria to become a [[suburb]] of Phoenix, providing housing for the capital city as growth moved west.

In 1954, Peoria was home to 1,925 residents, with an area of {{convert|720|acre|km2}}. Peoria incorporated on June 7, 1954. A seven-member city council formed and held its first organizational meeting on June 14. Peoria was named the "Rose Capitol of the World" in 1956. By 1966, Peoria grew to encompass {{convert|3.1|sqmi|km2}} with {{convert|36|mi|km}} of street. In 1968, the city passed a bond to issue securing the money to build a [[sanitary sewer|sewer]] system, which was completed in 1969. In 1970, Peoria began to transition to paid [[firefighting]] staff. From a population of 4,792 in 1970, the city grew to 12,351 in 1980 and 50,675 in 1990. Construction of the $30 million municipal complex began in 1988 at the edge of Peoria's Old Town. The Police Department opened in 1989, the main city hall building and courts in 1991, and the library in 1993.

Spring training has a long history in Peoria. From the late 1970s to 1990, Peoria's Greenway Sports Complex served as a minor league training facility for the [[Milwaukee Brewers]] baseball team.<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 24, 1990 |title=Arizona Rookie League |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/122018814/ |access-date=January 4, 2024 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref> This small facility was located at 83rd Avenue and the Greenway Road alignment, the location of the future [[Peoria Sports Complex]]. Construction of the new complex was approved in 1990. It was completed in 1994 and was the first [[Major League Baseball]] [[spring training]] facility in the county shared by two teams.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Balazs |first=Diana |date=February 16, 1994 |title=Peoria primos for 1st season in big leagues |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/123384897/ |access-date=January 4, 2024 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Spring Training Baseball {{!}} Visit Peoria |url=https://www.visitpeoriaaz.com/things-to-do/spring-training#:~:text=The%20Peoria%20Sports%20Complex%20was,country%20shared%20by%20two%20teams. |access-date=January 4, 2024 |website=www.visitpeoriaaz.com |language=en}}</ref> The [[San Diego Padres]] and [[Seattle Mariners]] utilize the complex year-round for spring training and player development.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Spring Training Arizona {{!}} Peoria Sports Complex |url=https://www.peoriasportscomplex.com/spring-training |access-date=January 4, 2024 |website=www.peoriasportscomplex.com |language=en}}</ref> The Sports Complex was also the short-lived home of the [[Arizona United]] for the 2014 season before they relocated to Scottsdale.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Peoria Sports Complex |url=http://arizonaunited.com/peoria-sports-complex/ |access-date=January 4, 2024 |website=Arizona United |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2005, the city broke ground on the [[Peoria Center for the Performing Arts]], what the city saw as the keystone of the city's “Old Town” area. Mayor at the time, [[John C. Keegan|John Keegan]], saw the building as the key to the revitalization of the downtown district of Peoria, as well as a much needed cultural center for the northwest valley. The city chose the successful local community theater company, [[Theater Works (Peoria, Arizona)|Theater Works]], as the facility's anchor tenant, agreeing to a 20-year lease. The performing arts center opened in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arizona Republic 18 Nov 2005, page Page 192 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/125735462/ |access-date=June 5, 2023 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref>