Editing El Mirage, Arizona

{{short description|City in Maricopa County, Arizona}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = El Mirage, Arizona
| settlement_type    = [[City]]
| image_skyline      = El Mirage-2.JPG
| imagesize          = 200px
| image_caption      = Entrance to the city of El Mirage
| image_flag         = Flag of El Mirage, Arizona.svg
| image_seal         = El Mirage AZ seal.png
| image_map          = Maricopa County Arizona Incorporated and Unincorporated areas El Mirage Highlighted 0422220.svg
| mapsize            = 250px
| map_caption        = Location in Maricopa County, Arizona
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = 
| pushpin_map        = Arizona#USA
| pushpin_label      = El Mirage
| pushpin_label_position = right
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in Arizona
| coordinates        = {{coord|33|36|47|N|112|19|28|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Arizona|County]]
| subdivision_name   = [[United States]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Arizona]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Maricopa County, Arizona|Maricopa]]
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = [[Council–manager government|Council/Manager]]
| leader_name        = Alexis Hermosillo
| established_date   = 1951
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2021">{{cite web |title=2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Arizona |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2021_Gazetteer/2021_gaz_place_04.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=May 6, 2022}}</ref>
| area_total_km2     = 25.78
| area_total_sq_mi   = 9.95
| area_land_km2      = 25.63
| area_land_sq_mi    = 9.90
| area_water_km2     = 0.15
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.06
| elevation_ft       = 1283
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = <ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=&g=1600000US0422220&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P1| title=El Mirage city, Arizona: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=May 6, 2022}}</ref>
| population_total   = 35805
| population_metro   = 
| population_density_km2 = 1396.72
| population_density_sq_mi = 3617.40
| population_est     = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
| timezone           = [[Mountain Standard Time Zone|MST]] (no [[Daylight savings time|DST]])
| utc_offset         = -7
| timezone_DST       = 
| utc_offset_DST     = 
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 85335
| area_code          = [[Area code 623|623]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 04-22220
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 24845<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS 4|24845}}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|www.cityofelmirage.org}}
| footnotes          = 
| unit_pref          = Imperial
}}

'''El Mirage''' is a city in [[Maricopa County, Arizona|Maricopa County]], [[Arizona]], United States. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population of the city was 35,805,<ref name="Census 2020"/> up from 31,797 in 2010.

==History==
The [[Hohokam]] Native American tribe were the earliest inhabitants of the area that is now El Mirage. The ingenious Hohokam developed an elaborate [[irrigation]] network using only stone instruments and organized labor. They were commonly known as the "Canal Builders".

During the early 1930s, [[migrant farm workers]] settled in El Mirage on the west bank of the [[Agua Fria River]]. Mexican migrants came to El Mirage to help build the canals and harvest the first crops.<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://www.elmirageaz.gov/379/About-Us |publisher=City of El Mirage |title= About Us website |access-date=February 24, 2022}}</ref> Farming and agriculture remain central to El Mirage's economy, but it has witnessed a robust industrial growth over the past few decades, emerging as a diverse urban community. 

In 1977, the city annexed 2,000 acres of land for a proposed planned community with apartments, shopping centers, and industrial development. Immediately following this announcement Attorney General [[Bruce Babbitt]], sued in an attempt to undo this annexation due to its proximity to [[Luke Air Force Base]]. The lawsuit failed, but prompted the cities of Glendale and Goodyear to work together to buy land surrounding the base to stop any further annexations.  

In the early eighties, El Mirage announced its plans for economic redevelopment. The city planned to build more housing but the centerpiece of the plan was a $20 million resort and convention center, along with a golf course. A spring training baseball stadium, medical center, and auto mall were also pitched for the area. The proposed redevelopment sat, however, only five miles north from the Air Force base’s runway. Once again officials from Luke Air Force Base and other government officials began to raise concerns and turn public opinion against the project. City officials travelled to Washington D.C. to fight the land use disputes, arguing that the base had known about the land acquisitions leading to the redevelopment plans and could have raised concerns before it spent the money purchasing land and making deals with companies. Ultimately, nothing would be built on the land largely due to the concerns from Luke AFB.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arizona Republic 18 Dec 1983, page Page 22 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/121643415/ |access-date=June 6, 2023 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref> As a result of all of this, in 2009 when Luke Air Force Base was bidding to get the new F-35 fighter jets, El Mirage was an outlier among local cities. While many cities stood behind the Air Force base’s bid wanting to keep the base operational, El Mirage voiced its opinion against the facility.  The city believed that the base had hurt its financial potential and would continue doing so. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Arizona Republic 16 Oct 2009, page Page 537 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/124256468/ |access-date=June 5, 2023 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref>

The city became an incorporated town on June 25, 1951. The city held a special election to become a city in 1983, and has continued to grow since.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://saltriverstories.org/items/show/248 |publisher=Salt River Stories |title= El Mirage, Arizona: An Apparition in the Desert website |access-date=February 24, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Arizona Republic 12 Mar 1983, page Page 15 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/121658088/ |access-date=June 6, 2023 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Geography==
El Mirage is located along the [[Agua Fria River]] and [[U.S. Route 60]] within the northwestern part of the [[Phoenix metropolitan area]].<ref>''Arizona Atlas & Gazetteer'', DeLorme, 4th ed., 2001, p. 57 {{isbn|0899333257}}</ref> It is bordered to the east by [[Youngtown, Arizona|Youngtown]], to the south by [[Glendale, Arizona|Glendale]], to the northwest by [[Surprise, Arizona|Surprise]], and to the northeast by unincorporated [[Sun City, Arizona|Sun City]]. [[Downtown Phoenix]] is {{Convert|19|mi}} to the southeast via US 60.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|9.95|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|0.06|sqmi|2}}, or 0.56%, are water.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2021"/>

===Climate===
{{weather box|single line=yes|collapsed=yes|precipitation colour=green|width=auto|location=Youngtown, Arizona, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1964–present
|Jan record high F = 87
|Feb record high F = 89
|Mar record high F = 98
|Apr record high F = 104
|May record high F = 113
|Jun record high F = 122
|Jul record high F = 122
|Aug record high F = 116
|Sep record high F = 114
|Oct record high F = 108
|Nov record high F = 95
|Dec record high F = 84
|year record high F=

|Jan avg record high F = 77.8
|Feb avg record high F = 81.0
|Mar avg record high F = 89.8
|Apr avg record high F = 98.5
|May avg record high F = 105.3
|Jun avg record high F = 112.2
|Jul avg record high F = 114.4
|Aug avg record high F = 112.8
|Sep avg record high F = 108.4
|Oct avg record high F = 99.9
|Nov avg record high F = 87.6
|Dec avg record high F = 76.2
|year avg record high F = 115.5

|Jan high F = 65.4
|Feb high F = 68.9
|Mar high F = 76.5
|Apr high F = 84.1
|May high F = 92.9
|Jun high F = 102.2
|Jul high F = 104.9
|Aug high F = 103.6
|Sep high F = 98.4
|Oct high F = 87.0
|Nov high F = 73.9
|Dec high F = 63.8
|year high F= 85.1
|Jan mean F = 53.3
|Feb mean F = 56.4
|Mar mean F = 62.7
|Apr mean F = 69.5
|May mean F = 78.3
|Jun mean F = 87.2
|Jul mean F = 92.3
|Aug mean F = 91.4
|Sep mean F = 85.4
|Oct mean F = 73.2
|Nov mean F = 60.8
|Dec mean F = 52.0
|year mean F= 71.9
|Jan low F = 41.1
|Feb low F = 43.8
|Mar low F = 48.9
|Apr low F = 54.8
|May low F = 63.6
|Jun low F = 72.2
|Jul low F = 79.7
|Aug low F = 79.2
|Sep low F = 72.5
|Oct low F = 59.5
|Nov low F = 47.7
|Dec low F = 40.2
|year low F= 58.6

|Jan avg record low F = 32.1
|Feb avg record low F = 35.5
|Mar avg record low F = 40.4
|Apr avg record low F = 46.1
|May avg record low F = 53.9
|Jun avg record low F = 64.0
|Jul avg record low F = 71.5
|Aug avg record low F = 71.4
|Sep avg record low F = 63.1
|Oct avg record low F = 49.3
|Nov avg record low F = 37.4
|Dec avg record low F = 30.8
|year avg record low F = 29.4

|Jan record low F = 20
|Feb record low F = 24
|Mar record low F = 24
|Apr record low F = 32
|May record low F = 38
|Jun record low F = 51
|Jul record low F = 62
|Aug record low F = 54
|Sep record low F = 48
|Oct record low F = 35
|Nov record low F = 28
|Dec record low F = 21
|year record low F=
|Jan precipitation inch = 0.98
|Feb precipitation inch = 1.25
|Mar precipitation inch = 1.03
|Apr precipitation inch = 0.29
|May precipitation inch = 0.11
|Jun precipitation inch = 0.03
|Jul precipitation inch = 0.84
|Aug precipitation inch = 0.97
|Sep precipitation inch = 0.74
|Oct precipitation inch = 0.59
|Nov precipitation inch = 0.61
|Dec precipitation inch = 0.90
|year precipitation inch= 8.34
|Jan precipitation days = 3.5
|Feb precipitation days = 4.0
|Mar precipitation days = 3.5
|Apr precipitation days = 1.5
|May precipitation days = 1.0
|Jun precipitation days = 0.4
|Jul precipitation days = 2.9
|Aug precipitation days = 3.7
|Sep precipitation days = 2.4
|Oct precipitation days = 2.2
|Nov precipitation days = 1.9
|Dec precipitation days = 3.8
|year precipitation days= 30.8
|source 1 = NOAA<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=psr|title = NOWData – NOAA Online Weather Data|publisher= [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]]|access-date = November 19, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/services/data/v1?dataset=normals-monthly-1991-2020&stations=USC00029634&format=pdf&dataTypes=MLY-TMAX-NORMAL,MLY-TMIN-NORMAL,MLY-TAVG-NORMAL,MLY-PRCP-NORMAL,MLY-SNOW-NORMAL|title = Summary of Monthly Normals 1991–2020|publisher= National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration|access-date = November 19, 2022}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|align=left|1960= 1723
|1970= 3258
|1980= 4307
|1990= 5001
|2000= 7609
|2010= 31797
|2020= 35805
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2016}}</ref>
}}

At the [[2000 United States Census|2000 census]], there were 7,609 people in 2,121 households, including 1,737 families, in the city. The population density was {{convert|786.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 3,162 housing units at an average density of {{convert|326.9|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The [[Race and ethnicity in the United States Census#2010 census|racial makeup]] of the city was 66.3% White, 3.3% Black or African American, 0.9% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 26.2% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. 66.8% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Of the 2,121 households 48.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.3% were married couples living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.1% were non-families. 13.0% of households were one person and 3.7% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 3.59 and the average family size was 3.87.

The age distribution was 36.8% under the age of 18, 14.1% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 13.8% from 45 to 64, and 6.6% 65 or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.0 males.

The median household income was $33,813 and the median family income  was $33,468. Males had a median income of $25,176 versus $19,192 for females. The per capita income for the city was $10,342. About 12.6% of families and 15.9% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 14.2% of those under age 18 and 22.0% of those age 65 or over.

El Mirage is near Luke U.S. Air Force Base, the largest Fighter Pilot Training Base in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

== Education ==
El Mirage’s roughly 5,500 preK - 12th grade students are served by the [[Dysart Unified School District]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://www.dysart.org/mainsite/panels/dysart-schools/46/about |access-date=August 27, 2023 |website=www.dysart.org}}</ref>

'''Public Elementary Schools''' 

* El Mirage Elementary - opened 1958
* Surprise Elementary- opened 1976
* Thompson Ranch Elementary - opened 2004
* Riverview Elementary - opened 2008
* Dysart Middle School - opened 2021


'''Public High Schools'''
* [[Dysart High School]] - opened 1963 
* Sundown Mountain - opened 2004, alternative school for only 11th and 12th grades
* [[Valley Vista High School (Arizona)|Valley Vista High School]] - opened 2006, although not located in El Mirage, El Mirage residents north of Waddell Rd./Thunderbird Rd. are zoned for Valley Vista.


El Mirage also has various private schools. Desert Choice School, a school design specifically for special education, Sun Valley Christian School, and Valley Learning Center, a pre-school and daycare.<ref>{{Cite web |title=DUSD — Schools |url=https://www.dysart.org/schoolfinder |access-date=September 2, 2023 |website=www.dysart.org}}</ref> 

==Historic structures of El Mirage==
{{Gallery
|width=180px height=200px
|align=center
|File: El Mirage-1.JPG|Front of the former city hall building.
|File:El Mirage-Agua Fria River Bridge- 1895-1.JPG|Historic El Mirage '''Agua Fria River Bridge''' built in 1895.
|File: Former El Mirage-City Hall-2.jpg |'''Former El Mirage City Hall''' located at 12145 NW Grand Ave.
|File: El Mirage-El Mirage Motel-1937-5.JPG | '''El Mirage Motel'''. These are the individual rooms of the motel which were used by motorist who traveled through Grand Ave.
|File: El Mirage-El Mirage Motel-1937-2.JPG |'''El Mirage Motel''' was built out of fieldstone in 1937 and is located at 12229 NW Grand Ave. The property has now been demolished.
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100415023621/http://peopleofelmirage.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/City-Manager-Salary.pdf Surprise Time Newspaper – City Managers Salary]
* William M. Bercu, Ph.D., [https://saltriverstories.org/items/show/248 "El Mirage, Arizona"], ''Salt River Stories'', accessed February 24, 2022,

==External links==
* {{Official|www.cityofelmirage.org}}
* {{wikivoyage-inline|El Mirage}}
{{Maricopa County, Arizona}}
{{Phoenix Metropolitan Area}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Cities in Arizona]]
[[Category:Cities in Maricopa County, Arizona]]
[[Category:Phoenix metropolitan area]]