In 1877, Alexander Chandler, a young Canadian doctor, eagerly accepted a post as the first veterinarian surgeon in the Arizona Territory. Chandler often remarked how “barren and useless” the desert valley appeared to be. To his surprise, the soil blossomed into a rich carpet of green after the first rains. Watching this transformation, Chandler became convinced of the land’s commercial potential. By 1912, Chandler acquired some 18,000 acres of land just south of present day Mesa, subdivided it and began selling plots to eager speculators. The “town” consisted of three wooden shacks – the subdivision office, a dining hall and a grocery store. Chandler got a boost when the San Marcos Resort opened in 1913 and attracted Hollywood glitterati like Clark Gable and Fred Astaire.
Located in southeastern metropolitan Phoenix, Chandler now has a population of over 165,000. Its economic base diversified into the high technology arena by attracting well-known firms like Intel and Motorola. Chandler’s downtown storefronts have been restored to their original turn-of-the-century look. The Center for the Arts, restaurants, shopping centers and annual family-oriented festivals make Chandler a popular draw for Arizona visitors.
ATTRACTIONS
Compadre Stadium & Regional Sports Complex is home to Cactus League spring training, as well as local and national baseball and softball tournaments. 480-782-2727.
The Chandler Center for the Arts hosts a variety of national and local performers on three stages. Located at 250 N. Arizona Avenue. 480-782-2680.
Chandler Historical Museum houses a variety of interesting displays and archives on the city’s history. Located at 178 E. Commonwealth. 480-782-2842.
LODGING
- Sheraton San Marcos Resort
1 San Marcos PI., Chandler, AZ; 963-6655 (295 units and meeting space available) - Wyndham Garden Hotel
7475 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler, AZ; 961-4444 (159 units and meeting space available) - Homewood Suites Hotel
I- I0 & Chandler Blvd. (next to the Hampton Inn), Chandler, AZ; 753-5200 (83 suites and meeting space available) - Hampton Inn
7333 W. Detroit St., Chandler, AZ; 753-5200 (101 units and meeting space available) - Fairfield Inn
7425 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler, AZ; 940-0099 (66 units and meeting space available) - Windmill Inn
3535 W. Chandler Blvd., Chandler, AZ; 812-9600 (123 suites and meeting space available)
Facts About Chandler AZ
Chandler is known for its history in agriculture. Chandler was named after Veterinarian, Dr. A.J. Chandler. His family settled in Chandler in the early 1890s. Chandler began in 1912 with the opening of Hotel San Marcos in 1913. In 1920 the city of Chandler was incorporated and Dr. Chandler was it’s first major. In 1954 the same year of Dr. Chandler’s passing, all of his hard work on the development of the area came to fruition. Chandler was finally made a city. For many years much of chandler was divided into large parcels of farms for agriculture. Many established families still contributing to the community today are The Chandler Family, The Basha family, The Goodyear family, The Ryan family, and The Fulton family.
The city of Chandler is approximately 25 minutes from downtown Phoenix and about 15 minutes to the light rail. The City of Chandler has a population of 237,161 as of January 1, 2012. Since 1980 the city has grown in population by over 150,000. Chandler offers great weather all winter long with an average temperature of 72.3 degrees from Nov-March during our winter months. While it is a little warmer in the summer months this makes Chandler a great winter vacation destination for many cold-weather visitors. Chandler has 95,100 households with an average household size of 2.50 people.
Chandler is one of the fastest-growing employment sectors of the southeast valley. While being home to the Intel Corporation, Marvell Technologies, Orbital Sciences, Avent, Freescale, Microchip Technology, and Amkor to name a few. Chandler continues to expand its technology corridor with many new companies to come in the near future. More High-tech and more biotechnology is what they say. Chandler has begun to expand its biotechnology companies in addition to the high-tech fields. While home to Covance, one of the world’s largest drug development services companies, providing preclinical and clinical development for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Other biotechnology companies in Chandler include Heraeus, Magnum Medical, Sensys Medical, Radiant Research, Analyze Inc, Arizona Nutritional Supplements, Island Kinetics. While Chandler offers the 101 Science and Technology Corridor, the city provides easy access to major universities, the Bio Design Institute, ASU Research Park, research hospitals, and Chandler’s internationally recognized biotechnology companies that have already discovered all that Chandler has to offer. Biotechnology education and training programs are available at all three state universities as well as Chandler-Gilbert Community College, part of the Maricopa Community Colleges system. Many metro-area high schools also offer a bio-sciences curriculum for students who have shown potential for excellence.
Chandler has a wide span of restaurants, the oldest golf resort in Arizona (San Marcos Resort and Spa). Here are a few areas to consider visiting while house hunting in Chandler: Historic Downtown Chandler Art Walk, Rawhide western town at Wildhorse Pass, Downtown Ocotillo, Chandler Fashion Square, Chandler Jazz Festival, Ostrich Festival, San Marcos Resort and Spa, Chandler Center for the Arts, Chandler Skate Park, Chandler Historical Museum, NHRA Arizona Nationals at Firebird International Raceway, Bondurant School of High-Performance Driving and plenty more to explore! If you need a short term rental while you are house hunting, try these