800 to 1400 AD – the Hohokam people lived in the area we now call Scottsdale. The Hohokam were a farming society – and the need for water for their crops led them to engineer over 200 miles of canals, digging them with sharp sticks, thin rock slabs and broken pieces of pottery. Hohokam means “vanished”, which is what the Hohokam did sometime around 1400 AD.
In 1888, Winfield Scott, a US Army chaplain, paid $2.50 an acre for a 640 acre section of the area now known as Scottsdale. He and his brother cleared the land and planted, among other crops, a citrus orchard. The original name of the town was Orangedale.
In 1894, the name of the town was changed to Scottsdale, after the first settlers, the Scott brothers.
In 1937, architect Frank Lloyd Wright created Taliesin West at the foot of the McDowell Mountains.
On June 25, 1951, the City of Scottsdale was incorporated. The city consisted of one square mile, with a population of 2000. The new city’s mayor was Malcolm White, who quipped that Scottsdale was “the West’s most Western town”.
In 1956, Life Magazine called Scottsdale “one of the most desirable communities in the west”. The boom in Scottsdale was launched, moving the city from being a quiet cowboy-style hamlet to the Valley’s most fashionable community!
In 1960, the population of the City of Scottsdale had grown to 10,026 and the land area had expanded to 3.8 square miles.
In 1970, the population had increased to 67,823 with a leap in land area to over 68 square miles.
In 1987, the Phoenix Open moved to Scottsdale’s Tournament Players Club. (The Tournament is now the FBR Open since 2003). The FBR Open has the highest attendance of any PGA Tournament in the world.
In 1987, the world renowned Mayo Clinic opened in Scottsdale.
In 1988, Scottsdale’s population stood at 126,000 with a land area of 183.4 square miles.
In 1993, Scottsdale was voted “Most Livable City” by the US Conference of Mayors.
In 2002, The Robb Report called Scottsdale “America’s Best Place to Live for Golf”.
In 2005, Scottsdale Healthcare’s Scottsdale Clinical Research Institute became a primary research site for the Translational Genomics (TGen) Research Institute, providing opportunities for state-of-the-art clinical research and clinical trials in the areas of genomics medicine.
In 2007, The Scottsdale Healthcare Thompson Peak hospital was built. This luxurious and state of the art hospital features a 64 bed community medical surgical hospitalwith the capacity to expande. The family-friendly facility offers 24-hour Emergency Department that provides extraordinary care for common health concerns that residents will experience over a lifetime. The world class healthcare facility prides itself on offering state of the art medical care and the highest level of concierge type customer service. Scottsdale Healthcare Thompson Peak hospital services communities such as DC Ranch, Grayhawk, Ironwood Village and more.
In 2008, Starwood hotels complete their newest endeavor, W Hotel Scottsdale. Located in “Old Town” Scottsdale, this 224 room luxury hotel brings an exciting and swanky additional to the night life in Scottsdale. The hotel features a boutique-hotel market and sushi restaurant. The lounge area has a hip, edgy vibe throughout with innovative decor and splashy bars. The upstairs pool includes a sandy beach-like retreat with private cabanas.
In 2009, The Scottsdale Quarter, a shopping district located next to Kierland Commons, opens its first phase of upscale shops in March of 2009. This three phase project is currently comprised of 779,000 square feet and offers the best in shopping, dining and entertainment. This unique shopping center includes stores for the savviest shoppers. The Quarter features an exciting mix of art and fashion shows, living music and lounge bars.
In 2011, The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community partnered with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies to build a Major League Baseball spring training facility. Located at Indian Bend and the Loop 101, this multipurpose facility includes an 11,000-seat capacity ballpark on 140 acres of scenic landscape with mountain views has a total of 12 practice fields and office buildings that will include Major and Minor League clubhouses, training facilities, and offices for each team.
