The story
History
The settlement currently known as Maricopa has been located in three different places with three previous names: Maricopa Wells, Maricopaville and Maricopa Junction; the latter gradually became known as Maricopa. It began as an oasis around a series of watering holes eight miles north of present-day Maricopa, and about a mile west of Pima Butte. European-American traders and travelers called it Maricopa Wells. Several of Arizona's rivers, the Gila, Santa Cruz, Vekol and Santa Rosa, provided this oasis in the desert with an ample supply of water during this time.
During the late 1800s, Maricopa Wells was one of the most important relay stations along the San Antonio-San Diego Mail Line and the later more famous Butterfield Overland Mail Route. Today, very little remains of this once bustling community, but it played an important part in the progress and development of the Southwest. It was one of the best-known spots in Arizona during this period of time because it had a reliable source of water, and offered an abundant supply of food. The peaceful Pima and Maricopa farmers who lived and farmed nearby sold supplies to travelers and migrants.
The most prosperous period of time for Maricopa Wells was in the 1870s. During this time the trading center at the Wells provided water and food for not only the east–west travelers, but those who traveled to the north to Phoenix. Fairly good roads had been built by James A. Moore, the proprietor at Maricopa Wells, to all points north.
Maricopaville developed south and west of the Wells, following construction of a railroad line from this terminus to Phoenix. In 1879, the Southern Pacific Railroad was in the process of building a railroad line from Yuma to Tucson, and a second railroad line was to be built from Maricopaville, wrapping around the western edge of South Mountain into Phoenix. With the railroad, Maricopaville took on the appearance of a gold rush boom town, as men worked day and night building hotels, saloons, warehouses, restaurants, theaters, and other facilities. One local newspaper at the time believed that with its thousands of people and good location, Maricopaville would be an ideal choice for the location of the state capital. But the railroad never built the anticipated line from Maricopaville into Phoenix. Tempe also wanted to be on the railroad line and lobbied the territorial government for a stop; officials agreed.
In the early 1880s, the settlement was essentially rebuilt as Maricopa Junction, three miles to the east, at the present location of Maricopa, in order to accommodate the Maricopa and Phoenix Railroad, which was planned to go through Kyrene and Tempe to the north on the way to Phoenix. The first train departed from Maricopa for Phoenix on July 4, 1887. All east–west rail travelers had to stop at Maricopa, and those who wanted to go north had to shift to the M & P Railroad.
Maricopa was officially incorporated as a city on October 15, 2003, becoming the 88th incorporated municipality in Arizona. Between 2000 and 2010, the city's population grew from 1,040 residents to 43,482, an increase of 4080%. In 2018, estimates by the US Census Bureau and Arizona State Demographer's Office put Maricopa's population at 51,977, pushing the city over the 50,000 mark for the first time.
Data from the 2020 Census put Maricopa's population at 58,125, surpassing Casa Grande to become the most populous incorporated place in Pinal County and second most populous place in the county overall, behind the unincorporated San Tan Valley (incorporated as of 2025). Population of Maricopa has continued to grow, reaching 66,290 residents as of 2022; a 6.2% increase from 2021, making Maricopa the 12th fastest growing municipality in the United States and second fastest growing in Arizona (behind Queen Creek, which is partially in Pinal County).
A part of the city is within the boundaries of the Ak-Chin Indian Community. The small, federally recognized tribe has developed Harrah's Ak-Chin Casino and resort, cinema multiplex, and operates a golf course. All are open to the public and draw customers from Maricopa as well as the greater Phoenix area. In addition, the tribe operates the Ak-Chin Regional Airport and an industrial park. A 2011 study said that its casino and resort made up a large part of the economy of Pinal County, in terms of number of jobs and revenue generated.
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2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Maricopa had a population of 58,125. The median age was 36.5 years. 28.4% of residents were under the age of 18 and 14.5% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.4 males age 18 and over.
98.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.7% lived in rural areas.
There were 18,934 households in Maricopa, of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 59.3% were married-couple households, 13.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 19.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 15.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 20,955 housing units, of which 9.6% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.9% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.4%.
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 43,482 people, 14,359 households, and 11,110 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,356.8 inhabitants per square mile (523.9/km2). There were 17,240 housing units at an average density of 540.4 per square mile (208.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 70.2% White, 9.7% Black or African American, 2.0% Native American, 4.1% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 8.5% from other races, and 5.3% from two or more races. 24.4% of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 14,359 households, out of which 47.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.5% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.6% were non-families. 15.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 2.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.38.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 32.5% under the age of 18, 6.2% from 18 to 24, 35% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 6.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.8 males.
2009 estimates
According to 2009 Census Bureau estimates, the median income for a household in the city was $67,692, and the median income for a family was $69,818. The per capita income for the city was $27,618. About 3.7% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line.
From Wikipedia’s article on Maricopa, Arizona, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5