Carl Chapman
Arizona Realtor
Maricopa is located 16 miles south of Interstate 10 in western Pinal County. Over the course of the last 150 years, its location has changed three times. It’s first site was Maricopa Wells, about 10 miles northwest of the present day Maricopa. No matter what part of the Territory a traveler was headed, he had to pass through Maricopa Wells. The community was a hub of mid 1850s activities – a trading center offering water, rest and repairs for heavily laden stagecoaches passing through the Southwest. The outbreak of the Civil War brought an end to the mail lines and the building of a railroad a few miles south was the death knell for Maricopa Wells. Maricopaville, 3.5 miles west of present-day Maricopa, was born when a junction was needed to connect the Southern Pacific Railroad linking Yuma and Tucson with a branch line to Phoenix. Touted as the “City of the Future", Maricopaville drew investors from California and elsewhere. However, its prosperity was short-lived. When Tempe wanted to be on the railroad line in 1887, Maricopaville was moved to Maricopa’s current location.
