Casa Grande is a dynamic, involved community, a modern city with rural heritage and old-fashioned values. Its economic base is a mix of retail trade, factory outlet shopping, manufacturing, and agriculture. Founded in 1879, Casa Grande was named for the famous Hohokam Indian Ruins 20 miles to the northeast. Midway between Phoenix and Tucson, the city has grown to be the largest community in western Pinal County since its incorporation in 1915.
Real Estate in Casa Grande is strategically located at the intersection of two interstate highways (I-8 and I-10) in an area known as Arizona’s Golden Corridor. Once dependent on agriculture and mining, the community has evolved into a diversified full-service area with manufacturing, retail trade, government and tourism-related employment. Its industries include Mulay Plastics, Lexington Safety Components, Palm Harbor Homes, Frito-Lay, Abbott Labs, Monier Lifetile, Nissan/Calsonic, Hunter Douglas Wood Products, American Beverage Corp/Daily Juice, Mitsui Components (U.S.A.), Inc., and Volkswagen of America. Additionally, firms such as Hexcel, Mayville Metals, and Velcro Laminates provide a strong manufacturing base. All of Pinal County is a designated Enterprise Zone. Casa Grande is the home of two factory-outlet centers featuring 90 upscale fashion designer and national manufacturers’ stores in both the Tanger Outlet Center and Factory Stores of America. Both centers are located along I-10.
Casa Grande’s location, mild climate, and scenic attractions make it attractive to tourists and winter visitors. The Casa Grande Valley Historical Museum offers many historical displays and facts about the area. The unique architecture of the historic railroad station and other historic buildings can be enjoyed on a walking tour of Casa Grande. Named a Main Street city in 1992, Casa Grande is revitalizing the unique downtown area. The Casa Grande Art Museum hosts a number of shows each year featuring sculpture, watercolor, multi-media and Western art by Arizona artists. The Casa Grande Valley Players will begin a new season of Community Theater. The city is also the home of the Arizona State Open Chili Championship held every March. The annual O’odham Tash Celebration, a gathering of tribes, is held in mid-February and features Native American arts and crafts, ceremonial dances, rodeos, powwows, and parades.
Casa Grande is close to a popular Indian ruin and other historical sites. The town began as a farming, cattle and mining community and has grown into a diversified full-service area with manufacturing, retail trade, government, and tourism-related employment. Today Casa Grande’s population is 19,100. The town sits at an elevation of 1,395 feet. The warm southwestern climate has a summer high temperature of 107 degrees and a winter low temperature of 37 degrees. Casa Grande has a rich history, an exciting present, and a promising future.
There are quite a few attractions in or near Casa Grande. Although many assume that the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument is here in town, the ancient Indian “big house” is almost 20 miles to the east. However, the monument is one place you will definitively want to make time to see. These ruins are from the Hohokam Indians built nearly a century ago. There is a huge metal roof covering the four-story high Pueblo to help protect it from the elements. The Casa Grande Historical Museum is located in town. It offers many displays, artifacts, and information about the past.
Visitors will find historic buildings and tours available. The Gila River Arts and Crafts Center is just a few miles to the east, in the town of Sacaton. The Center has a museum and a replica of several Indian villages. There is also a gift shop full of authentic Indian crafts. Shoppers will soon discover the Tanger Outlet and the Factory Stores of America. These outlet malls have so many shops to choose from that it is difficult to decide where to begin. There are bargains to be found everywhere.
Visitors will find a fun outdoor activity located near town. Picacho Peak State Park continues to be a landmark. The Battle of Picacho Pass took place on April 15, 1862 and became the Civil War’s westernmost battle and the only one fought in Arizona. Although the Confederates won, they knew that reinforcements would be on their way, so the Confederates retreated. The park offers picnic areas, hiking trails and a campground. You won’t be able to miss this outdoor spot, which has a peak reaching 3,374 feet above the desert floor along Interstate 10.
Events:
Annual O’odham Tash Celebration February
Arizona State Chili Championship March
The ancient Hohokam Indians lived in this area nearly a century ago. They used irrigation canals to support their crops and to maintain their lives in this desert environment. Then no one knows why. Maybe a drought or their enemies caused them to abandon their community in 1450 A.D.
It wasn’t until 1879 when Casa Grande was founded. During this time farming and mining were the main trades of the community’s residents. The rich soil, warm climate and plentiful water from the dams built nearby made Casa Grande a farmer’s dream. Cotton was the chief crop and gins abound, but farmers also raised alfalfa.
Then in 1887, the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad gave the town a burst of growth. The railroad was being built to link Phoenix and Tucson together. Casa Grande became a way station along the tracks. In 1880 the post office opened.
Casa Grande continued to grow to become the largest community in western Pinal County. The town was incorporated in 1915. The name of the town came from the ancient Indian dwellings northeast of town called Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. The word Casa Grande means “big house”, which refers to the size of the ruins found approximately 20 miles from town.
As time has passed, the town has diversified into a full-service area with manufacturing, retail trade, government, and tourism-related employment. Today, all of Pinal County is designated an Enterprise Zone. It is no wonder why with dozens of business choose Casa Grande their home base.
In 1992, Casa Grande was named a Main Street city, due in most part to the revitalization of the downtown area. Downtown Casa Grande has a historic museum, art museum, and a community theater. A walking tour of the area is what makes this downtown so special.
Casa Grande is becoming a modern city, yet it is not losing its rural and old fashion heritage.
Casa Grande Golf Courses
Arizona living is a relaxed lifestyle. Enjoying a round of golf is part of the Arizona, Casa Grande life. Sharing good times with friends on the golf course and soaking up the warm Arizona sunshine are experiences many Casa Grande residents enjoy each day. You can be living the good life in Casa Grande, Arizona.
The list below includes golf courses in and around the Casa Grande area. Spend some time reviewing the list and select the courses you want to try.
It is time for you to take your clubs and play a round of golf!
Arizona City Golf Club – Semi-Private
13939 East Cleator Road
Arizona City, Arizona 85223
Dave White Golf Course – Public
2121 N Thornton Road
Casa Grande, Arizona 85222
Desert Fairways Golf Club – Public
813 Calle Rosa
Casa Grande, Arizona 85222
Francisco Grande Resort and Golf Club – Resort
26000 West Gila Bend Highway
Casa Grande, Arizona 85222
Mission Royale Golf Course – Public
11 South Mission Parkway, Building #!
Casa Grande, Arizona 85222
Tierra Grande Country Club – Public
813 West Calle Rosa
Casa Grande, Arizona 85222[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Attractions
Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
For over a thousand years, prehistoric farmers inhabited much of the present-day state of Arizona. These perplexing ruins of a massive four-story building, constructed of high-lime desert soil by Indians who farmed the Gila Valley 600 years ago, have raised many questions. When the first Europeans arrived, all that remained of this ancient culture were the ruins of villages, irrigation canals, and various artifacts. Among these ruins is the Casa Grande, or “Big House,” one of the largest and most mysterious prehistoric structures ever built in North America. Casa Grande Ruins, the nation’s first archeological preserve, protects the Casa Grande and other archeological sites within its boundaries. You are invited to see the Casa Grande and to hear the story of the ancient ones the Pima call the Hohokam, “those who are gone.” Casa Grande Ruins receives about 165,000 visitors per year. The highest visitation is from January through April; lowest from June through August.
The located park is in Coolidge, Arizona, about an hour-long drive from either Phoenix or Tucson. From Interstate 10 take the Coolidge exits and follow the signs to the park entrance off Arizona Route 87/287. There is an information counter, a museum exhibit area, a bookstore, a public phone, restrooms, drinking fountains, and a wheelchair available.
The visitor center and parking lot are located at the end of a 7/8 mile long paved entrance road. The site is fully accessible with level paved and packed-dirt surfaces. From the visitor center, there is a 300-yard self-guided walking trail around the ruins with wayside signs provided. There are regularly scheduled guided tours from January through April. Advance-requested guided tours are provided for school and tour groups during the rest of the year depending on staff availability.
There are no lodging or camping facilities at the Monument. Lodging and RV/camping facilities are available in nearby Coolidge and the surrounding area. Though not available at the Monument, all food and supplies can be found in Coolidge. All facilities and the Ruins Trail are fully accessible. Take a guided and/or self-guided Ruins tour, view the visitor center museum exhibits, and use the picnic facilities. Reservations are recommended for school and tour groups. Special use permits may be required for certain activities. Allow about an hour to visit the Ruins. During summer months, be prepared for hot temperatures. Protective clothing, hats, sunscreen and personal water containers are highly recommended.
Special archeological tours are offered during the Arizona State Archeology Month in March. On National Parks Day, August 25, entrance fees are waived. During Native American Month in November, special events are held throughout the local area. Special tours and events are occasionally offered through a permit system. Please call for further information.
Tohono O’odham Nation
Tohono O’odham Nation reservations are in extreme south-central Arizona.
The Tohono O’odham lands lie in the arid Sonoran Desert, which is characterized by wide valleys, plains and jutting mountain ranges rising to nearly 8,000 feet. The
reservation consists of four separate reservation lands in the
The Sonoran Desert and covers a total area of 2,854,881 acres, about
the same size as the state of Connecticut. The largest, known as the
Tohono O’odham Reservation stretches 90 miles across Pima
County contains 2,773,357 acres and also extends across the
Mexican border. Northwest of the Tohono O’odham Reservation lies
the 10,409-acre Gila Bend Reservation. To the east, near Tucson, is
the 71,095-acre San Xavier Reservation. And just east of the Gila
River Reservation and west of the city of Florence is the 20-acre
Florence Village.
Federal, state and tribal agencies are the largest employers on the
Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation. Cattle raising and related
activities form the second major economic sector. The agricultural,
retail-tourism and utility sectors of the reservation economy are
expected to grow as tribal development plans are implemented.
Additional jobs will result from construction activities such as the new
Indian housing units at Sells, a new shopping center with Bashas’
Supermarket, three mining and chemical concerns, ASARCO, Inc.,
MINEREC Mining Chemical, Inc., and AURA, Inc., as well as several
tourism facility projects.
The Tohono O’odham welcome economic growth and have
developed an industrial park on the San Xavier Reservation near
Tucson. Caterpillar, the maker of heavy-duty equipment, is currently
a tenant. Also within the Industrial Park is an active 23-acre Foreign
Trade Zone.
Tohono O’odham contains many areas of tourist interest. The
ruggedness of the mountains and the vast undeveloped landscape
inspire great admiration. Kitt Peak National Observatory has 18 telescopes
in operation, including one of the largest optical telescopes
in North America. A paved highway runs to the summit of the peak
with a large picnic area near the top.
Nine miles south of Tucson is the most beautiful mission structure
in the Southwest, San Xavier Del Bac Mission. Registered as a
National Historic Landmark, it has been used continuously by the
Papago for more than two centuries. Fifteen miles southeast of the
Nation’s capital, Sells, on the Tohono O’odham Reservation,
Baboquivari Peak is the legendary home of I’itoi, the Papago
Creator. It also has a picnic area.
The annual Tohono O’odham All-Indian Rodeo and Fair, held in
October has become one of the outstanding rodeo attractions in
the Southwest. With the Rodeo comes an opportunity for the public
to see and buy Tohono O’odham basketry and pottery and to enjoy
local food.