Mesa, Arizona

Pull over for a minute! This little red schoolhouse isn't just cute, it's a window into Scottsdale's past. Back in 1909, Scottsdale needed a bigger school than the old one-room building. So, they built this red brick…

Scottsdale, Arizona, a place where the desert wind whispers tales of reinvention. Its story begins with Winfield Scott, whose name now graces the city, arriving in 1888 and setting in motion a transformation from arid…

Chandler, Arizona, unlike some of its neighbors, owes its existence to a very specific set of circumstances. It began as a cotton farming community thanks to Dr. A.J. Chandler, whose vision for agricultural development…

Pull over for a moment and imagine the stories buried beneath your feet. This is Double Butte Cemetery, the final resting place for many of Tempe's earliest pioneers. Founded in 1888, the cemetery sits at the base of…

Imagine a thriving desert community centuries before Phoenix even existed, right here where you're driving! This is S'edav Va'aki, a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the Hohokam people. The Hohokam inhabited this…

Higley, Arizona, owes its existence to the fertile land carved from the desert by the Consolidated Canal. Like much of the East Valley, its story is inextricably linked to cotton. The area's hot, dry climate and access…

Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home and architecture school in the Sonoran Desert foothills of Scottsdale, built from desert stone and canvas beginning in 1937.

The sun-drenched landscape of 马萨, Arizona, in 马利柯帕 County, still echoes with the agricultural traditions brought by early settlers from Utah and surrounding territories. These pioneers, primarily members of The Church…

Ever wonder about Phoenix's industrial roots? Check out the F. S. Baird Machine Shop right here. Built in 1928 by Kathryn Baird, she and her son Arthur opened a machine shop in 1929. Arthur moved on in 1931, and other…

Chris Bianco moved from the Bronx to Phoenix and opened a tiny pizzeria inside a grocery store in 1988. By the late 1990s, food writers were calling it the best pizza in America. The Rosa — red onion, Parmigiano,…

Anthem, Arizona, a master-planned community carved from the desert north of Phoenix, exudes a feeling of comfortable suburban peace. Though a relatively new community, established in 1999 by Del Webb, Anthem has seen…

Phoenix's story is one of rebirth and resilience, mirroring its namesake. Long before it became a major metropolis, the Hohokam people thrived here, mastering irrigation to cultivate the arid landscape. Their intricate…

Ahwatukee, nestled at a slightly lower elevation than Scottsdale, carries a name that hints at a deeper history than its modern, suburban feel suggests. "House of Dreams," it's called, a Crow language derivation…

Pull over for a minute – you might just spot a ghost at the Hotel San Carlos! This place has a long history, and some say, a few permanent residents who never checked out. The Hotel San Carlos opened its doors in 1928,…

Phoenix wouldn't exist without irrigation. The Hohokam people, who lived here centuries ago, were master irrigators, building canals that allowed them to farm in the arid desert. Modern Phoenix built upon that legacy.…

Pull over for a second. This is the Orpheum Theatre, and it’s more than just a pretty building. It was once a major stop on the vaudeville circuit, bringing some serious star power to Phoenix. Originally built in 1929,…

One of the finest collections of Native American art and culture in the world, founded in Phoenix in 1929, with a permanent exhibit on the legacy of Indian boarding schools.

This unassuming spot marks a place of both opportunity and profound loss. For nearly a century, the Phoenix Indian School stood here, a boarding school for Native American children from across the Southwest. Beginning…

Ever wonder what Phoenix looked like before it became a sprawling metropolis? This neighborhood offers a glimpse into the past. From the late 1920s through the late 1940s, the F. Q. Story neighborhood blossomed,…

Queen Creek might seem like a typical, family-friendly Arizona town, defined by its views of the San Tan Mountains and the rhythms of community life. But even here, where Horseshoe Park hosts national equestrian events…

Imagine living in a thriving desert community over a thousand years ago – that was Snaketown, a major settlement of the Hohokam people. Between about 750 and 1150 AD, Snaketown was a hub of culture and agriculture in…

Get ready to witness some serious engineering! Stewart Mountain Dam, holding back Saguaro Lake, isn't just a pretty sight; it's a testament to human ingenuity in harnessing the desert's precious water resources.…