Scottsdale, Arizona

Mesa began as a vision of agricultural prosperity, an idea etched into the desert landscape with the completion of the Mesa Canal in 1878. The name itself, "Mesa," a Spanish word for "table top," speaks to the geography…

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…

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.

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…

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.

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,…

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,…

La Mesa sits nestled in the embrace of the Sonoran Desert, a landscape sculpted by eons of geological activity. The area’s defining feature is undoubtedly its flatness. "La Mesa" itself means "the table" in Spanish, a…

Gilbert, Arizona, owes its existence to the fertile land and the arrival of the Arizona Eastern Railway in 1902. Farmers, drawn by the promise of irrigation and rich soil, began to settle in the area. The railway…

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…

Looking for a relaxing dip? This spot was once home to the Buckhorn Baths Motel, a desert oasis built around natural mineral hot springs. Ted and Alice Sliger started with a gas station and store here in 1936. By 1939,…

Pull over here! This unassuming spot was once the heart of the Manistee Ranch, a thriving agricultural oasis in the late 19th century. Herbert W. Hamilton, hailing all the way from Wisconsin, founded the ranch in 1897.…

Pull over here for a second – this unassuming building was once the center of Glendale's cultural life, thanks to a group of forward-thinking women. It all started in 1901 when a group of women organized the “Self…

Glendale has long been a place where the past and the future meet. The city, dipping slightly in elevation at just over a thousand feet, still echoes with the sounds of its agricultural roots, even as it embraces the…

This one-story adobe building served as a community hub in Laveen, Arizona since 1940. Built during the Works Progress Administration era, the Laveen School Auditorium, or Building A, provided a much-needed space for…

Imagine leaving your mark on the world, literally etched in stone. That's what happened here at Deer Valley Petroglyph Preserve, where ancient peoples left a stunning gallery of rock art. Over 1500 petroglyphs, created…

Peoria, Arizona, might conjure images of sun-drenched citrus groves and the dry bed of the New River shimmering in the heat, a landscape that once lured settlers from its namesake in Illinois. That pioneer spirit still…

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…