The city of Glendale consists of 30.5 square miles located 9 miles northwest of downtown Phoenix and easily accessible from the 101 Freeway. In the late 1880’s, William John Murphy, who had been paid in land and stock for building the Arizona Canal began to plat and develop the area. For access, he constructed an 18-mile diagonal road to Phoenix. Then the creation of a rail line from Prescott to Phoenix accelerated development.

Today the population is almost 250,000. The city is particularly noted for its complex of sports and entertainment venues. Glendale owns both the State Farm Stadium, home to the Arizona Cardinals and the annual Fiesta Bowl, and the Gila River Arena, home to the Coyotes NHL team. Both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago White Sox have their spring training in Glendale. There are 10 school districts in the city, as well as Glendale Community College and a West campus and the Global Management School of Arizona State University. The median age of residents is 32, and the median household income is $46,817. The current median home value is $232,700.