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 Lift Truck Chain Peoria - Peoria, Arizona is located in both Maricopa and Yavapai counties. Peoria sits mostly in the county of Maricopa and is considered a main suburb of Phoenix. The population of the city was 154,065 during 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau. In terms of land area, Peoria is now the 6th largest city in the state of Arizona.
The city gets its name from Peoria, Illinois and is a corruption of an Illini word that translates to "prairie fire." The population of the city is now larger than that of its namesake. The San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners share the Peoria Sports Complex here and Peoria is both teams home for spring training.
Peoria is located on gently sloping, flat desert terrain within the Salt River Valley. The surroundings stretches into the foothills of the mountains located to the north. The Salt River is filled with seasonal rainfall and mountain snowmelt runoff. There are times when the valley becomes flooded and numerous months of backbreaking labor is demolished. In order for the region to become productive and habitable the whole year, the cycle of drought and of flood had to be replaced with a reliable water supply that can be controlled year-round.
To be able to solve their water problems, the early pioneers explored irrigation. In 1868, a group of men organized by John W. "Jack" Swilling dug the very first modern irrigation ditch within the Salt River Valley. More people were enticed to settle in the region because of their success and eventually the region flourished due to the revitalized irrigation system.
The Agua Fria River and the New River are the only rivers that flow through the city. Due to the New Waddell Dam, the Agua Fria River is usually dry, because the dam is holding back Lake Pleasant within the northern region of the city. The New River Dam and other flood control measures normally make the New River dry also. There are various creeks and washes that flow through Peoria. Skunk Creek is one of the best known and most important due to its connection with Glendale which is nearby and its vast trail system.
In the northern part of the city, there are numerous hills and mountains. Calderwood Butte, West Wing Mountain, Twin Buttes, Sunrise Mountain, Cholla Mountain, Hieroglyphic Mountains, White Peak and East Wing Mountain are some of the well-known sites for nature enthusiasts to photograph and hike.
The city continues to expand its borders in the Lake Pleasant Regional Park, that was annexed in Peoria during the year 1999. The Challenger Space Center of Arizona calls Peoria home and has made the city of Peoria a world class cultural and educational destination.
During 2007, the city of Peoria built the Peoria Center for the Performing Arts. Although most of the growth within the area has happened in the northern and northwestern parts of Peoria, many projects have sprung up in southern Peoria as well as in the region called "Old Town."
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