Casa Grande, AZ Real Estate

Casa Grande is the center point between Phoenix and Tucson. It is a rather eclectic mix of historic and modern buildings supporting a rather diverse population. Casa Grande began as a town where the Southern Pacific Rail Road ended in the summer of 1879, due to the extreme heat. As a result, a community of five residents sprang up there naming the station Terminus, as it was where the line terminated. In September of 1880, once the rail line was again moving towards Tucson, the rail road executives thought it appropriate and renamed the community and station Casa Grande, for the nearby ruins.

Casa Grande boomed in the years following, due to the railroad and the vibrant mining industry. From 1879 to 1893 the town began to develop the character it is known for today. During that period the town burnt down not once, but twice and had to be rebuilt. It’s very diverse population made up of Anglos, Mexicans, Chinese, Native and African Americans pulled together and rebuilt again. 

In 1890, the country suffered a mining slump, that spelled ruin for many a town; but not so for Casa Grande which turned to agriculture and the desert flourished. It is that indomitable sense of community that saved Casa Grande and that continues today to make it much more than a roadside stop for those traveling between Tucson and Phoenix. It is an identity they are fiercely proud of and well deserved.

Casa Grande is city of a little more than 40,000 permanent residents and home each winter to another 40,000 retirees who prefer its central location to that of Phoenix or Tucson. Those retirees have found winter homes in the Palm Creek RV and Golf Resort, and in Mission Royal an age restricted development by Meritage Homes. These communities have beautiful clubhouses and hundreds of winter activities to keep even the most active retirees busy.
Families also call Casa Grande home. A visit to one of the city parks on a sunny day will find them abuzz with the pleasant sounds of families enjoying various activities such as birthday parties, family BBQs, and even water balloon fights. The Casa Grande Parks and Recreation Department offers a variety of sports activities and summer arts programs at the numerous city parks and enjoy high participation levels.

Casa Grande also has a significant population of professional couples who actually commute in opposite directions each day for work, with one working in Tucson and the other in Phoenix. And that makes Casa Grande the ideal location to call home, especially when you factor in its moderate home prices. Home prices here are decidedly more reasonable than those found in their larger metropolitan neighbors. One can find the same exact floor plan in Casa Grande for significantly less. Saving money on your home price does not mean the city has less to offer either.

Casa Grande is home to the first outlet mall in Arizona, the Tanger Factory Outlet Center, which provides every imaginable name brand retailer at substantially discounted prices. In Casa Grande, whether you are looking for food, clothing, office goods, house wares, automobiles, or hard to find one of kind gifts for special occasions, you will find a retailer here. An almost infinite number of choices for dining out from the convenience of fast food to the elegance of fine dining can also be found in Casa Grande. The emergency and non-emergency medical needs are served by the state of the art Casa Grande Regional Medical Center, and residents say their wait times are far less than that of those who receive care in Phoenix and Tucson. Which is just one more reason, most would never move to either larger city.

Casa Grande is also home to the Francisco Grande, the legendary golf resort developed by the owner of the San Francisco Giants in 1959 as a spring training facility. The resort was an exclusive getaway for Hollywood elites such a John Wayne, Pat Boone and Gale Gordon, and recently underwent a multimillion dollar restoration. It is a favorite weekend getaway for locals who can’t get enough of its amenities, history and hospitality. Because golf is a staple of life for many Arizona residents, there are several public courses to choose from when the idyllic weather beckons, in addition to the resort.

Casa Grande, in short, is a midsized city in the center of the Golden Corridor between Tucson and Phoenix and a place where anyone would be proud to call home, just ask anyone living there now.