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East Valley
The East Valley is a growing area of the Greater Phoenix region. In its most restrictive definition, it encompasses the communities of Mesa, Chandler, Tempe, and Gilbert. The region is affluent, well-educated and economically dynamic. More than 1.3 million people living in 650,000 households call the East Valley home. Its economy is driven by healthcare, education, aerospace, tourism and technology. The region takes pride in its transportation system. http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/ -
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E. Valley Wildlife
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History
The term "East Valley" to describe that part of Metropolitan Phoenix east of the city of Phoenix emerged in the early 1980s. Metro Phoenix is in the Salt River Valley, which has been marketed as the Valley of the Sun. A newspaper publisher, started using East Valley in the Mesa Tribune, Chandler Arizonan, and the Tempe Daily News - as a marketing device aimed at giving his company's newspapers creditability as alternatives to the powerful Phoenix-based Arizona Republic. -
Commerce and communities of interest
Countless communities of interest have found the East Valley umbrella to be useful in marketing to a tightly knitted region that offers customers and other interested parties easy access through a well-developed street and freeway system. The East Valley Children's Theater was once the Chandler Children's Theater. It moved to Mesa and conducts its performances at the MAC. https://www.mesaartscenter.com/ -
Demographics
The East Valley experienced a population increase of 30 percent, going from 937,638 in 2000 to 1,324,922 in 2011, according to U.S. Census data. The 2011 median household income in the East Valley was reported $64,659, up from $52,100 in 2000. The 2011 median household income is also higher in the East Valley than Metropolitan Phoenix, and the entire United States. The cost of living in the East Valley is quite low for such a thriving area. The cities in the East Valley literally grew together. -
Economy
Intel: No single company has had a more profound impact on the East Valley than the Intel Corp. The company has 10,300 employees working in the city of Chandler—the company’s second largest US site. Growth: Prior to the Great Recession that marked its beginning at the end of 2007, phenomenal population growth was a powerful driver of the East Valley’s economy. Even today, construction and maintenance comprises 12.59 percent. http://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/great-recession.asp?lgl=v-table -
Opened Campus in east Mesa
In 2007 and 2011 new health science buildings were opened at the main campus and quickly reached capacity. In 2011 EVIT opened a 10-acre, $17 million campus in east Mesa that is clustered with the Arizona State University Polytechnic campus, the Chandler-Gilbert Community College Williams campus and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. It is focused on health and aviation programs. Aviation students are trained for jobs in the East Valley’s and state’s robust aerospace sector. http://www.evit.com/ -
Arts & culture
The East Valley is steeped in arts and culture. Each of the East Valley's major cities boasts performing arts centers and museums. The performing arts attractions range from community theater performances to such nationally acclaimed celebrities. One of the crown jewels of the East Valley's performing arts venues is the Mesa Arts Center, which CNN selected to host the February 2012 Republican primary presidential debate. -
Arizona Academic Decathlon competition
East Valley K-12 students are served by 14 school districts, 125 charter schools and one regional career-focused district (East Valley Institute of Technology). One measure of the academic quality of East Valley schools is that the region qualified 12 schools to compete in the 2012 Arizona Academic Decathlon competition - more than any other region. -
Aviation and aerospace
The East Valley is blessed with ideal flying weather, a rich history of military aviation that dates back to the beginning of WW II, a seasoned workforce supported by an education infrastructure and an attractive cost structure. In a 2011 press release, Iridium CEO Matt Desch said, “With this contract, Orbital becomes part of the most significant commercial space project in the world." Iridium satellites are to be launched starting in 2015. -
Outdoor and recreation
The East Valley is well known as a golfer’s paradise. The East Valley is bounded on the N, E, S by mountains. All are easily accessible through trails. The Tonto National Forest hugs the East Valley as does the lower Salt River valley basin and picturesque Sonoran Desert. For boaters, Saguaro Lake is within a half hour of most East Valley locations and the 21,000 acre Lake Roosevelt and the Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area is a 90-minute drive. https://www.fs.usda.gov/tonto/
