Ten things worth knowing about Peoria

Peoria has plenty of stories that never make the brochures. Some explain a street name or an old building downtown; others explain why a lake, a ballpark and a county line all belong to the same city. Here are ten worth passing along the next time someone visits, including two that are new in 2026.

How a farm settlement got its name and its center

1. Peoria is named for Peoria, Illinois. William J. Murphy, a former Union Army officer, ran construction on the Arizona Canal. After the canal was finished in 1885, he saw the farming possibilities north of it, went back to Peoria, Illinois, and recruited four families to move west in November 1886. When the settlement's plat map was filed with the county recorder in 1897, it carried their hometown's name.

2. The town's first landmark was a well, and in 2026 it got a successor. In 1889, settlers dug a well by hand at Grand Avenue and Washington Street to serve residents and travelers. A few years later it was rebuilt as a water tower and tank, a gathering spot that announced the town to everyone on the road. On April 7, 2026, the city dedicated a 35-foot digital water tower in Osuna Park, at Peoria and Grand avenues, as a new gateway to downtown.

Fire, rails and roses

3. A fire in 1917 is why downtown looks the way it does. Business owners had started trading tin and wood for brick when a fire broke out one July night and destroyed the whole business district. The rebuilding produced the sturdier storefronts that still line Washington Street and Grand Avenue, many dated around 1918 on the city's self-guided walking tour. One of them, built for Jenning's Garage, was bought and renamed in 1928 by Joseph Wilhelm, and its business once came largely from farm machinery, including cotton pickers. A block away, Washington Street gained a new neighbor in spring 2026, when Caldwell County BBQ opened its Texas-style smokehouse there as part of the city's downtown redevelopment.

4. Peoria's train depot lives in Scottsdale. The Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix line reached Peoria in 1895, and the town persuaded the railway to build a small depot on 83rd Avenue just off Grand Avenue. It served farmers and ranchers until 1972. Two years later the railroad sold the building to the City of Scottsdale, and it now stands in Scottsdale's McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park.

5. Peoria was once the Rose Capital of the World. The title came in 1956, two years after the town incorporated, when this was still a place of farms and fields. The holidays have deep roots here too: Peoria's first community Christmas tree went up in 1921, sponsored by the Peoria Woman's Club and the Chamber of Commerce.

Books, baseball and a very big lake

6. The library began with a book shower. In 1920, when Peoria had about 200 residents, the Senior Woman's Club started a public library in its clubhouse, collecting its first books by asking neighbors to bring them. After several moves, the Main Library settled on the municipal campus in 1993, and Sunrise Mountain Library now serves the north.

7. Peoria built the first spring training complex shared by two teams. The Peoria Sports Complex opened in 1994 as a home for both the San Diego Padres and the Seattle Mariners, and the city's visitor bureau says it has served as a model for similar facilities since. Its high-definition scoreboard, 35 feet tall and 61 feet wide, is the largest in the Cactus League.

8. The city reaches into a second county, and around a lake. Lake Pleasant, the second largest lake in Arizona, became part of Peoria in 1996. The city's far north stretches into Yavapai County, making Peoria one of a handful of Arizona cities that span two counties. Because of that northern land, the city's General Plan notes, Peoria is technically the largest incorporated city in Yavapai County, even though nearly all its residents live on the Maricopa County side.

What locals learn, and what waits for 2062

9. Peoria's washes are trails most of the year and rivers some days. The New River and Skunk Creek trails follow desert washes, and after heavy storms at the start of November 2026, the lower New River Trail beneath Thunderbird Road and at Grand Avenue sat underwater and closed until levels dropped. Locals learn to check the city's trail notices after a big rain and to respect a closed crossing.

10. A time capsule is waiting behind City Hall. When Centennial Plaza opened in 2012 to mark Arizona's 100th year of statehood, the city sealed a time capsule at the plaza's Decades Walk. It is scheduled to be opened on February 4, 2062. Five years later, in 2017, Peoria unveiled its first official city flag, with colors taken from the desert, the mountains, the sky and Lake Pleasant, and three stars for past, present and future.

Ten facts only scratch the surface. The city's historic preservation pages, its walking tour maps and a slow loop through downtown fill in the rest.