JUNE 2007 GILBERT WAS NAMED 5TH FASTEST GROWING CITY IN U.S, but by 2009 it will be lucky to not loose any of it's population.
Gilbert began in 1902 when the Arizona Eastern Railway established a rail siding on property owned by William Gilbert. The siding and the town that grew up around it eventually became known as Gilbert. Gilbert was known for its agriculture, specifically cattle, sheep, dairy products, grains, cotton, and alfalfa hay. In fact during WW1 Gilbert was known as the Hay Shipping Capital of the World.
In 1920, the town was Incorporated with a population of 500. The population boom that has enveloped the area started in 1980 with 5,717 citizens, and increased to over 172,000 in 2005, and the 2020 population estimate is 280,300! In the past 3 years, Gilbert has added 3 million square feet of industrial and commercial space. Gilbert started redevelopment of "Heritage District" in 2002. To see more of the town's history, check out the Gilbert Historical Society Museum located in a building that was once the original Town School.
