U.S. Army Chaplain Winfield Scott purchased a 640 acre section of land in what is now Scottsdale for $2.50/acre. In 1988 his brother George became the first resident of the future town. By 1894 the name of the town was changed from "Orangedale" to "Scottsdale", and by 1909 the "Little Red Schoolhouse" had opened for 32 students (now home to Scottsdale Historical Society).The town had its' first newspaper in 1922, and in 1937 Frank Lloyd Wright purchased some land in Scottsdale and started an Artitectural School and winter retreat (Taliesin West).
When the town was incorporated in 1951, it was one square mile, with a population of 2,000. Scottsdale is known as the "West's most Western Town". Today Scottsdale is home to over 200 Golf Courses, 67 resorts & hotels, 58 miles of bike paths, 40 miles of Riding & Biking trails, and a population growth rate of about 6%. The choice of housing ranges from entry level to ulta-Luxury Custom homes in the millions! Scottsdale Airpark is an airport with a 8,249 Ft. runway with a business park surrounding it. 466 aircraft are based at the airport, and in 2003 there were 194,472 annual aircraft operations.
The airport started in 1942 as Thurderbird Field II, as a WWII pilot training facility. While the airport itself occupies 296 acres, the airpark that surrounds it occupies 2,600 acres and has become a national model for airport-based business parks. Employment at the Airpark in 2003 was 42,000 employees working for 2,225 companies. Hungry, be sure to check out the Scottsdale Culinary Festival every April for a taste of some of the areas' best. Jimmy Durante, Tony Curtis, Janet Leigh, Betty Grable, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Bing Crosby all stayed or played at the Hotel Valley Ho, which has just gone through an $80 mil renovation.
