Surprise
Arizona
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City of Surprise
For those living in Surprise today, it is hard to imagine that our city of 100,000 people was once a sleepy little farming town encompassing just one square mile.
But that's exactly what Surprise was back in 1938 when it was founded by Homer Ludden, a real estate developer and state legislator. So why did he chose the name Surprise? Ludden named the city after his hometown- Surprise, Nebraska.
When Surprise was incorporated in 1960, the city was home to about 1,000 people. Today, not only has the city grown to 76 square miles, but the population now tops 100,000.
Surprise residents embrace the "live, work and play" approach to life. New, clean safe neighborhoods draw thousands of new residents a year to Surprise. Money magazine rates Surprise tops in the nation in job growth since 2000, and a comprehensive economic development plan is attracting better jobs all the time. As for playing in Surprise, the choices seem as abundant as the Arizona sunshine! In 2002, the $48.2 million Surprise Stadium and practice fields opened, serving as the Cactus League Spring Training home for Major League Baseball's
Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers. New parks and playing fields are opening regularly in Surprise. At Surprise Center adjacent to the Stadium, residents splash in the pools, waterfalls and slides at the Aquatic Center, or explore Native American art at the Heard Museum West or visit the Regional Library. Also at Surprise Center, a new 25-court Racquet Center with center court seating for 5,000 will make Surprise a nationally acclaimed tennis facility when it open in early 2007. And right next to the tennis facility, Dreamcatcher Park will be an athletic field especially designed to be accessible to all.
Major transportation improvements are underway, the city is expanding crucial services such as water treatment plants and police and fire facilities, residents are actively engaged in helping amend the Surprise General Plan and develop the Surprise Strategic Vision. Growth that is sensitive the desert environment while integrating transportation, jobs and schools are among the hallmarks of Surprise's planning outlook.
But that's exactly what Surprise was back in 1938 when it was founded by Homer Ludden, a real estate developer and state legislator. So why did he chose the name Surprise? Ludden named the city after his hometown- Surprise, Nebraska.
When Surprise was incorporated in 1960, the city was home to about 1,000 people. Today, not only has the city grown to 76 square miles, but the population now tops 100,000.
Surprise residents embrace the "live, work and play" approach to life. New, clean safe neighborhoods draw thousands of new residents a year to Surprise. Money magazine rates Surprise tops in the nation in job growth since 2000, and a comprehensive economic development plan is attracting better jobs all the time. As for playing in Surprise, the choices seem as abundant as the Arizona sunshine! In 2002, the $48.2 million Surprise Stadium and practice fields opened, serving as the Cactus League Spring Training home for Major League Baseball's
Kansas City Royals and the Texas Rangers. New parks and playing fields are opening regularly in Surprise. At Surprise Center adjacent to the Stadium, residents splash in the pools, waterfalls and slides at the Aquatic Center, or explore Native American art at the Heard Museum West or visit the Regional Library. Also at Surprise Center, a new 25-court Racquet Center with center court seating for 5,000 will make Surprise a nationally acclaimed tennis facility when it open in early 2007. And right next to the tennis facility, Dreamcatcher Park will be an athletic field especially designed to be accessible to all.
Major transportation improvements are underway, the city is expanding crucial services such as water treatment plants and police and fire facilities, residents are actively engaged in helping amend the Surprise General Plan and develop the Surprise Strategic Vision. Growth that is sensitive the desert environment while integrating transportation, jobs and schools are among the hallmarks of Surprise's planning outlook.