Welcome to Chandler

About Chandler

Chandler, an east valley suburb of Phoenix, is the fourth-largest city in Arizona. It is the second largest suburb of Phoenix with a population around 270,000. 

Since the early 1990s, the City of Chandler has experienced exponential growth, ranking among the fastest-growing municipalities in the country. 

In 2010, Chandler was named as an All-America City by the National Civic League. Chandler was the only Arizona winner for the 61st annual awards. 

The heart of Chandler remains its revitalized historic downtown, which includes the award-winning Chandler City Hall and the Chandler Center for the Arts.

If you are interested in moving to Arizona, it is important to work with an agent who is an expert in the entire region and can guide you in selecting the perfect location considering your budget and criteria. 

I am an Arizona native and have lived all over the Phoenix metro area throughout my life. You can trust me to help you and your family find the perfect home. Please feel free to reach out and schedule a consultation to discuss your upcoming plans.

History

In 1891, Dr. Alexander John Chandler, the first veterinary surgeon in Arizona Territory, settled on a ranch south of Mesa, studying irrigation engineering. By 1900, he had acquired 18,000 acres of land, and began drawing up plans for a townsite on what was then known as the Chandler Ranch. The townsite was founded on May 16, 1912.

The original townsite was bounded by Galveston Street on the north, Frye Road on the south, Hartford Street on the west, and Hamilton Street on the east. This is the area now known as Downtown Chandler, which is teeming with a vibrant restaurant and arts & culture scene.

By 1913, a town center had become established, featuring the Hotel San Marcos, which also had the first grass golf course in the state. Chandler High School was established in 1914.

Most of Chandler’s economy was successfully sustained during the Great Depression, but the cotton crash a few years later had a much deeper impact on the city’s residents. Later, the founding of Williams Air Force Base in 1941 led to a small surge in population, but Chandler still only held 3,800 people by 1950.

By 1980, it had grown to 30,000, and it has since paced the Phoenix metropolitan area’s high rate of growth, with vast suburban residential areas swallowing former agricultural plots.

Some of Chandler’s earlier growth was fueled by the establishment of manufacturing plants for communications and computing firms such as Microchip, Motorola, and Intel.

Residential Areas

Chandler has an array of communities from urban apartments and luxury condos, to starter homes in older areas of the city, to larger tract homes in master planned subdivisions. Chandler is mainly landlocked and blends seamlessly in the north with the City of Mesa, in the west with the City of Tempe and Phoenix village of Ahwatukee, and in the east with Gilbert.

While you will finder older and more established neighborhoods in Chandler around the downtown area, much of the town has expanded to the south and west. As a result, Chandler is an area of Phoenix where you will find a large concentration of master planned subdivisions. These subdivisions offer amenities that are all self-contained within each community. These amenities often include parks, playgrounds, tennis & racquetball courts, basketball courts, public swimming pools, jogging and biking trails, and more.

Many buyers looking for homes in south Tempe or in Ahwatukee will be satisfied with homes in the western portion of Chandler. These areas are served by Tempe Union High School District and Kyrene Elementary District just as you will find in Tempe and Ahwatukee.

Buyers searching for homes in the southwest part of Gilbert, should expand their search into south Chandler, much of which is served by the same school district, the Chandler Unified School District.

See our featured neighborhoods section to view and learn more about some of the most popular subdivisions located in Chandler, AZ.

Property Taxes

If you are relocating to Arizona from California or the Northeast, you will likely be shocked by how low our property taxes are compared to where you are moving from.  In fact, Arizona residents benefit from lower property taxes than the national average for all states.

In Chandler, the average annual tax bill is approximately $2,200, which slightly higher than average versus the rest of the  Phoenix metro area. This will of course vary depending on the size of the lot, the size of the home, and special taxing districts, but it is a good rule of thumb to use as a baseline.

We can always help you understand the property tax bill for homes you are interested in purchasing and help you compare them to the surrounding area, including the other suburbs of Phoenix and similar property types.

Economy

Since 2003, more than 2,900 jobs and investments totaling $3 billion have been created along the Price and Santan freeways. This area is also known as the Price Road Corridor.

Companies headquartered in Chandler include Infusionsoft, Microchip, and Rogers. Bashas’ (a local grocery chain) has headquarters on a county island surrounded by Chandler.

Computer chip manufacturer Intel has an influential role in city growth strategies with four locations in the city, including its first factory to be designated “environmentally sustainable” under current Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) criteria.

Other high-technology manufacturing firms have partnerships with the local government. These operations employ approximately 25% percent of non-government workers.

Although per capita employment growth in the sector has been in decline in Arizona since 2000, semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing was largely unaffected. A series of customized grants for the training of new employees and incorporating the Phoenix urbanized area, resulted in a larger market share of the industry, particularly from California.

Climate

Chandler rests at the northern most edge of the Sonoran Desert and features a hot desert climate. The average year-round high temperature in Chandler is 87 degrees and the average low is 63 degrees. Those not used to desert heat will find it dry and surprisingly comfortable since we do not experience high humidity and have air conditioning readily available everywhere.

The summer months (May to September) are very hot with temperatures regularly exceeding 100 degrees. We have very short fall and spring seasons and consider the winter to occur between October and April. Temperatures get close to freezing in the traditional winter months. With that said, the winter months in Chandler are very satisfying and comfortable. Winters here are the main reason so many people love calling Chandler home.

It may look dry due to the lack of natural rivers; however, at one time the Salt River and Gila River ran through the region untamed. They have since been dammed to form several reservoirs found north and east of the valley. These reservoirs now provide power and water, not to mention outdoor recreation, to the entire region.

The Phoenix metro area averages only 8 inches of precipitation per year and often experiences extended droughts, making water conservation an important issue in the city.

Education

The majority of Chandler is served by the Chandler Unified School District. West of Loop 101, closest to the border with Tempe, Chandler is served by the Kyrene Elementary School District and the Tempe Union High School District. East of Loop 101 and north of Warner Road, closest to the border with Mesa, Chandler is served by Mesa Public Schools.

Alternatives to public schools include charter schools, Christian schools, parochial schools, magnet schools, as well as traditional academies. The leading charter schools in Chandler are BASIS Schools and Legacy Traditional School.

Chandler-Gilbert Community College offers educational programs centered on careers in manufacturing. The college focuses on three major sub-categories primarily found in the Phoenix market: High-Tech Manufacturing, Aerospace, and Other Manufacturing.

Attractions

Desert Breeze Park in west Chandler is a family friendly multi-purpose park with a lagoon, sports fields, tennis courts, playgrounds, a splash pad, and a fun railroad park for the kids.

The popular Ostrich Festival is an annual event based on Chandler’s colorful history of ostrich ranching, which included raising these unusual creatures for their stylish and expensive plumes. The festival is produced by the Chandler Chamber of Commerce and takes place at Tumbleweed Park on the southwest corner of McQueen and Germann Roads. The festival is a community event featuring live ostrich races and ostrich-themed activities, national and regional entertainment, carnival midway, spectacular food, upscale arts & crafts, a Saturday morning parade and much more.

Chandler Fashion Center is a regional shopping center and is the second largest mall in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The current anchors are Dillard’s, Macy’s, Barnes & Noble, and Harkins Theatres. The sporting goods retailer, Scheels will open its doors in 2023 at Chandler Fashion Center. The mall is located on Chandler Boulevard at the northwest corner of the Loop 101 and Loop 202 interchange.

Wild Horse Pass Resort and Casino located along I-10 and the western border of Chandler features a casino, seven restaurants, five screen cineplex with two 3D screens, golf course, hotel, recreational vehicle park, children’s entertainment center. The golf course is a championship, 18-hole course designed by John Steidel.

Arts & Culture

Located in the new revitalized and vibrant center of downtown, Chandler Center for the Arts is an engaging, welcoming, innovative space with three performance spaces: a 1,500-seat main stage, a 350-seat small performance theatre, and a 250-seat recital hall. There are also two extensive art galleries, The Gallery at CCA and Vision Gallery.

The Chandler Museum features both locally produced and nationally traveling exhibits exploring culture, history, and art. Reopened in December 2018, the new museum boosts a new 10,000 square foot facility adjacent to the historic McCullough-Price House, the original museum, which is included in the National Historic Register. Visitors to the Chandler Museum also can see Infinite Shade. This sculpture, by artist Jeff Zischke, functions as a shade structure for the museum’s outdoor courtyard during the day and at night it is bathed in multicolored light.

Zelma Basha Salmeri Gallery is a popular museum in Chandler, part of the Basha family’s collection. The focus of the collection lies in two specific areas: Contemporary Western American Art and Contemporary American Indian Art. They have a robust collection of oil paintings, watercolors, acrylics, pastel and charcoal drawings, pen & inks, bronze, wood and natural stone sculptures, wood-turned bowls, basketry, pottery, kachinas and jewelry.

An exciting museum for the whole family is the Arizona Railway Museum. It is dedicated to the railroads of Arizona and the Southwestern United States and has an extensive collection including locomotives, passenger cars, dining cars, and numerous indoor exhibits featuring railroad artifacts.

Sports

The city of Chandler does not host any professional sports leagues or tournaments. See our guides for Phoenix and Scottsdale to learn more about the Arizona sports world.

The City of Phoenix is home to several sports franchises and is represented by all four major professional sports leagues. For basketball, we have the Phoenix Suns; they play in Downtown Phoenix at Footprint Center. For baseball, we have the Arizona Diamondbacks; they play in Downtown Phoenix at Chase Field. For football, we have the Arizona Cardinals; they play in Glendale, AZ at State Farm Stadium. For hockey, we have the Phoenix Coyotes; they play in Glendale at Gila River Arena. We also have a Professional Women’s Basketball team, the Phoenix Mercury who also play at Footprint Center in Downtown Phoenix, an Indoor Football League team, the Arizona Rattlers, who play at Footprint Center, and a Professional Men’s Soccer League team, the Phoenix Rising, who play at the Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex at Wild Horse Pass.

Infrastructure

Chandler is served by three highways. Loop 202, the San Tan Freeway, cuts through the midsection of the city, traversing east and west along Pecos Road. Loop 101, the Price Freeway, runs north and south and connects with Loop 202 at its terminus in the south. The heart of Chandler’s economy is located along these two routes. Interstate 10 is the city’s westernmost border and connects Chandler to Downtown Phoenix and the west valley.

Chandler is one of the closest cities to Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport, which is located in East Mesa. This is a smaller airport than Phoenix Sky Harbor with several low-cost carriers operating daily routes to domestic airports around the United States.

For more commercial airline operations and international travel, Chandler is a 25-minute drive from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

Bus service in Chandler is provided by Valley Metro; however, it has very limited bus service compared with other cities in the valley of similar size, ranking sixth in total ridership behind Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, Scottsdale, and Glendale. Most local routes dead-end a few miles from the city or have further limited service within its borders.

Two express bus routes leave from the city near downtown, and a new park and ride facility was recently completed further south. Faced with increasing congestion, the land-locked city is pursuing transportation alternatives, including enhancement of the local bus system.

Healthcare

Chandler is served by several major healthcare complexes, such as the Chandler Regional Medical Center (operated by Dignity Health) and Banner Ocotillo Health Center in South Chandler (operated by Banner).

The Phoenix metro area is served by over 50 hospitals and medical centers. The largest hospital network in Phoenix is Banner Health, operating nearly half of the hospitals and medical centers in the region. The Phoenix Children’s Hospital is ranked nationally for numerous pediatric specialties. Barrow Neurological Institute at Saint Joseph’s Hospital in Central Phoenix is the world’s largest dedicated neurosurgical center. Ranked one of the best hospitals for over two decades, The Mayo Clinic operates one of its world-renowned centers here in North Scottsdale.

Paul Hansen Downtown Phoenix Realtor

Chandler Housing Averages

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Schools in Chandler

The majority of Chandler is served by the Chandler Unified School District. West of Loop 101, closest to the border with Tempe, Chandler is served by the Kyrene Elementary School District and the Tempe Union High School District. East of Loop 101 and north of Warner Road, closest to the border with Mesa, Chandler is served by Mesa Public Schools.

Featured Chandler Neighborhoods

Homes For Sale in Chandler, AZ

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