Welcome to Gilbert
Table of Contents
About Gilbert
Once known as the “Hay Shipping Capital of the World”, Gilbert is the fifth-largest municipality in Arizona, and the fourth largest in the Phoenix metro area. It covers an area of nearly 69 square miles.
Gilbert has made a rapid transformation from an agriculture-based community to an economically diverse suburban center located in the southeastern valley of the Greater Phoenix area. It has grown at an extremely high rate over the last three decades, increasing in population from 5,717 in 1980 to 243,254 as of the 2020 census.
In 2019, the town rated highly on three national surveys, related to safety, livability, and family life. Gilbert was named the fourth-safest, twelfth-most livable town, and seventh-best place to raise a family in the United States.
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
Gilbert was established by William “Bobby” Gilbert, who provided land to the Arizona Eastern Railway in 1902 to construct a rail line between Phoenix and Florence, Arizona. Ayer’s Grocery Store, the first store in Gilbert, opened in 1910 and became the location of the first post office in 1912. The location of the town post office moved several times before settling on the east side of Gilbert Road in downtown, where it still stands today.
In 1912, many Mormons who had fled the Mormon colonies in Mexico due to the actions of the forces of Pancho Villa settled in Gilbert. By 1915, they began holding church meetings at the Gilbert Elementary School. In 1918, they were organized into the Gilbert Ward.
Incorporated in July 1920, Gilbert was primarily a farming community fueled by the rail line and construction of the Roosevelt Dam and the Eastern and Consolidated Canals. It remained an agricultural town for many years and was known as the “Hay Capital of the World” from 1911 until the late 1920s.
Today is has become one of the most desirable places to live in the United States and one of the largest towns in the Phoenix metro area.
Residential Areas
Gilbert homes not only retain their value within the Greater Phoenix area, they appreciate rapidly. The town has become one of the most expensive areas to purchase a home in the Phoenix metro area.
With the highest percentages of “family households” in the state, Gilbert has an array of homes from urban apartments and luxury condos, to starter homes in small densely populated communities, to larger tract homes in master planned subdivisions, to custom homes on old farms and orchards. There are also several equestrian communities located in Gilbert.
While you will finder older and more established neighborhoods in Gilbert, much of the town has expanded to the south and southeast from Downtown, which is located more to the north. As a result, Gilbert is an area of Phoenix where you will find a large concentration of master planned subdivisions. These subdivisions offer amenities that are 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.
See our featured neighborhoods section to view and learn more about some of the most popular communities and subdivisions located in Gilbert, 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 Gilbert, the average annual tax bill is approximately $2,350, which is slightly higher than average for 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
Gilbert is a suburban town with a growing economy based on emerging industries. Many of its residents commute to nearby suburbs and the City of Phoenix for work. The town is approximately 30 to 60 minutes away from Downtown Phoenix and North Scottsdale where most of the top employers are located.
Gilbert has over 2 million square feet of hospital and clinical research facilities. Some of the nation’s major healthcare players like Dignity Health, Banner Healthcare, and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center have major operations in Gilbert. The town is well-known for stem cell transplant therapies and regenerative medicine.
Gilbert has become a hub for the finance and insurance industry. Companies worldwide are finding success here thanks to competitive operating costs, low taxes, a diverse workforce, and Arizona’s FinTech Sandbox. With the Arizona FinTech Sandbox, startups, entrepreneurs, and established companies are able to launch products on a limited basis for consumers to test the software before it is launched to the public.
Gilbert is in an advantageous position to realize substantial job creation in sustainability and diversified energy sectors. Headquartered in Gilbert since 2005, Diversified Energy Corporation is a privately held, alternative and renewable energy company focused on maturing innovative technologies, developing commercial energy projects, and providing engineering services support to project developers.
Northrop Grumman, a space and defense company, develops and manufactures small and medium-class space systems for commercial, military, and civil government customers from a manufacturing facility based in Gilbert.
Within Gilbert, several of the top employers are: Gilbert Public Schools, Banner Health, Mercy Gilbert Medical Center, Town of Gilbert, Fry’s Food & Drug Store, Go Daddy, Walmart, Chandler Unified School District, B.H. Drywall, and Dillard’s Retail & Distribution.
Climate
Gilbert rests at the northern most edge of the Sonoran Desert and features a hot desert climate. The average year-round high temperature in Gilbert 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 Gilbert are very satisfying and comfortable. Winters here are the main reason so many people love calling Gilbert 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 older neighborhoods of Gilbert in the north are mainly zoned to schools in the Gilbert Unified School District. Newer communities in the southeast of town are zoned to the Higley Unified School District while the sourthernmost portions of the town are served by the neighborhing Chandler Unified School District. While not common, there are a few areas in the north that are served by Mesa Public Schools.
Also in Gilbert are charter schools such as Eduprize, American Leadership Academy, and Legacy Traditional School. The town is also home to Gilbert Christian Schools, a chain of private schools.
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
Downtown Gilbert is known as The Heritage District. It offers a collection 30+ restaurants in a fun and vibrant space with some of the top restaurants in the metro Phoenix food scene in addition to the best of Gilbert’s locally grown creations. You’ll find a family-friendly environment, a vibrant nightlife, and a plethora of pet-friendly restaurant options with ample patio space.
Gilbert’s 135-mile trail system connects The Heritage District to parks and attractions throughout town.
The town also contains great golf courses, including Trilogy Golf Club at Power Ranch, a picturesque course at Seville Golf & Country Club, and several other public courses.
Bird watchers will love the Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch. Designated as an Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society, approximately 298 species of birds have been identified. The preserve also boasts an urban fishing lake, covered picnic areas, a dinosaur dig site, campsites, and the only valley astronomy observatory open to the public. Over 4.5 miles of trails weave through the park welcoming hikers, runners, bikers, horseback riders, and wildlife watchers. It is the perfect place for a casual stroll.
Gilbert offers an outdoor shopping destination at San Tan Village, an open air mall with boutique shops and big brand anchors. Major retailers, such as Best Buy, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Dillard’s, and Macy’s are the top attractions here. Other options include specialty stores like Apple, Barnes & Noble, Charming Charlie, Coach, Forever 21, Gymboree, Sephora, and White House Black Market.
The Farm at Agritopia is a community based on a lifestyle of sharing. Tree-lined streets grace this pedestrian friendly community. You can take a personal tour around the grounds and visit a community garden made up of 40 plots used by members of the community. Gardeners can meet to share gardening tips as well as their produce year-round. There is a fruit stand where members of the community share eggs, oranges, grapefruit, dates, and other seasonal offerings at the honor fruit stand.
Arts & Culture
The Heritage District is home to the Hale Centre Theatre a local theatre featuring Broadway shows performed by regional casts.
The Gilbert Art Walk is an art gathering that takes place on select Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. between October and April. This casual and eclectic event offers locals and tourists an opportunity to discover emerging and well-known artists alike. The event is held at Water Tower Plaza, in The Heritage District located at Page Avenue and Ash Street.
Sports
The town of Gilbert 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
Gilbert is primarily served by one area freeway, the Santan Freeway portion of Loop 202. A small section of the US 60 Superstition Freeway also skirts the northern boundary of the town at the Higley Road interchange. Several regional arterials also serve the area, including Williams Field Road, Chandler Boulevard, and Gilbert Road.
Gilbert is one of the closest towns 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, Gilbert is a 25-minute drive from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
Recently, a park-and-ride facility was constructed in Downtown Gilbert for bus service and future commuter rail service. Although the facility borders the Union Pacific tracks and has provisions for commuter rail service, there is currently no such service.
Bus service is limited in Gilbert, with some north & south routes in Mesa dead-ending at Baseline Road before entering Gilbert.
Healthcare
Gilbert has over 2 million square feet of hospital and clinical research facilities. Some of the nation’s major healthcare players like Dignity Health, Banner Healthcare, and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center have major operation in Gilbert. The town is well-known for stem cell transplant therapies and regenerative medicine through firms like Celebration Stem Cell Centre, Translational Research Institute, and Cardiovascular & Stem Cell Consultants.
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.

Gilbert Housing Averages
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Schools in Gilbert
The older neighborhoods of Gilbert in the north are mainly zoned to schools in the Gilbert Unified School District. Newer communities in the southeast of town are zoned to the Higley Unified School District while the sourthernmost portions of the town are served by the neighborhing Chandler Unified School District. While not common, there are a few areas in the north that are served by Mesa Public Schools.
Public Schools
Charter Schools
College & University
Featured Gilbert Neighborhoods
Homes For Sale in Gilbert, AZ
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