Peoria Arizona Homes - Small Town Living with Big City Amenities

Founded in the 1880s, Peoria is a suburban community located about 11 miles from Central Phoenix, named for after the hometown of families from Peoria, Illinois, who moved to the area to work the fertile land created by the Arizona Canal.

One of its best-known attributes is the Peoria Sports Complex, Cactus League Spring Training home to the San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners. In addition to sports, however, Peoria has quietly built a reputation for bringing arts and culture to the West Valley. According to GreatSchools.net, Peoria has some of the best schools in the West Valley.

Today, the city is home to some 85,000 residents and covers about 117 square miles northwest of Phoenix. As of March 2009, the median sales price for a home in Peoria was $174,000.