Queen Creek is located in Maricopa County, Arizona in the southeastern part of the county. Queen Creek is also just 40 minutes from Phoenix. One of Arizona's best kept secrets, Queen Creek is an oasis hidden away in the metropolitan Phoenix area. Residents of Queen Creek have all their dreams fulfilled with a combination of natural recreation, relaxed lifestyle, small town living, easy commutes, great air quality and low crime rates.
Residents in the community of Queen Creek are all on first name basis and this gives a very warm family feel. Everyone you come across is a friend, never an uncaring stranger, always someone who will know you by name.
Queen Creek was incorporated in 1989, since then the town has gone from rich roots of a rural community to one of the most family oriented, innovate towns in the state. Queen Creek got its name from the town of Superior, the town was wealthy with ore supplies. Out of the many mines that opened up in the town of Superior, one of them was called the Silver Queen. There was a creek at the base of the mine called Picket Post Creek, named for the odd shape of the above mountain. The Picket Post Creek's name changed after the Silver Queen Mine started production, it was then named Queen Creek. This creek runs through the mountains and Queen Creek Canyon all the way to the town of today's Queen Creek. Before the town was know as Queen Creek, it was called Rittenhouse.
By 1912 when Arizona became an official state, the community of Queen Creek was already forming traditions of their own. Some of these were rural fun and neighborliness. The town held regular street dances and many people enjoyed sleeping outside under the starts on hot summer nights, others enjoyed a quick dip in the many swimming holes.
The town started out with a post office, church, and general store, which served all the needs of the community. Many of the families that live in Queen Creek today can trace their heritage back to the same Queen Creek. Some names like Hawes, Ellsworth, Schnepf, Combs and Sossaman date back to the early day's of Queen Creek and are now street and road names.
In the early 1920s many immigrant moved from Mexico to work the mines in south Arizona. They came to work the local cotton fields, which they picked by hand until 1920 when the cotton gin was built in Queen Creek. Many German p.o.w.'s joined to help the local farm laborers.
With the inevitable growth the town continually prepares to add to its rich culture. Queen Creek strives to preserve the town spirit and a friendly atmosphere all while it maintains its high quality of life and recreational opportunities.
Demographics Report 2000
Population (2005)
Median Household Income
Median Family Income
Median Age
16,628
$36,702
$65,679
31
Queen Creek is served by many different school districts, charter and private schools. The districts are Queen Creek Unified School District, Chandler Unified School District, Florence Unified School District, Higley Unified School District, Coolidge Unified School District and Combs School District. All these districts strive for student excellence with a top of the line education.
Colleges and Universities are close by as well. Some of these are Arizona State University, Maricopa Community College, Chandler Gilbert Community College, Western International University, ASU Polytechnic, University of Phoenix, and East Valley Institute of Technology.
Queen Creek residents enjoy the many recreation spots in the outdoors, the city provides walking, hiking and horseback riding trails in the mountains and on the countryside. Some of the best views of Goldmine, Superstition and San Tan Mountains are in the area of Queen Creek.
Baseball, football and soccer fields, basketball, volleyball and tennis courts are located at the community center, local schools and town hall. There is also a few 18 hole golf coursesin area. The Superstition Springs Center, Arizona's largest shopping mall, is a short drive north of Queen Creek. The city also offers many shopping and great dining options.