In Gilbert, AZ, a one-time farming community that is now part of the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale metropolitan area, the rapidly expanding population currently stands at 171,000. Originally a stop on the Arizona Eastern Railway, Gilbert incorporated in 1920 and since 1980 has experienced unprecedented population growth, jumping from just under six thousand citizens to the current population level.
In demographic terms in Gilbert, AZ the population is eighty percent Caucasian, twelve percent Hispanic, and three percent African American. The average age is thirty years and the average annual household income is more than $68,000. Unemployment in Gilbert is slightly more than four percent. An additional and unique statistic about demographics in this community is that Gilbert has the greatest number of married couples of any large city in the United States.
The six largest employers in Gilbert are the Gilbert Unified School District, the Town of Gilbert, B.H. Drywall (construction), GoDaddy.com (an Internet domain service), Target, and General Dynamics C4 Systems (advanced space systems engineering.) Many people make the short drive to Phoenix to work at jobs in the city while enjoying life in the smaller atmosphere of Gilbert. For all practical purposes, Gilbert is a Phoenix suburb although residents are quick to defend their separate and unique status.
Given the popularity of the area (the growth rate since 1990 has been 264.3 percent), Gilbert, Arizona real estate as an industry enjoys a brisk business. In Gilbert, Arizona, real estate related entities number fifty-four. At any give time the Gilbert, Arizona real estate market will list approximately two thousand homes for sale.
People interested in Gilbert, Arizona real estate need to realize they are moving to the desert. Temperatures routinely climb above one hundred degrees almost daily from May through September. At night, however, levels return to a more comfortable range in the seventies and are equally mild from October through April.
Popular local events include the Easter Eggstravaganza, Summer Concerts in the Park, Halloween Carnival, So Long to Summer Fest, and the Christmas Tree Lighting. Perhaps the most widely attended local event is Gilbert Days from November 12 to 20 which commemorates the paving of Gilbert Road and celebrates the community's history and Western heritage. Activities include Pony Express re-enactments, the Gilbert Days Extreme Bullriding competition, and the Gilbert Days Rodeo.
Visitors to Gilbert will find themselves within easy access of Phoenix and throughout the area there are plentiful accommodations in a range of price points as well as a wide variety of restaurants representing all cuisines. Gilbert itself has five hospitals, two daily newspapers, four golf courses, fourteen parks, and thirty-three churches.
Whether you are looking for Gilbert, Arizona real estate or just want to spend some time in the healthy climate of the Arizona desert, you will find a warm welcome in this one-time farming community that has become one of the fastest growing towns in the United States.