Birth of Suburbia | Arizona Stories Shorts

In 1947, John F. Long returned to Phoenix. The future developer began with a single house that was meant to become his home. When the house was finished, Long sold it and began to build another home that was meant for him and his wife. The process of building and selling individual homes continued for about two years until 1949 when Long started the first subdivision.

With the automobile allowing people to live further from downtown, Phoenix was able to expand outwards. Long started the development of Maryvale in 1954, the overall plan being to develop a community that provided homes for young families and a place for their recreation.

By the mid ‘50s, manufacturing replaced agriculture as the Valley’s number one industry, prompting even more people to come to Phoenix. Long and his team were building around 20 houses a day trying to keep up with the influx of sales. By 1959, more homes had been built in the Valley in one decade than in the previous four combined.