About the Gilbert, Arizona Area 

Gilbert is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA. It was founded on July 6, 1891 as a rail siding for Arizona Eastern Railway, and the town that sprang up around it was incorporated as the Town of Gilbert in 1920. Gilbert received its name from William "Bobby" Gilbert, the owner of the property that the rail siding was built on. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 191,517.

Although it is large and growing rapidly, Gilbert is still incorporated as a town rather than as a city; it has the highest population of any area incorporated as a town in the United States (and the second largest in North America, after Markham, Ontario, Canada), and as of the 2000 census was the only town with more than 100,000 people (although by 2002 Cary, North Carolina had also passed this mark). Gilbert was also the fastest-growing place among all cities and towns in Arizona of any size between 1990 and 2000. The center of population of Arizona is located in Gilbert.

 Geography and Climate

Gilbert is located at 33¡Æ21¡Ç00¡ÈN, 111¡Æ47¡Ç21¡ÈW (33.349941, -111.789236)

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 43.2 square miles (111.9 km), of which, 43.0 square miles (111.3 km) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km©÷) of it is water.

Demographics

Town of Gilbert Population by year
1950	1,833
1960	1,971
1970	5,717
1980	16,920
1990	29,122
2000	109,697
2005	173,989
2006	191,517

As of the census of 2000, there were 109,697 people, 35,405 households, and 28,925 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,553.7 people per square mile (985.9/km). There were 37,007 housing units at an average density of 861.5/sq mi (332.6/km). The racial makeup of the town was 85.73% White, 2.41% Black or African American, 0.62% Native American, 3.59% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 4.77% from other races, and 2.77% from two or more races. 11.87% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 35,405 households out of which 50.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.5% were married couples living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.3% were non-families. 12.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 1.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.10 and the average family size was 3.42.

The age distribution is 34.2% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 37.8% from 25 to 44, 16.9% from 45 to 64, and 3.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.1 males.

According to a 2006 estimate, the median income for a household in the town was $76,376, and the median income for a family was $82,935.  Males had a median income of $50,028 versus $32,381 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,795. About 2.5% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.

 Politics

Gilbert, Arizona is a predominantly Republican and politically conservative community that markets itself as family-friendly. The town is part of the sixth congressional district of Arizona, which is represented by Republican Jeff Flake.

The Mayor of the Town of Gilbert is Steven M. Berman.

On March 15, 2007, the Town Council primary election took place. The voters reelected Councilman Steve Urie and current Vice Mayor Dave Crozier to the Town Council. Former Vice Mayor Linda Abbott was also elected to the Town Council. Incumbent Councilman Les Presmyk defeated challenger Dwayne Farnsworth in the most recent General Election on May 15, 2007, retaining his seat on the Town Council.

 Gilbert Facts

• Gilbert is known for its rather large Mormon population, associated with the Mormon-founded city of Mesa that borders it to the north.
• From 1911 through the 1920s, Gilbert was known as the Hay Capital of the World.
• According to the FBI database, Gilbert was the largest city in the United States with zero murders in 2005.

 Education

Most of Gilbert is zoned to schools in the Gilbert Public Schools.

Other portions are zoned to:

• Chandler Unified School District
• Mesa Public Schools
• Queen Creek Unified School District
• Higley Unified School District

Transportation

Gilbert is served by one area freeway -- the Santan Freeway portion of the Loop 202 beltway around the East Valley. Several major arterials also serve the area, including Williams Field Road, Chandler Boulevard, and Gilbert Road. The town enjoys relative closeness to Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport, which is located in east Mesa; and is a twenty-five minute drive from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

Sister cities

Gilbert has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

• Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland, UK
• Leshan, Sichuan, China

Notable natives and residents

• Jim Bechtel, professional poker player, lives in Gilbert.
• Dave Burba currently lives in Gilbert, Arizona. He was a former star pitcher of the late 1990's Indians teams.
• Shad Chadwick, team roping (Heeler) and Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association Resistol team roping Rookie of the Year for 1995, attended Gilbert High School.
• Marquis Cooper, linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings, played for Highland High School and was drafted in the third round (79th overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
• Bruce Perkins, running back in NFL for 2 years in 1990-91 lives in Gilbert.
• Ken Delo, American singer best known for The Lawrence Welk Show, lives in Gilbert.
• Ryan Fitzpatrick, quarterback for the Saint Louis Rams played for Highland High School and made his NFL debut on November 27, 2005.
• Jineane Ford, Miss USA 1980, former television actress and news anchor KTVK-TV, KPNX-TV
• Alan Gordon plays striker for the Los Angeles Galaxy in the Major League Soccer and was born in Gilbert on October 16, 1981.
• Shea Hillenbrand, All-Star MLB player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, raises horses and other animals on a ranch in Gilbert with his family.
• Darrin Jackson, MLB outfielder from 1985-1999; has been a TV broadcaster for the Chicago White Sox since 2001. Currently lives in Gilbert even though he's a native of Los Angeles.
• Zach Lind, drummer of Jimmy Eat World, lives in Gilbert.
• Carlos I. Noriega, NASA astronaut and retired U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant colonel lives in Gilbert.
• Phil (Kemo) Ortega, MLB pitcher from 1960-1969, was born in Gilbert on October 7, 1939.
• Roy Wayne Farris, an American Pro Wrestler (better known by his ring name, "The Honky Tonk Man"), lives in Gilert.