Sunnyslope, Arizona
| Sunnyslope, Arizona | |
|---|---|
| Populated place | |
Intersection of Central Avenue and Hatcher Road
|
|
 Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona |
The Sunnyslope community is an established neighborhood within the borders of the city of Phoenix, Arizona. The geographic boundaries are 19th Avenue to the west, Cactus Road to the north, 16th Street to the east, and Northern Avenue to the south. This area covers approximately nine square miles and is divided into nine census tracts. The Sunnyslope community is included in parts of three zip code areas: 85020, 85021 and 85029.
Perhaps attributable to its origins and the sense of place established prior to annexation into the city of Phoenix, though part of a major metropolitan area, Sunnyslope has its own “small town” identity and a sense of place that is a point of pride embraced by community members.
Although Sunnyslope is widely known for having been settled by poor tuberculants who spent their last money traveling west for the drier climate and cleaner air, a subdivision called “Sunny Slope” was first platted by healthy architect William R. Norton in 1911.
Reportedly, one of his daughters looked at the sun shining on the area’s rolling Phoenix mountains and exclaimed, "What a pretty, sunny slope!" Inspired by the phrase, Mr. Norton named the area Sunny Slope. The name appeared as two words until after World War II when it was combined into one word.
The Sunny Slope Subdivision’s original boundaries were from Central Avenue on the west, to Dunlap Avenue on the north and from 3rd Street on east to Alice on the south. By 1919, Sunny Slope was a natural desert area with only four or five cottages surrounded by cactus and sagebrush.
With no irrigation north of the Arizona Canal, the Sunny Slope desert was a very dry area and was considered to be a good place to live for people recovering from tuberculosis or asthma. During this period, it was common for people from eastern states, known as “health seekers,” to move to Arizona.
Many of these people built tent houses or small cottages, planning to get well and then return to their former homes. Others, having spent their last dimes to move west in search of health, pitched tents or slept on porches. There were no roads or electricity.
Marguerite and William Albert Colley were the second permanent residents of Sunny Slope after purchasing five acres for $100 per acre near 3rd Street and Townley.
They had come to the desert in 1919 for their son’s health. Marguerite was a practical nurse and a social worker. She soon began visiting her sick neighbors bringing food and aide to their bedsides. She met Elizabeth Beatty who was also providing help for those suffering from tuberculosis or asthma.
Sunny Slope neighbors looked forward to and welcomed the visits of Elizabeth Beatty and Marguerite Colley and these ladies soon became known as the “Angels of the Desert.”
In 1927, the Desert Mission was established. This was a facility – a comprehensive, faith-based community center — that provided for the medical, social, and religious needs of the people living in the community. In 1936, there were approximately 600 residents in Sunny Slope. There was still much vacant land, covered with vegetation and cacti.
...
Wikipedia