West Phoenix
| Maryvale | |
|---|---|
| Urban Village of Phoenix | |
Maryvale Urban Village within Phoenix.
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 Maryvale Baseball Park and surrounding suburban development. |
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| Coordinates: 33°30′07″N 112°10′40″W / 33.50194°N 112.17778°WCoordinates: 33°30′07″N 112°10′40″W / 33.50194°N 112.17778°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| City | Phoenix |
| Area | |
| • Total | 32 sq mi (52 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,119 ft (341 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 208,189 |
| • Density | 6,500/sq mi (4,000/km2) |
| Area code(s) | 602 623 |
Maryvale (also referred to as West Phoenix) is a populated place and neighborhood of Phoenix, and was the first master planned community in Arizona. It is the predominant neighborhood of the near west side, from about 35th Avenue west to 87th Avenue and from I-10 north to the boundary with the suburb of Glendale at Camelback Road. It is the most populous of the 15 Urban Villages of Phoenix, being larger than the nearby suburbs of Goodyear and Avondale combined.
Originally established during the 1950s and 1960s by developer John F. Long, it was the first master planned community in Arizona. Maryvale's neighborhoods include inexpensive homes largely built during that time period.
Like many older inner-ring suburbs in the United States, Maryvale is suffering urban decline as the belt of expansion has passed by, increasing ever outward. Shopping in this area is provided by the Desert Sky Mall and Maryvale Mall, which are both suffering from lack of tenants. The Maryvale Mall now houses schools and a police station. Ashley Furniture HomeStore Pavilion, the city's most prominent outdoor concert venue, is located on the West Side. Because of the lower housing costs, Maryvale has attracted large numbers of families and immigrants from all over the world, particularly those from Mexico and other Latin American countries.
Since the 1980s, violent crime and gang activity have plagued the Maryvale community. Like other maligned areas of Phoenix, gangs took advantage of the area's open-air apartment complexes to set up enclosed drug markets that became extremely dangerous and difficult for police to monitor. Focused efforts made by the Phoenix Police Department to reduce the crime rate in Maryvale—which had surpassed that of South Phoenix—have been successful. The crime rate has been significantly reduced to record levels. Phoenix police leaders and city officials have lauded the Maryvale Precinct's employment of concentrated community-based policing to thwart everything from property crimes to violent crimes. Liaison officers direct special details focused on robbery, auto theft, burglary, prostitution, drugs, and gang violence. In 2008, the violent-crime rate in Maryvale declined more than 5 percent, police say. Property crime decreased 9.5 percent in the area between Camelback and Baseline roads, from 27th Avenue to the western city limits. The shift in police philosophy included embedding Phoenix Gang Unit officers in the precinct, placing more sophisticated resources regularly in what one crime analysis described as "an area saturated with gang members."
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Wikipedia