Goodyear Area Information
The suburban community of Goodyear was actually founded by the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company as long ago as 1916. The company was interested in this area for the production of cotton used in tire cords. The establishment of a US Naval air station in Goodyear spurred the development of Goodyear Aircraft a manufacturing plant for Navy seaplane flight decks. The former Goodyear Aircraft is todays Lockheed Martin still one of the communitys largest employers. With the strength of its leading- edge aerospace activity food processing plants and close proximity to important California markets Goodyear benefits from a vital local economy. The popularity of the Southwest Valley for new-home construction has expanded the quality residential development. Goodyear civic planners are committed to developing neighborhoods where homes are solidly built and residents have access to cultural and recreational amenities. Other priorities are aesthetic appeal and the preservation of open space. The award-winning master- planned communities in this area such as Estrella Mountain Ranch are attracting the lions share of new homebuyers. Estrella Mountain Ranch hosts the Cool Desert Jazz Festival each fall while the Phoenix Symphony Pops Concerts entertain large crowds in the springtime. Residents enjoy a farmers market the annual Pumpkin Festival an Easter egg hunt and the unique activities at Duncan Family Farms. Many of the Goodyear areas special events are either sponsored by or supported by the active West Valley Fine Arts Council. Outdoor attractions include the Estrella Mountain Regional Park for fine golfing camping horseback riding hiking and picnicking. White Tanks Regional Park Phoenix International Raceway and a wide variety of exceptional golf courses add to the quality of life for Goodyear residents and draw visitors from across the Valley. Bisected by Interstate 10 the city offers an accessible yet tranquil location just minutes from the cultural venues and professional sports stadiums of downtown Phoenix.
Statistics & Facts
The population of Goodyear is approximately 6,258 (1990).
The approximate number of families is 1,607 (1990).
Location
Goodyear location: On I-10 about 15 miles west of Phoenix, near Litchfield Park
History
Goodyear history: The town of Goodyear was born as a result of the formation of the Goodyear Aircraft Corporation (GAC) which came into existence in December 1939 as an offshoot of the earlier Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation which built lighter-than-air craft. The technology in light metal alloys developed for use in the airships Akron and Macon was responsible for the first military contracts awarded to GAC. The Glenn L. Martin Company, which produced the B-26 Maurader bomber, asked Goodyear to design and build the ailerons and flaps for the B-26. The U.S. economy accelerated under orders for war commodities in Europe and Goodyear expanded production to keep pace. GAC's successful work as an airframe builder was noticed by several major aircraft manufacturers and thus received early contracts to work on the Grumman TBF-1 Avenger torpedo bomber, the Curtiss-WrightP-40 Warhawk fighter, Navy patrol blimps and training blimps. Other contracts that followed included providing bags for smokeless powder used in large guns, building various control surfaces for the Martin PBM-3DMariner flying boat, components of the PB2Y-3R Coronado long-range flying boat, and later the complete production of over 4,000 Navy FG-1Corsair fighters within a two year period. In the summer of 1941, the Goodyear Aircraft Corporation began construction on a large aircraft component factory at a site about 4 miles south of Litchfield Park in what is now the town of Goodyear. Production began in the finished plant in February 1942 with 500 workers on the payroll. Through the war years, payroll grew rapidly and by early 1945 the facility had 7,500 workers. The Goodyear plant was financed by the government and leased back to GAC. Later in the war years GAC would supply a myriad of components for war planes including the B-29 Super fortress , the B-24 Liberator bomber, the P-61 Black Widow fighter, and various land machines and equipment including hundreds of millions of tires for aircraft and land vehicles, life rafts, rubber pontoons for bridges, and 132 Navy lighter-than-airships for coastal defense. The GAC plant at Goodyear, AZ continued to operate well into the post-war years building blimps and eventually producing components for an array of military missiles. The large airstrip and a number of the production buildings remain today. (History by Bill Jones)
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