Avondale, Arizona
One of the top ten fastest-growing cities in Arizona over the last decade, Avondale is a bustling, fast-moving city with approximately 92,000 people in the heart of Maricopa County. It is adjacent to Phoenix, the state capital, and is located in the gorgeous west valley of the Phoenix metro area, which is comprised of Maricopa and Pinal county. William “Billy” G. Moore purchased land in Arizona in 1860, and twenty years later, established a settlement by the Agua Fria River. After building a stage station, he served travelers headed from Tucson to northern Arizona and California. Shortly after, he constructed a general goods store and a saloon, eventually naming it Coldwater. The United States Postal Service moved their office to a location near the Avondale Ranch, and Coldwater has been officially known as Avondale ever since.
If there’s one way to describe Avondale, it’s hot. This arid town has a desert climate and a record high of 125° F, just three degrees shy of the state record in Lake Havasu City. This sunny weather allows for outdoor fun year-round, even during winter, as temperatures normally remain in the 70’s during the day. A desert is a place of extreme temperature changes, and those warm days can drop to below freezing once the sun goes down.
While it’s hot, though, locals and visitors alike could fill up several days with different activities available at Friendship Park. This huge outdoor complex has baseball diamonds, soccer fields, tennis courts, a dog park, a duck pond, and even a Japanese garden, so be sure to bring your camera.
If walking or biking doesn’t get your blood pumping enough for your liking, the Phoenix International Raceway is just a short drive away. When this one-mile triple-oval track at the foot of the Estrella Mountains puts on a NASCAR race, it’s hard to tell what’s screaming louder, the engines or the crowd.
Watching the pros drive their cars around the track isn’t enough to satisfy some needs for speed. The Richard Petty Racing Experience allows for visitors to drive the racecar themselves, complete with pit advice, one-on-one instruction via in-car radio, and you can even get a 3-lap ride along with a pro. It’s a legitimate dream-come-true for anyone who ever sat in a refrigerator box as a kid, pretending to be the first one to cross the checkered flag.
8-Bit Aleworks is an extremely popular local craft brewery with a retro videogame theme, allowing patrons of a certain age to get a serious dose of nostalgia along with their small-batch specialty brews. They have several retro consoles such as N64, Super Nintendo, and a collection of cabinet arcade games in-house; how many quarters would you need to set a high score?
When it’s hot out, the one thing that’s on your mind after a few minutes outside, that’s how to get inside to beat the heat. Unfortunately, there are tons of creepy-crawlies who want to do the same thing right behind you. If you’ve got pests invading your property and you can’t take it anymore, it’s time for you to contact 520 Termite and Pest Solutions. Since 1967 we’ve been kicking unwanted invaders off our neighbors’ land, and we’d like to do the same for you. Contact us to find out how we can help you.