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Chandler, Arizona

"Innovation and Technology"
Home to Intel's massive semiconductor fabs, Chandler transformed from a cotton and ostrich farming town into one of the most important chip-making cities on the planet.
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Founded 1912 | Population 283,132 | Peak 283,132 (2024) | County Maricopa County

Top 10 Most Important Events for Chandler, Arizona

1
1996Intel Opens Chandler Fabs: Intel established semiconductor fabrication plants in Chandler, eventually investing tens of billions of dollars and employing over 12,000 people, making the city central to America's chipmaking.
2
1891A.J. Chandler Buys 18,000 Acres: Dr. Alexander Chandler purchased vast desert acreage and built irrigation infrastructure, envisioning a farming community that became the city bearing his name.
3
2024Intel's $20 Billion Expansion: Intel's Fab 52 and Fab 62 facilities under construction represent a massive investment in advanced chip manufacturing, part of the national push for domestic semiconductor production.
4
1912Chandler Founded with Arizona Statehood: The town incorporated the same year Arizona achieved statehood, built around cotton farming and A.J. Chandler's luxurious San Marcos Hotel.
5
1920Ostrich Farming Era: Chandler became a center for ostrich farming, raising birds for fashionable feather plumes. The industry collapsed when fashion changed, and farmers switched to cotton.
6
1990Suburban Boom: Chandler's population exploded from 90,000 to 176,000 in a decade as Phoenix's southeastern suburbs expanded rapidly.
7
2000Tech Corridor Established: Microchip Technology, Orbital Sciences, and other tech firms joined Intel in Chandler, creating one of the most concentrated tech corridors in the Southwest.
8
1913San Marcos Hotel Opens: A.J. Chandler's San Marcos Hotel became Arizona's first golf resort, attracting wealthy winter visitors and establishing a tourism tradition.
9
2016Downtown Revitalization: Downtown Chandler was revitalized with restaurants, shops, and cultural venues, giving the tech suburb a walkable urban core.
10
1950Williams Air Force Base Influence: Williams AFB trained thousands of pilots and brought military families to the area, stimulating Chandler's early growth.
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Population Over Time

0 70,783 141,566 212,349 283,132 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2024

Latest News in Chandler

News articles will appear here as they're published.

Complete Historical Timeline

1891 Government
A.J. Chandler buys 18,000 acres of desert
1912 Government
Chandler incorporated with Arizona statehood
1913 Architecture
San Marcos Hotel opens as Arizona's first resort
1920 Business
Ostrich farming boom and bust
1940 Business
Cotton farming dominates economy
1950 Government
Williams AFB brings military families
1980 Architecture
Suburban growth begins
1990 Government
Population explodes past 90,000
1996 Business
Intel opens first Chandler fabrication plant
2000 Business
Tech corridor with Microchip, Orbital, Intel
2010 Government
Population reaches 236,000
2016 Architecture
Downtown revitalization
2024 Business
Intel's $20B expansion under construction

Did You Know?

1
Intel employs over 12,000 people in Chandler and has invested tens of billions of dollars in semiconductor fabrication plants there, making it one of the most important chipmaking sites in the Western Hemisphere.
2
Chandler was briefly the ostrich feather capital of America — farmers raised thousands of ostriches for fashionable hat plumes before the market crashed when feather fashion went out of style.
3
A.J. Chandler, the city's founder, was the first veterinary surgeon in the Arizona Territory — he bought 18,000 acres of desert and irrigated it to create a farming paradise.
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