Gilbert, Arizona

Calling itself “The Biggest Small Town You’ve Ever Seen,” Gilbert, Arizona is a sleepy agricultural town turned happening, a trendy city that is ranked as the single best suburb to raise a family in the Phoenix area. Once known as the Hay Shipping Capital of the World, it is the fifth-largest municipality in the state and is one of the 25 safest cities in the country. This city has undergone an extreme population boom in the last 49 years, rocketing from approximately 5,700 in 1980 to over 243,000 as of the 2020 census. This popular city that nobody seems to have heard of also came in 12th place on both SmartAsset’s list of Most Livable Cities and WalletHub’s list of the Safest Cities in the United States. It’s no wonder why the city is considered such a great place to raise a family.

The Gilbert Unified School District is also one of the best in the country, according to a ranking put together by Alarms.org. The district came in fourth, with credit for the placement mostly going to the plentiful funding, high test scores, and low dropout rate. In 2019, the city invested two million dollars into two new public parks for residents to enjoy, Gilbert Regional Park and Desert Sky Park.

• Gilbert Regional has about 150 acres which include a mountain-shaped playground, courts for four different sports – basketball, pickleball, sand volleyball, and tennis, a food truck alley, theater, event lawn, and more. There are more phases of construction planned to be added to the park, including a 25-acre water park, which will be the first-ever in Gilbert’s history, a bridge to cross the park’s seven-acre lake, and several other structures, such as a hotel, resort, and conference center.
• Desert Sky is smaller and has four multi-use fields, a playground, and a fitness course, although there are plans to build a dozen sports courts, a sensory playground, and plaza areas for guests to sit and relax for a while. Unbelievably, these are just two out of 23 parks that are located in Gilbert.

The Heritage District, which is Gilbert’s downtown area, has become a bustling shopping and entertainment district that has turned the city into more of an attraction. With over $60 million invested into the area in the last few years, this flashy part of the city boasts over thirty delicious restaurants and an assortment of shops and boutiques that are sure to catch the attention of stylish visitors. Shops like Flashback Antiques, Gilbert Farmer’s Market, and Made With Love are perfect places to find gifts for friends or souvenirs to bring back home.

Whether you’re exploring in a vehicle or riding a bike from one of the many bike shops scattered around the city, you’re sure to find many fun ways to kill an afternoon or two. A few of the popular eateries that have opened here are Sotol Modern Cocktail Kitchen, Da’Bayou Creole Kitchen, and Level 1 Arcade Bar, a family-friendly facility looking to honor and maintain the joy and love of the golden age of videogames, complete with plenty of pinball and cabinet arcade machines, so make sure you bring your quarters.

Because Arizona is extremely hot and Gilbert is smack-dab in the middle of it, having home temperature and air quality systems are extremely important. If you live in Gilbert or the surrounding areas and have issues with your heater, air conditioning, air quality equipment, or something similar, contact Norris Air. For over 49 years, we’ve been maintaining our neighbors’ in-home comfort efficiently and professionally, so contact us today for an estimate and to discuss our services.