1.0 A Brief History of Surprise

1.0 A Brief History of Surprise

In 1937, the first residents settled in the Surprise area. The two families that settled the Original Townsite operated a service station and occupied four small homes. To produce electricity, the group used a gasoline-powered generator. Water was collected from a nearby well. The surrounding land was either vacant or under agricultural production with their nearest neighbors over two miles away.

By 1950, the population of the area grew to nearly 300 residents with two service stations, two grocery stores and a number of meager houses and cabins. On December 12 1960 a 640 acre area, the Original Townsite, was incorporated as the town of Surprise. The newly formed town boasted a population of nearly 1,000 people. At the time of incorporation, only 169 acres of the Townsite were developed.

The existing incorporated area was expanded for the first time on November 14, 1978 when a 10-foot strip of land encircling roughly 26 miles of unincorporated land was annexed by the city. The purpose of the strip annexation was to reserve this unincorporated land until future development occurred in the area, at which time the city would annex the land into its incorporated area. The 1987 Surprise Comprehensive Development Guide included this area as well as other lands bordered by Perryville Road and US60/Grand Avenue as its study area boundary.

In less than 50 years, Surprise grew from 300 residents to a city of over 107,000 full time residents. The city offers a broad range of lifestyles, from small family subdivisions to secluded ranches. Surprise also offers a significant presence of retirement communities that address the needs and lifestyles of active adults. The city covers a wide variety of recreational facilities.