Gilbert

Located in Maricopa County in the Southeast Valley, Gilbert is one of the standout towns not only in the State of Arizona, but the entire nation as well. Gilbert encompasses 76 square miles and is a young but quickly growing suburb in the Phoenix Metropolitan area. Bordered by Chandler, Mesa, and Queen Creek, Gilbert is well connected with major Valley thoroughfares and quick access to the Phoenix Mesa Gateway airport as well. Gilbert’s beginnings are rooted in agriculture; however, its explosive growth over the past 20 years has really shown that Gilbert has grown up to become a much more established town with plenty of commercial, retail, and residential offerings throughout. Gilbert’s current population hovers just over 210,000 residents and is continuing to grow with bustling new residential and retail developments throughout.

Gilbert’s explosive growth over the past decade has not compromised its services to the community.

History

William ‘Bobby’ Gilbert provided land to the Arizona Eastern Railway in 1092 and essentially helped put Gilbert on the map. Gilbert was incorporated in 1920 and has been primarily an agriculturally driven area due to the extensive canal system and connection to the rail line. Up until the late 1920’s Gilbert was known as the “Hay Capital of the World.” Gilbert experienced its most explosive growth from 1980 to 2000 by adding over 105,000 residents during that time frame (per the US Census). Gilbert still is very much tied to its agricultural roots; however, it is also emerging as a quickly developing and preeminent town in the nation.

Employment

Gilbert is very much a ‘bedroom community’ in the fact that the majority of its residents reside in Gilbert and commute in to work. However, Gilbert has positioned itself as an emerging force in the health services and high technology industries. With the Mercy Gilbert hospital and the Banner Gateway/Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, Gilbert offers a large quantity of positions within the health care industry.

Below is a breakdown per the Town of Gilbert’s Top Employers posting of the top employers within the township.

Entertainment

Gilbert offers much in terms of shopping, dining, and entertainment. With the relatively new 1.2 million square feet open air concept San Tan Village, you do not have to go far to find much in terms of shopping and dining. Also Gilbert’s Heritage District located in Downtown Gilbert offers lots of unique storefront offerings with that country and agrarian feel. Also, with a multitude of additional retail offerings and new developments throughout, you will not have to go far within Gilbert to find what you are looking for.