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 In
800-1400 A.D., the Hohokams farmed the land we now call Scottsdale and built over 200 miles of canals to support their agrarian lifestyle.
Army Chaplain Winfield Scott, the founding father of Scottsdale, arrived in town in 1888 and purchased land that he farmed with his
brother, growing citrus, sweet potatoes and peanuts. The first one-room schoolhouse opened 1896,
and is now home to the Scottsdale Historical Society. In 1897, retail trade was brought in Scottsdale and
a year later Ingleside Inn; one of the area’s first winter resorts was completed. A cotton gin
opened at Second Street and Brown Avenue in 1920 to process Scottsdale grown Pima cotton, which was in great demand during World War I.
In 1937, Architect Frank Lloyd Wright set up his “winter camp” at the foot of the McDowell Mountains, creating what is now
known as Taliesin West. Scottsdale’s Thunderbird 11 Primary Training Facility began training pilots
for World War II in 1942. By 1945, over 5,000 had trained at what is now Scottsdale Airport (which opened in 1967).
 Scottsdale
was incorporated on June 25, 1951, with the Charter being adopted on November 16, 1961. At that time, Scottsdale consisted of one square mile and had a population of 2000. Malcolm White, its first mayor, is credited with
giving the city its slogan, “The West’s Most Western Town.” In 1956, A Life magazine
article called Scottsdale "one of the most desirable communities in the West." This endorsement helped contribute to the city's boom
in population and building.
The
City of Scottsdale created "Godzilla," the world's first successful automated residential trash collection truck in 1970.
Scottsdale annexed an additional 36 square miles to the north in 1984, increasing in size by 25 percent.
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