Valley 101

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What's the story behind Legend City, Arizona's shuttered theme park? Jul 29, 2019

Show notes

Legend City was an 87-acre Arizona theme park located between Phoenix and Tempe near Papago Park from 1963 to 1983. At its best, Legend City was a family oasis filled with fun western rides, talented performers and nostalgic penny arcades. At its worst, it had shoddy maintenance and only remnants of its original western theme.

Despite Legend City's tumultuous history, filled with financial mismanagement, rapid ownership turnover and multiple periods of closure, the park was also a source of many fond memories for residents today. Producer Taylor Seely explores the story behind the park in this episode.

Follow Valley 101 on Twitter: @valley101pod

Follow Taylor Seely on Twitter: @taylorseely95

Find John Bueker's book on Legend City by clicking here.

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Why didn't Arizona use Frank Lloyd Wright's plans for its new capitol? Jul 22, 2019

Show notes

Built before statehood, the Arizona capitol building grew in conjunction with the state's population. By 1954, the state legislature realized a third addition to the original structure was necessary.

The state contracted with a group called the Associated State Capital Architects, but not everyone was pleased with their designs.

Insert Frank Lloyd Wright. The famed architect offered an unsolicited design for the building in 1957, launching a public debate on which plan the government should pursue.

And things got heated.

Listen to this episode of the Valley 101 podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com to learn more.

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How are electric scooters changing metro Phoenix? Jul 15, 2019

Show notes

If you drive around the Valley you're likely to see electric scooters on sidewalks, in neighborhoods and in popular areas like Mill Avenue in Tempe or Scottsdale Fashion Square.

Bike-share programs that have docking stations have been in metro Phoenix since 2014. But once dockless bikes popped up in 2017 and dockless scooters in 2018, they immediately drew criticism.

You might be wondering: Why are they here? Are they safe to ride? How are they changing the Valley?

In this episode of The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com's Valley 101 podcast, we look at all the ways electric scooters and bikes are affecting our cities.

In this episode, you'll hear: What it's like to be a charger for electric scooter companies like Bird and Lime.What safety issues scooters are bringing to the forefront in our communities?Whether or not scooters will change transportation as we know it.

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Why doesn't Phoenix have a Chinatown or Little Italy? Jul 08, 2019

Show notes

Many major cities across the U.S. have a Chinatown, Little Italy or some other ethnic enclave where immigrants have settled together. Did we ever have an ethnic enclave in metro Phoenix?

Yes! We had one. Or, well, two. Listen to this episode of the Valley 101 podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com to learn more.

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Lightning round: 4 popular questions about Phoenix's history Jul 01, 2019

Show notes

From its time as "Apacheria" to rumors it was once brimming with camels, metro Phoenix is rich with history and myths. In this episode of Valley 101 podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we answer four of your questions about the history of Arizona and the Phoenix area. These include:What state in Mexico was Arizona before the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo?Who named Camelback Mountain?What is the most iconic building in the downtown Phoenix skyline?How did Grand Avenue end up diagonal in a grid of roads?

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What is the affordable housing crisis in Phoenix? Jun 24, 2019

Show notes

As housing across metro Phoenix becomes more expensive, Valley residents are questioning whether it’s become a crisis, and how effectively cities are tackling the issue.

Reporters from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.comhave covered this crisis extensively, finding that eviction rates and homelessness rates are rising every year in Maricopa County. In part, that’s because of an affordable-housing crisis across the Valley.

To read the transcript of this episode, click here.

Articles mentioned in the episode:

– Eviction rate spikes again across Phoenix as affordable-housing crisis worsens

– Federal report: Homelessness spikes in Arizona, rising 10 percent in 2018

– Renters in the housing crisis are often stuck between help and affordability

– SqueezedOut.azcentral.com

Follow the producer of this episode, Taylor: @taylorseely95

Follow the show host: @kailawhite

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How are urban farms able to survive in the Valley? Jun 17, 2019

Show notes

Phoenix was built on agriculture. Without the efforts of early settlers to revive the Hohokam canal system to grow crops, we wouldn't be here today.

But the abundance of land, good climate and accessible water drew new residents and businesses en mass. The more the population grew, the more land was converted to from agricultural land to residential land.

The result? The west valley lost 31% of its agricultural land between 2000 and 2017. The east valley lost almost 54% of agricultural land during the same time.

How are urban farmers in the Valley surviving? And what does the future of farming look like?

If you're looking for more on this subject, read this story from Arizona Republic reporter Joshua Bowling.

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Did Phoenix ever segregate where minorities could live? Jun 10, 2019

Show notes

Other big cities across the U.S. have been shaped by housing segregation and redlining, but did that happen here? Host Kaila White looks into this issue that reaches back to before Arizona was a state and it still impacts Phoenix today, maybe even affecting your neighborhood.

References:

- FDR recording “NNV 169-59 [dig].” from 1940 from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.

- Ray Martinez recording from Arizona History, A Chicano Perspective (1985). F 820 M5 A77x 1985. Chicano/a Research Collection. ASU Library, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.

- President Johnson Signing the 1968 Civil Rights Bill, April 11, 1968 from the LBJ Presidential Library.

- Read Elizabeth Montgomery’s article on Lincoln Ragsdale, “the Arizona Civil Rights pioneer who helped integrate Phoenix.”

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What's an Eruv and is there one at Scottsdale Fashion Square mall? Jun 03, 2019

Show notes

Have you ever noticed a clear wire, strung between poles in different parts of the Valley? You can see it at the intersection of Scottsdale and Camelback roads, crossing diagonally along the canal, near Scottsdale Fashion Square Mall.

That's an Eruv. A boundary for observant, usually Orthodox, members of Judaism. The wire, which surrounds parts of Phoenix, Scottsdale and Paradise Valley, allows the community to carry certain items outside of their homes on Shabbat, otherwise known as Shabbos or the Sabbath.

But why does this Eruv allow them to carry things? And why do the rules exist in the first place? Learn all about the Valley Eruv in this week's episode of Valley 101.

Read the transcript of the episode by clicking here.

Follow Taylor Seely on Twitter: @taylorseely95

Follow Valley 101 on Twitter: @valley101pod

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How did 25 German POWs escape from Camp Papago Park during WWII? May 27, 2019

Show notes

It took months of planning, but on the night of December 23, 1944, 25 German prisoners of war POWs escaped from Camp Papago Park in Phoenix. They crawled through a handmade tunnel with hopes of heading home via Mexico.

Later known as "The Great Papago Escape," it was the largest POW escape on American soil during World War II.

And it happened in our backyard — literally. There are houses now where the camp existed.

In this episode, editor Katie O'Connell explores what happened that fateful night. And what can we learn from it now?

Follow Katie O'Connell on Twitter: @katieoc

If you have additional questions about this story, you can reach out to historian Steve Hoza directly by clicking here.

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