Appraisal Report Central Arizona Project

Document: "Appraisal Report Central Arizona Project-Chapter I", January 1962, page 6augmented by the recreational needs and the natural attraction of the Southwest to people seeking a milder climate. The entire area is readily accessible through an excellent system of all-weather Federal, State, and county roads. The Southern Pacific and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroads traverse the region. Transcontinental air transportation is available at Phoenix, Tucson, and other cities throughout the area. A well-developed system of wholesale and retail outlets, service firms, credit facilities, and other community services is readily available locally to residents and businesses. Electric power, telephone, radio, and television service are also available throughout the entire area. Natural gas service is not limited to household uses in the population centers but is widely used as an energy source for irrigation pumping, electrical power production, and industry in general. Fourteen daily newspapers are published in the various cities and towns. Agriculture--Agriculture is a vital factor in the economy of the area. The importance of agriculture in Arizona is shown on plate 3. At the present time, three major types of agricultural enterprises exist in the area: field crops, tree and vine crops, and livestock. The area is one of the world's leaders in the production of long staple cotton and is also an important source of winter vegetables and other specialty crops. For the project area within Arizona, the total value of the agricultural products in 1960 produced was about $320,000,000. Urban growth and expansion--The doubling of population in the past 10 years in Maricopa County has included the urbanization of rural areas, since most of the new residents have been absorbed through the expansion of cities 6Epson Perfection 4870 Photo, 400 dpi, 8 bit, 1,030,911 byte