A Brief History of Scottsdale, AZ

From approximately 300 B.C.E to 1400 AD, the area of present-day Scottsdale was inhabited by the Hohokam Native American tribe, who farmed and built an extensive system of irrigation canals. Other than the irrigated areas created by the Hohokam, the land was mostly barren desert. In 1888, Scottsdale was founded by Winfield Scott a U.S. Army Chaplain who purchased 640 acres for $2.50 an acre. The name of the town was originally Orangedale, but became Scottsdale in 1894. The same year Scottsdale was founded, the Arizona Canal was completed, which supplied irrigation and allowed the town to develop by growing barley, citrus and other fruits, peanuts, and sweet potatoes. The world-renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright created his winter home in Scottsdale in 1937, which would become an architectural school. He had a large influence on Scottsdale and Phoenix, designing many buildings himself.

The growth of the town remained gradual until World War II, when many electronics manufacturing plants opened there. From the time the city was incorporated in 1951 with a population of 2,000, it grew to 10,000 in 1960 and 55,000 in 1965. Scottsdale is now the fifth-largest city in Arizona, and has a reputation as a rapidly-growing city known for its arts and culture.

http://www.city-data.com/us-cities/The-West/Scottsdale-History.html
http://www.scottsdalecvb.com/about/index.cfm?action=history