Surprise

History

The city was founded in 1938 by Flora Mae Statler, who was the daughter of another Arizona pioneer, Charles Gillett, who helped found Glendale, specifically as a temperance community. Gillett owned much land in Glendale, as well as the Verde Valley. Surprise officials previously thought the city was founded by Statler's husband, real estate developer and state legislator Homer C. Ludden, but in 2010, property records were discovered that listed Statler as owning the land before she met Ludden. Modern records often state that Statler named her land Surprise as she "would be surprised if the town ever amounted to much," with her daughter backing this claim. This claim is contested, however, since pioneers commonly named their settlements after their hometowns and Ludden hailed from Surprise, Nebraska, possibly influencing the name of the town. When Surprise was subdivided to build inexpensive houses for agricultural workers, only a few houses and a gas station were on the parcel of land. Since then, the town has experienced tremendous growth. It incorporated as a city in 1960. The original townsite is bounded by Greenway Road on the south, El Mirage Road on the east, Bell Road on the north, and Dysart Road on the west. Surprise's City Hall is located on the site of Luke Air Force Base's former auxiliary airfield No. 3. The outline of the former runways can still be seen from aerial photos today. In 2026, the US federal government planned to open a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Surprise. This plan received widespread backlash, and residents of the city sought to stop its implementation. The city council refused to oppose the facility, leading to a petition to dissolve the city of Surprise and place it under direct control of the…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which , or 0.20%, is covered by water water.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Valley Vista High School
  High · SURPRISE · 2,464 students · 24.2:1 ratio
• Shadow Ridge High School
  High · SURPRISE · 2,323 students · 21.9:1 ratio
• Legacy Traditional School - Surprise
  Elementary · SURPRISE · 1,895 students
• Paradise Honors Elementary School
  Elementary · SURPRISE · 1,878 students
• Willow Canyon High School
  High · SURPRISE · 1,787 students · 23.5:1 ratio
• American Leadership Academy West Foothills K-12
  Other · Surprise · 1,584 students
• Dysart High School
  High · EL MIRAGE · 1,433 students · 20.5:1 ratio
• Lake Pleasant Elementary
  Elementary · PEORIA · 1,227 students · 21.2:1 ratio