Those workers created a community and named it Goodyear. Goodyear is bisected by Interstate 10 and the Union Pacific Railroad line. As a result of its close proximity to transportation and to Phoenix, and its affordable housing, droves of newcomers are flocking to the area. The city has been experiencing a 15 percent annual growth rate for the past three years, with a population increase from 3,137 in 1980 to 14,305 in 1998. It is projected to reach 18,000 in 2000.
Most new residents move into homes built in one of the city's four master-planned communities.
By 2010, city officials estimate these communities will bring 18,000 new homes, and 54,000 residents, to the city. City officials also have attempted to foster an active community. Each fall, Estrella Mountain Ranch, the city's premier master-planned development, hosts the annual Cool Desert Jazz Festival, bringing top national and local jazz artists to Goodyear. In the spring, the Phoenix Symphony performs an evening pops concert, also at Estrella Mountain Ranch, and Duncan's Family Farms offers annual pumpkin festivals, Easter egg hunts and a petting zoo. The city is also home to the 19,000-acre Estrella Mountain Regional Park and has a community building, swimming pool, three golf courses and six city parks.