Laveen is a village of Phoenix located in the southwest valley. Laveen is a place unique in both natural beauty and agricultural heritage. Nestled between South Mountain and the Salt River, the area has long been valued by farmers, equestrians, and those looking for solitude and mountain access.

The area contains approximately 28 square miles of largely undeveloped and agricultural property within a ten or twenty minute commute of the Interstate 10 corridor and downtown.

As development pressures increase throughout the valley and city leaders continue to focus on infill of properties near central Phoenix, the area's proximity to downtown and access to the future South Mountain Loop will bring these pressures to bear on Laveen.

The History of Laveen Arizona

The Laveen area has been inhabited by farmers and dairymen since the 1870's as well as populated and traveled across by the Pima & Maricopa tribal members. The area was formally given the name Laveen after the first postmaster, Walter E. Laveen, around 1918. The first school was built in 1913 on land donated by the Laveen family. Before 1911, when Roosevelt Dam was built to contain the Salt River, the community was isolated by the running water of the Salt. Before the dams were built, Central Avenue was the only bridged crossing of the Salt River. Early Laveen had a country store/post office, barber shop, blacksmith shop, garage, women's club building, pool hall and cotton gin and was quite self-sufficient.

In the 1980s, the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) proposed building part of the Loop 202 freeway through a portion of Laveen. ADOT later shelved these plans due to funding problems. However, plans for this freeway are back on track and the freeway is planned to pass through most of Laveen at about 59th Avenue.

Trend Homes broke ground on a massive residential development in what, at the time, was a rural Laveen. Since that time, Laveen has experienced explosive residential growth. That growth has been tempered, however, by the determined participation of more-established residents in community activist groups. These groups have put pressure on developers to include equestrian trails, open spaces, and other bucolic elements in new developments.

Although some dairies and farms have sold out to developers, many remain. These contribute to the continued rural feel of the area.