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From YouTube: Ag Town to Tech City | 2023 Chandler State of the City
Description
When Dr. A J Chandler founded the town of Chandler, he envisioned a resort community surrounded by industrial agriculture where people could earn money growing various kinds of cash crops.
That was back in 1912.
Now, 111 years later, the City of Chandler has expanded and grown into a high-tech destination for big companies like Intel, Rogers, Microchip and others, and has branded itself the "community of innovation."
Rooted in its agriculture beginnings, Chandler families, long-time employees and businesses take a look back at Chandler through the decades from its days of cotton farms to now a tech-destination city.
B
Now
back
in
1887,
the
territory
of
Arizona
looked
a
lot.
Different
Prescott
was
the
state's
capital.
The
route
to
Phoenix
was
a
narrow,
dirt
road
through
the
Black,
Canyon
and
Chandler.
As
we
know
it
today,
hadn't
even
been
thought
of.
When
Dr
AJ
Chandler
made
that
Trek
and
landed
in
Mesa.
It
took
him
three
weeks
to
decide
to
stay
in
Arizona,
not
to
look
after
sick
cattle,
but
to
bring
water
to
the
desert.
C
D
C
B
C
Came
from
all
over
the
country
to
invest
in
the
property,
the
San
Marcos
was
finished
in
1913.,
it
was
growing
and
it
was
going
very,
very
well
until
in
the
20s
cotton
prices
crashed,
and
that
was
one
of
the
main
cash
crops.
Lots
of
families
lost
or
chose
to
leave,
Chandler
and
Chandler
actually
shrank
in
the
1920s
and
became
much
more
of
a
standard
sort
of
agricultural
town
at
that
point,
as
their
depression
gets
worse
and
worse,
one
of
the
main
focuses
of
Chandler.
Still
at
that
time
was
the
San
Marcos.
C
A
The
only
way
to
really
open
that
up
when
you
talk
about
my
family,
the
woods
family
and
the
Harris
family,
my
dad's
father,
Billy
Woods.
He
brought
many
many
people
here
back
then
Chandler
was
very
popular
for
the
agricultural
side
of
things
and
my
grandfather
was
a
contractor
for
the
cotton
fields.
It's
crazy
because
everybody
in
in
Mesa
referred
to
this
area
as
the
Dust
Bowl.
Why?
Because
we
had
nothing
but
dirt
roads.
A
To
see
Walmart
sitting
at
the
corner,
where
I
used
to
walk
the
roads
of
the
cotton
field
and
my
dad
used
to
always
walk
through
the
house
and
say
hey
get
up:
let's
move
them,
let's
shake
them
got
to
beat
the
heat.
I
didn't
want
to
hear
that
beat
the
heat,
let
the
Heat
come
and
let
me
lay,
but
everybody
in
the
family
had
to
do
it
because
it
was
about
making
the
books
and
providing
for
the
family.
You
know,
I
didn't
realize
we
were
poor.
My
parents
never
showed
me
that
we
were
poor.
A
For
that
reason,
we
went
to
the
fields
my
Harris
side
of
the
family,
NJ
Harris.
He
was
the
chauffeur
for
Dr
Chandler.
It
was
always
a
fun
topic
because
they
always
said.
Oh
Gramps
was
the
first
man
in
Chandler,
since
he
was
in
the
front
seat,
he
came
over
and
he
built
his
barbecue
restaurant
Harris
barbecue
out
of
the
city's
first
retired
water
tank
Harris
acquired
a
number
of
properties
in
this
area
and
in
doing
that,
he
divided
a
few
of
them
up.
C
Hispanic
folks
came
up
from
Mexico,
but
also
lived
in
the
area
and
were
just
naturally
Farm
Workers
that
have
been
farming
the
fields
of
this
area
for
a
long
time.
One
thing
that
is
really
unique
and
wonderful
about
Southside
is
that
there
are
several
families
that
have
lived
there
for
multiple
Generations.
The
churches
were
incredibly
important
as
a
place
for
families
to
come
together
and
connect.
E
E
B
E
E
C
Case
technology
had
sort
of
changed
the
way
firming
worked,
and
so,
as
the
town
leaders
started
to
discuss
it,
they
were
like.
Well,
how
can
we
become
a
modern
Town?
How
can
we
ensure
that
we
have
a
future
of
different
Industries?
What
if
we
could
bring
some
of
these
high-tech
companies
to
Chandler
Rogers.
D
C
F
Intel
and
Chandler
have
really
grown
up
together,
both
of
us
contributing
to
each
other
I
think
along
the
way
back,
then
it
was
Farmland
I,
remember:
I,
graduated
from
Arizona
State
University
and
came
out
for
my
interview,
and
it
seemed
like
I
drove
and
drove
and
drove
forever
passing
Farm
Fields
along
the
way.
It
was
a
place
that
had
a
lot
of
growth
opportunity.
We
had
major
universities
close
by.
C
It
was
a
shock
for
both
communities
right.
It
was
a
shock
for
the
Intel
workers
that
came
from
California
because
they
were
coming
to
farm
fields.
In
the
meantime,
people
from
Chandler
didn't
understand
what
this
this
company
was
going
to
be.
The
city
leaders
really
had
this
notion
of.
We
have
to
change
as
a
community
if
we're
going
to
stay,
viable,
grow
and
continue
to
succeed
in
the
future.
F
F
Chandler
has
changed,
Intel
and
Intel
has
changed.
Chandler
I
would
never
have
imagined
where
we
are
today
when
I
think
about
when
I
first
started
30
plus
years
ago,
I
think
there's
growth
in
areas
that
I
couldn't
even
think
about
and
I
think
Intel
believes
in
Chandler
and
it'll
continue
to
invest
in
the
people.
The
community,
the
natural
resources
that
we
have
so
it'll
continue
to
grow
into
morphine,
to
be
better
and
better
as
the
years
go
on.
D
E
C
Dr
Chandler
was
an
innovator
who
was
inspired
by
opportunity.
He
created
this
culture
that
other
people
started
to
see
the
same
thing
they
would
get
here
and
there's
this
Innovation
and
opportunity,
and
the
mixture
of
those
two
has
created
this
constant
Community.
That's
always
refreshing,
always
thinking
always
creating
new
ideas.
Right,
that's
Innovation,
that's
opportunity!
C
A
Want
to
tell
your
children
from
whence
they
came,
you
want
to
keep
the
root
that
keeps
it
alive
and
if
you
don't
water
that
that's
a
sad
indictment
for
a
beautiful
Bush,
so
that's
how
I
feel
about
family.
That's
what
I
feel
about
Chandler!
That's
what
I
feel
about
everything
that
my
grandfather
did.
He
started
a
rose
bush
foreign.