Buckeye History

Like many Arizona towns, Buckeye traces its original prosperity back to the construction of a canal. The only source of water in the area was the Hassayampa River. This was unreliable since, like many desert rivers, there were long periods where no water was flowing.

In May 1885, Malie M. Jackson and his partners laid out the canal’s course. He named it for his home state. Buckeye, a native tree of Ohio, is also the state’s nickname.

Not long before that, Thomas Newt Clanton and his brother M.E. moved their family from Madison County, Iowa, in 1877. It was a small family group of three women, six men, and ten children.

M.E. helped found the Buckeye Canal Company, buying the rights to the proposed waterway for $300. Thomas helped build the first five miles of the canal. The Clantons went on from there to create a community that they named Sidney.

With the Buckeye Canal, the small farming community could thrive. Cash crops included corn, cotton and alfalfa. In 1910, the name Sidney was dropped in favor of the more popular Buckeye.

By 1912, a steam rail line connected the area to Phoenix. This gave the town a faster way to move farm goods to market and to bring supplies to the town. A new railroad station caused the business district to relocate, shifting the original downtown.

In 1926, the historic main street became an official part of the Broadway of America, also known as the Dixie Overland Highway. The important east-west corridor stretched from Tybee Island, Georgia, to San Diego, California.

Modern Buckeye AZ at a Glance

Incorporated in 1929, Buckeye remained a small town for many years. In 2000, it had only 6,537 residents. However, new neighborhoods caused the population to jump to 50,876 by 2010.

In 2014, the town voted to become the City of Buckeye with a 600-square master plan. The total area is about 145.8 square miles.

The 2020 Census counted 91,502 residents. Growth has come from new residents who were attracted to the quality of life and the new houses in planned communities. More new houses are under construction with some projections as high as 300,000.

Area drivers use the Papago Freeway, U.S. Interstate-10, to take them to jobs throughout the Phoenix metro area. According to 2020 Census data, a typical Buckeye commute takes 31.9 minutes.

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