[Source: Maura J. Halpern, Arizona Republic] -- Fifteen years ago, John Edmonson would never have pegged Glendale as a premier Valley destination. But in the early 1990s, the longtime Glendale resident said, the city began to emerge from the shadow of Phoenix and Scottsdale as residents and officials created reasons for people to visit what is now the state's fourth-largest city."The whole attitude about the West Valley has changed," said Edmonson, who added that downtown Glendale's face lift in the 1990s and the development of the Arrowhead area as a major commercial and residential anchor helped spark the city's appeal. "I'm proud to live in a city that has become a place everyone wants to be a part of," Edmondson said.
A 2003 study by the International Festivals and Event Association estimated that Glendale's downtown festivals produced a more than $23 million economic impact. For every $1 budgeted for festivals like Fiesta Glendale, Glendale Glitters and the Glendale Jazz & Blues Festival, the study estimated $38.50 generated for the city. And this impact continues to grow, especially in 2005.
With the newly renovated Murphy Park as its backdrop, the city kicked off a new downtown event in October to attract visitors to its core in the evenings. That Thursday Thing! runs through May and provides entertainment, discounts and extended shopping hours. The fall also brought the Catlin Court Historic District Association's first home tour, which brought more than 1,000 visitors inside the quaint bungalows of the city's earliest plotted neighborhood. The tour raised $10,000 to help preserve the structures and to benefit the Glendale Historical Society.
[Note: To read the full article, click here. Photo source: Glendale Office of Tourism & Visitor Center.]
