Surprise defines vibrant Southwest living; a place of educational excellence where community, family,
and traditions are built. Surprise is a collection of distinctive neighborhoods with a small town feel and
big city amenities.


Surprise is in the bustling northwest Salt River Valley, the Valley of the Sun.

Located about 45 minutes from downtown Phoenix, Surprise is surrounded by mountain park lands,
a regional lake and pristine, open Sonoran desert.



Our city of 100,000 people was just one square mile of farmland back in 1938 when Homer Ludden,
a state legislator, founded it.

So why did he call us Surprise? Ludden named the city after his hometown- Surprise, Nebraska.


Some of our citys highlights:

• New, clean safe neighborhoods draw thousands of new residents every year.
• Money Magazine rates Surprise tops in the nation in job growth since 2000. Better jobs are being created all the time.
• Surprise Stadium is the Cactus League Spring Training home for the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers.
• Surprise has the lowest major crime rate of any of the nine Valley cities with a population greater than 100,000.
• The City Council OKed a new regional mall in early 2007. The largest in the Valley, the mall is expected to create more than 20,000 jobs in Surprise.

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• Residents love the pools, waterfalls and slides at the Aquatic Center.
• The just-opened fields of DreamCatcher Park are the citys first all-access sports facility.
• A new 17-court Tennis Complex is complete, with center court seating for 5,000.
• Hit the links on one of Surprises eight golf courses.
• Hike and bike in the spectacular mountain vistas and clear desert air of the White Tank Mountain Regional Park.
  

You will find medical services at nearby Sun Health Hospitals and several urgent care centers.

K-12 schools are run by the rapidly growing Dysart Unified School District. Residents and city leaders are working together to make Surprise an even better place to live, work and play.

Rio Salado Community College offers services in the city, and Arizona State University West is just 20 minutes from Surprise.

Visitors will find that there are plenty of activities to enjoy in Surprise. Click here to learn more about visiting Surprise.

Check out Surprise! Cruise our web site for more information about the best place in Arizona to live, work