By Mark Carlisle | YourValley.net
For the past several years, Glendale has lived with uncertainty regarding the Coyotes’ long-term status in the city. Whether the team leaves or stays, its presence will have changed Glendale forever.
City officials broke ground on the city-owned Glendale Arena (now Gila River Arena, formerly Jobing.com Arena) in 2002 in an area that was entirely farmland. The Coyotes’ new arena spearheaded one of the West Valley’s most rapidly-growing areas. Another major pro sports team and dozens more businesses would follow, bringing thousands of jobs, millions of sales tax dollars and national attention to the city.
