By David Madrid | The Republic | azcentral.com
In the not-so-distant past, Buckeye was a dusty cow town whose main claim to fame was its farming roots and western lifestyle.
Now, Buckeye is a growing town of 56,500 with plans to one day have a million residents. It has a 650-square-mile planning area, a land mass that eclipses Phoenix’s 517 square miles.
To usher in that future, town leaders want to make a simple change: They want the town to become a city. Buckeye residents will vote Nov. 5 to decide whether that happens.
Supporters believe the status change could help raise the profile of the nation’s ninth-fastest-growing community, spur economic development and eventually create more jobs.
But some experts say it’s unclear if Buckeye, as a city, would really attract more jobs and businesses. Some longtime residents fear the vote, which has gotten little publicity, could alter the small-town feel that they cherish.
