Located on the western end of the Phoenix valley, Surprise, Arizona, is the home of Major League Baseball spring training venues, museums and theaters. Family-oriented neighborhoods are being developed throughout the area.
Mild springs, plenty of sunshine, and baseball – what could be better? Residents of Surprise, Ariz., couldn’t agree more, and that is why they flock by the thousands to Surprise Stadium to watch the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers play in the famed Surprise Cactus League during spring training. These games give both the young and old a chance to see some of the best baseball players in the world “work out the kinks” before the regular season begins.
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| Population 30,848 | Median Age 46.1 yrs | Household Size: 2.46 |
| Avg Home Value: $128,300 | July High: 107.2°F | January Low: 40.7°F |
Surprise Cactus League
The Surprise Cactus League: Arizona’s Baseball Tradition
Professional baseball has been played in Arizona since the early 1900s when teams took advantage of the warm climate to play exhibition games before the regular season. However by the 1940s, only two major league clubs continued to hold their spring training in Arizona. Then in 1954, the Chicago Cubs and the Baltimore Orioles moved their spring training to the state, and kicked off what was called “the Cactus League” – a pre-season schedule named for the Giant Saguaro Cacti that dot the Arizona desert. Over the next 15 years, several other major league teams moved their spring training to Arizona, and stadiums sprung up in Tucson, Mesa, Tempe, Phoenix and Scottsdale to accommodate the growing league. Today over 100 exhibition games are played in the Cactus League each year.
Major League Baseball at Surprise Stadium
In 2001, the city of Surprise managed to convince the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers to leave their spring training facilities in Florida and built the $37 million Cactus League Spring Training Facility and Stadium to welcome them to Arizona baseball. The facility, which also includes a library, aquatic center and park, replaced over a square-mile of aging downtown buildings, and helped spur a flurry of development that has landed Surprise the title of “fastest growing city” in Arizona four out the last five years.
Surprise stadium can hold 10,500 spectators, and features two 37,000 square foot clubhouses to accommodate both the Royals and the Rangers. Six full practice fields give both teams plenty of space to prepare for the combined 32 games they will play in the stadium. Fans have a wide variety of seating options to choose from, including open grass seating near the outfield and club seating in the stadium’s upper deck. The field dimensions are listed at 350 feet down the lines, 370 in the power alleys, and 400 feet to center field. Surprise Stadium is handicapped accessible and surrounded by ample parking space.
Last year, 152,879 Surprise Cactus League fans visited Surprise Stadium to watch major league baseball. The impact on the local economy is profound, as fans spend millions of dollars each year in the city’s hotels, restaurants and retail shops. When combined with the revenue generated by the other nine Cactus League facilities, major league baseball spring training contributes over $270 million to the state economy, according to the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority (AZSTA).
To the residents of Surprise, however, the real benefit isn’t measured in dollars but in memories. For years to come they will be able to see major league baseball in their own backyard while most of the country must be content to watch it on television. For them, spring training is the start of the regular season.
By: Isaac Larson
A REALTOR® is a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS®