Back in the day, realtors gave you a checklist to fill out: pool or no pool; two bedrooms, three bedrooms, four bedrooms; one story or two story.

A strange choice? Swamp cooler or no swamp cooler.

Does anyone still have a swamp cooler? And what are they?

On this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral, we talk to John Shurr, a realtor and Michael Morris, the owner of MJM Refrigeration, to answer this burning question: Whatever happened to swamp coolers?

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Guests: Michael Morris, John Shurr

Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bill Goodykoontz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Producer: Tori Weiss, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Amanda Luberto⁠⁠

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Castles N' Coasters in the longest-running theme park in Arizona. It will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2027.

Through the brutal Arizona summers, it's still stuck around.

What is the theme park's secret to success?

In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we answer the question: What's made Castles N' Coasters the longest-running amusement park in the state?

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Guests: Tiffany Acosta , George Brimhall, Darsey Grantham

Host: ⁠⁠⁠⁠Bill Goodykoontz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Producer: Tori Weiss, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Amanda Luberto⁠⁠

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Route 66, the highway that runs 2,448 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica. And a chunk of it runs through Arizona.

In Bobby Troup's hit song "Route 66", it mentions "Flagstaff, Arizona/Don't forget Winona/Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino."

But what about Phoenix?

This week on Valley 101, we talk with historians and tour guides to hear the crazy stories about priests and lumberjacks, but most importantly: Why doesn't Route 66 go through Phoenix?

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Guests: Bob Boze Bell, Nick Jones, Susan Johnson

Host: ⁠⁠⁠Bill Goodykoontz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Producer: Tori Weiss, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Amanda Luberto⁠⁠

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People look to reality TV for a lot of things.

Escape, entertainment, fun, maybe a touch of schadenfreude.

There are a list of things you should not look for in reality TV and legal advice is at the top!

This week on Valley 101, we talk with a reporter at the Arizona Republic to answer the question: Why does a 'Real Housewives' husband own an Arizona law firm?

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Guests: Laura Gersony

Host: ⁠⁠Bill Goodykoontz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Producer: Tori Weiss, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Amanda Luberto⁠

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Baseball is back!

One distinguishing feature of Chase Field is the outfield pool. But how did it get there? And who made that decision?

This week on Valley 101, experts join us to answer the question: Why is there a pool at Chase Field?

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Guests: Greg Schulte, Derek Montilla

Host: ⁠Bill Goodykoontz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Producer: Tori Weiss, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amanda Luberto⁠

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If there is one geological formation Arizona is known for, it is without a doubt ... the Grand Canyon.

But it's not the only too-awesome-to-comprehend natural formation out there. There is also the Wave, the unbelievable sandstone rock formation more formally known as Coyote Buttes North.

On this week's episode of Valley 101, we look into the history of the Wave — it's about 200 million years old, so it's got some — and answer the question: How was the Wave discovered?

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Guests: Mike Koopsen, Light Hunter Fatali

Host: ⁠Bill Goodykoontz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Producer: Tori Weiss, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amanda Luberto⁠

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People are often shocked when you tell them that Phoenix is the 5th largest city in America.

You can pick nits about metropolitan statistical areas, but it's clear that Arizona is not the Old West outpost people thought it was back in the day.

So how many people actually live in Phoenix?  This week on Valley 101, a podcast about metro Phoenix and beyond, we talk with the Republic's development reporter about some of the reasons that growth, while still happening in Arizona, may be slowing down. 

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Guests: Corina Vanek

Host: ⁠Bill Goodykoontz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tori Weiss

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What time is it in Arizona might seem like a trick question if you don’t live in Arizona. But when you do, you know what time it is, because the state doesn’t mess around with Daylight Saving Time.

However, Arizona did observe Daylight Saving Time once upon a time. And you know what those words mean. There’s a story behind all that.

This week on Valley 101, we ask the question, “What time is it in Arizona?” And we follow up with, “Why doesn’t Arizona observe Daylight Saving Time?”

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Guest: Calvin Schermerhorn

Host: ⁠Bill Goodykoontz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Producers: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amanda Luberto⁠, Tori Weiss

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In this day and age, there are so many options on where to see a movie. If you want dinner and a show, there's a theater. If you want arthouse, there's a theater. The Valley even has 4 regulated IMAX theaters.

But one place in particular has created an experience for Phoenix movie goers since the 20th century.

This week on Valley 101, a podcast by The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we explore the history of Harkins' Cine Capri Theatre.

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Guests: ⁠Gayle Martin, Jason Carney

Host, Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amanda Luberto⁠

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People's impression of cowboys is largely due to Hollywood. Actors like John Wayne, Gary Cooper and Clint Eastwood cemented the image of the rugged, handsome, White cowboys throughout their films.

While it made for good movies, it's not entirely accurate to how the West looked at the time.

There's plenty of history on vaqueros, or Mexican cowboys, in the West, but one demographic left their prints on Arizona history with their stories vastly untold: Black cowboys

This week on Valley 101, we answer the question: Were there Black cowboys in Arizona? 

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Guests: Tricia Martineau Wagner, Tomari "TJ" Stevenson

Host, Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Amanda Luberto⁠

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