Today, the West Valley is home to 1.7 million people, according to data collected by the Western Maricopa Coalition.

And it’s still growing. The coalition anticipates that over the next 25 years, 49.5% of the growth in Maricopa County will happen in the West Valley.

That's vastly different from what it was like in the beginning of the 20th century. Before Arizona had towns like Avondale, Goodyear and Litchfield Park, the West Valley was barren.

In this week's episode of Valley 101, a podcast from The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, we're diving into the history of the Southwest Valley. What took it from the desert to what it is today? And we're doing that thanks to a question from listener Dale Arel, who asked how Paul Litchfield shaped the Valley

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