Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Brings Residents Home

If you’re considering purchasing a home, land or real estate in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Paradise Valley or one of the many surrounding communities, chances are you’re interested in the local airport – how convenient is it, what airlines fly in and out, etc. Lucky for you, the City of Phoenix owns and operates three airports, the primary one of which is Sky Harbor Airport.

Construction started on Sky Harbor way back in the 1930s and rumor has it that former Senator Barry Goldwater helped plow the former farm land to create the first runway. Fast forward to the present and the airport has grown to its current size of 3,000 acres and three terminals, aptly named Terminals 2, 3 and 4. More about Terminal 1 later.

Built in the 1960s and remodeled in 2007, Terminal 2 had been open for about a decade when tremendous growth in the Valley meant that another terminal was needed. In 1976, construction began on Terminal 3, host to 880,000 square-feet of space and 23 gates on two concourses. As time went on, even more space was needed, resulting in Terminal 4 being built. Opened in November 1990, Terminal 4 has 68 gates, 3.8 million square-feet of space and four levels of parking with 3,400 spaces.

But what about Terminal 1? Built in 1952, Terminal 1 had an open-air baggage claim area that many residents remember fondly. However, time marches on and Terminal 1 was demolished in 1990, but the other terminals were never renumbered - resulting in the curious case of the missing Terminal 1.

And now you know the rest of the story.

For more information about Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport, visit www.skyharbor.com.