812 apartments for rent in Maricopa, AZ

Maricopa County and its county seat of Phoenix are located in the south-central part of Arizona. Maricopa is the most populous county in the state, and one of the largest counties in the US by land area. Well more than half of Arizona’s residents live here.

Forbes magazine has ranked Phoenix and three surrounding cities among its top ten fastest-growing cities in the US, all located in “West Valley,” an area of the county on the western side of Phoenix. While rust belt cities are losing population, cities in the South and the West, such as Phoenix, are gaining. Affordable housing and a growing economy are drawing numbers of people to the city.

While the city of Phoenix tends to vote with the Democratic Party, the remainder of Maricopa County has long been a stronghold for Republicans; every Republican presidential candidate has carried Maricopa County since 1948.

One of the county’s more colorful characters is Sheriff is Joe Arpaio, who is famous for requiring prisoners to wear pink underwear. He went on to sell customized pink boxers emblazoned with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s logo and “Go Joe” as a fund-raiser for Sheriff’s Posse Association. He has written a book, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, America’s Toughest Sheriff, which he promoted by giving away pink handcuffs.

Transportation within the county is available via three interstates: Interstate 8, Interstate 10 and Interstate 17. There is one US Highway (US 60), as well as several state highways.