Beginnings Prior to the area's development, the name "Ahwatukee" referred to a now-demolished house which was in an area near Sequoia Trails and Appaloosa Drive, west of the Warner-Elliot Loop. At least two major thoroughfares in today's Ahwatukee are named after people who claimed lands in the area, in the decades after the signing of the
Homestead Act in 1862. Warner Road was named after Samuel Warner of
Kansas, while Elliot Road was named after Reginald Elliott of
California. Ames' wife continued to spend her winters at the house until her death in 1933.
Proving grounds In 1946, the
International Harvester Company rented land from a
United States Army tank testing facility west of today's Lakewood community, for use as truck and heavy equipment proving grounds. The grounds were sold to a property development company in 1983, due to a combination of economic issues, labor union problems, and a patent infringement judgement against the company. Presley originally planned for the area to be a
retirement community, but later devised a mix of retirement living, family living, and light commercial zoning for the area. However, Chandler and Tempe officials were noted to have refused offers of annexing Ahwatukee. Plans for Ahwatukee were approved by Maricopa County in November 1971, and 17 model homes were opened in an area near 50th Street and Elliot Road in 1973. In the same year as the model homes’ opening, the
Arizona State Legislature set aside $5 million to build a prison near the proving grounds. Plans for the prison, however, were later scrapped.
Etymology There are three theories surrounding the name "Ahwatukee", with all three claiming the name has roots in the
Crow language. Some stories of the name's origin trace back to Brinton, who is said to have chosen a Crow-rooted name for her new property due to her time with the
Crow Nation tribal members in
Wyoming, and the influence it subsequently had on her.
house of my dreams, or
house of dreams Until at least 2006, the Ahwatukee Foothills Chamber of Commerce acknowledged "house of dreams" as the meaning of the area's name. However, according to the Crow language dictionary maintained by the Crow Language Consortium, the Crow word for "house" is , and the Crow word for "dream" is or .
Land on the other side of the hill Some sources claim the name is a Crow term for "land on the other side of the hill", based on the Crow word . and the word means "over the ridge", "over the hill", or "the next valley over".
Flat land According to one source, the name closely resembles a Crow term for "flat land" or "prairie". According to the Crow language dictionary maintained by the Crow Language Consortium, the Crow word for "flat land" is . == Geography ==