Townapedia
City Hall - Surprise, AZ, USA 2250094
City Hall - Surprise, AZ, USA 2250094 · Venske, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cactus flowering, Sun City West, Arizona
Cactus flowering, Sun City West, Arizona · John Menard from Phoenix, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
Willow Canyon HS Studio
Willow Canyon HS Studio · Sargonmalik, CC BY-SA 4.0
Willow Canyon HS control room
Willow Canyon HS control room · Sargonmalik, CC BY-SA 4.0
Steven Slugocki (41641963672)
Steven Slugocki (41641963672) · Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0
Tony Navarrete (41641956942)
Tony Navarrete (41641956942) · Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0

Surprise, Arizona

Surprise is a city of 154,948 people in Maricopa County, Arizona, founded in 1937.

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Population154,948 +14.4% since 2019
CountyMaricopa County
Elevation1,175 ft 358 m
Founded1937
Land area110.5 sq mi
ZIP codes85342, 85361, 85374, 85379 +3
Nearest airportLuke Air Force Base (LUF) 11 mi

Why visit Surprise

Townapedia lists 2 museums and landmarks, 77 parks and trails, 205 places to eat, 12 places to stay and 2 attractions in and around town.

Highlights include AMC, Fat Cats, The Vista Center for the Arts and WHAM Art Center.

July is the warmest month, with average highs of 105°F; December lows average 39°F.

About Surprise

Surprise is a city in Maricopa County, in the U.S. state of Arizona. Its population was 143,148 at the 2020 census, up from 117,517 in 2010 and 30,848 in 2000.

From the Wikipedia article Surprise, Arizona (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Things to do2

AMC

Cinema and theater · 7.1 mi

13649 North Litchfield Road, Surprise

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Fat Cats

Cinema and theater · 5.1 mi

13100 North Prasada Parkway, Surprise

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Museums and landmarks2

The Vista Center for the Arts

Museum · 5.0 mi

15660 North Parkview Place, Surprise

Open in Google Maps · +1-623-523-8888

WHAM Art Center

Museum · 6.8 mi

16560 North Dysart Road, Surprise

Open in Google Maps

Parks, trails and playgrounds77

Sun Village Golf Course

Golf course · 5.3 mi

18 hole Par 54

14300 West Bell Road, Surprise

Open in Google Maps · +1-623-584-5774

Arizona Traditions Golf Club

Golf course · 1.9 mi

18 hole Par 70

17225 North Citrus Road, Surprise

Open in Google Maps · +1-623-584-4000

Cimarron Golf Club

Golf course · 1.6 mi

18 hole Par 72

17100 West Clearview Boulevard, Surprise

Open in Google Maps · +1-623-975-5654

Coyote Lakes Golf Club

Golf course · 8.3 mi

18 hole Par 71

18800 North Coyote Lakes Parkwway, Surprise

Open in Google Maps · +1-623-566-2323

Desert Springs Golf Club

Golf course · 2.8 mi

18 hole Par 72

19900 North Remington Drive, Surprise

Open in Google Maps · +1-623-546-7401

Granite Falls Golf Club - North

Golf course · 3.6 mi

18 hole Par 72

15949 West Clearview Boulevard, Surprise

Open in Google Maps · +1-623-546-7580

Granite Falls Golf Club - South

Golf course · 3.1 mi

18 hole Par 72

15949 West Clearview Boulevard, Surprise

Open in Google Maps · +1-623-546-7580

Great Eagle Golf Club

Golf course · 2.0 mi

18 hole Par 72

17200 West Bell Road, Surprise

Open in Google Maps · +1-623-584-6000

Surprise Stadium

Sports field and stadium · 5.2 mi

Open in Google Maps · Wikipedia

White Tank Mountain Regional Park

Park · 9.0 mi

Large regional park located in west-central Maricopa County, Arizona

Open in Google Maps · Wikipedia

Wildlife World Zoo

Park · 8.7 mi

Zoo in the United States

Open in Google Maps · Wikipedia

The Fields at Countryside

Park · 5.0 mi

The facility’s lighted youth multipurpose fields are designed for use by participants in our City of Surprise youth sports programming....

15263 West Greenway Road, Surprise

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65 more on the map.

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Restaurants and cafes205

Applebee's

Diner · American · 5.9 mi

13756 West Bell Road, Surprise

11:00-24:00

Open in Google Maps · +1 623-544-0368

Baskin-Robbins

Ice cream · Ice Cream · 5.5 mi

15423 West Waddell Road, Surprise

11:00-22:00

Open in Google Maps · +1 623-584-0256

Black Rock Coffee

Cafe · Coffee Shop · 3.1 mi

16324 West Pat Tillman Boulevard, Surprise

Mo-Su 05:00-21:00

Open in Google Maps · +18338435776

China Buffet

Restaurant · Chinese · 5.9 mi

17119 North Litchfield Road, Surprise

Mo-Su 12:00-22:30

Open in Google Maps · +1-623-584-9198

First Watch

Restaurant · American, Breakfast · 3.0 mi

23350 North 163rd Avenue, Surprise

Mo-Su 07:00-14:30

Open in Google Maps · +14809238381

GroundShaker Coffee Bar

Cafe · Coffee Shop · 4.6 mi

15643 North Reems Road, Surprise

Mo-Fr 05:30-16:00; Sa-Su 06:00-16:00

Open in Google Maps · +1-623-544-8979

Kneaders Bakery & Cafe

Cafe · Bakery, Coffee Shop · 5.5 mi

14183 West Bell Road, Surprise

Mo-Sa 07:00-22:00

Open in Google Maps · +1-480-289-2450

LongHorn Steakhouse

Restaurant · Steak House · 5.6 mi

14127 West Bell Road, Surprise

Su-Th 11:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-23:00

Open in Google Maps · +1-623-584-7413

Native Grill & Wings

Restaurant · Wings, Pizza, Burger · 6.9 mi

13929 West Waddell Road, Surprise

Mo-Th 11:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-24:00; Su 10:30-22:30

Open in Google Maps · +1-623-544-6402

Peter Piper Pizza

Restaurant · Pizza · 7.0 mi

12851 West Bell Road, Surprise

Su-Th 11:00-22:00; Fr 11:00-23:00; Sa 10:00-23:00

Open in Google Maps · +1-623-583-1231

Red Robin

Restaurant · Burger · 5.7 mi

14015 West Bell Road, Surprise

Su-Th 11:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-23:00

Open in Google Maps · +1-623-556-9066

Scooter's Coffee

Cafe · Coffee Shop · 7.2 mi

12675 West Bell Road, Surprise

Mo-Fr 05:00-19:00; Sa 06:00-19:00; Su 06:00-18:00

Open in Google Maps · +1-623-328-5812

193 more on the map.

History

The city was founded in 1938 by Flora Mae Statler, who was the daughter of another Arizona pioneer, Charles Gillett, who helped found Glendale, specifically as a temperance community. Gillett owned much land in Glendale, as well as the Verde Valley. Surprise officials previously thought the city was founded by Statler's husband, real estate developer and state legislator Homer C. Ludden, but in 2010, property records were discovered that listed Statler as owning the land before she met Ludden. Modern records often state that Statler named her land Surprise as she "would be surprised if the town ever amounted to much," with her daughter backing this claim. This claim is contested, however, since pioneers commonly named their settlements after their hometowns and Ludden hailed from Surprise, Nebraska, possibly influencing the name of the town.

When Surprise was subdivided to build inexpensive houses for agricultural workers, only a few houses and a gas station were on the 1-square-mile (2.6 km2) parcel of land. Since then, the town has experienced tremendous growth. It incorporated as a city in 1960. The original townsite is bounded by Greenway Road on the south, El Mirage Road on the east, Bell Road on the north, and Dysart Road on the west.

From the History section of Surprise, Arizona on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where to stay12

Churches and places of worship20

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Shopping44

Gas and EV charging32

Schools, colleges and libraries48

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Healthcare37

Map of Surprise

250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.

Climate by month

40°60°80°100°January: 1.4 in of rainFebruary: 1.4 in of rainMarch: 1.0 in of rainApril: 0.2 in of rainMay: 0.1 in of rainJune: 0.1 in of rainJuly: 0.9 in of rainAugust: 1.1 in of rainSeptember: 1.1 in of rainOctober: 0.7 in of rainNovember: 0.7 in of rainDecember: 0.9 in of rainJanuary: 65°FFebruary: 68°FMarch: 75°FApril: 82°FMay: 92°FJune: 102°FJuly: 105°FAugust: 103°FSeptember: 98°FOctober: 86°FNovember: 74°FDecember: 64°FJanuary: 39°FFebruary: 41°FMarch: 46°FApril: 51°FMay: 60°FJune: 69°FJuly: 77°FAugust: 77°FSeptember: 70°FOctober: 57°FNovember: 46°FDecember: 39°FJFMAMJJASOND
Average high Average low Rain
Monthly table
MonthHighLowRainSnow
Jan65°F39°F1.4 in0.0 in
Feb68°F41°F1.4 in0.0 in
Mar75°F46°F1.0 in0.0 in
Apr82°F51°F0.2 in0.0 in
May92°F60°F0.1 in0.0 in
Jun102°F69°F0.1 in0.0 in
Jul105°F77°F0.9 in0.0 in
Aug103°F77°F1.1 in0.0 in
Sep98°F70°F1.1 in0.0 in
Oct86°F57°F0.7 in0.0 in
Nov74°F46°F0.7 in0.0 in
Dec64°F39°F0.9 in0.0 in

U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Wittmann 1Se (8 mi away), NOAA NCEI.

People and cost of living

$96,711median household income
$435,100median home value
$2,033median monthly rent
41.4median age
30.5%of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher
79.1%of homes are owner-occupied
30.2 minaverage commute
Age of residents
Under 1823%18 to 3419%35 to 6436%65 and over22%

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.

Disaster history

Maricopa County has had 17 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for fires.

  • 2024-06-28: Boulder View Fire (Fire)
  • 2024-06-12: Rose Fire (Fire)
  • 2023-06-28: Diamond Fire (Fire)
  • 2020-06-27: Avondale Fire (Fire)
  • 2020-06-23: Aquila Fire (Fire)
  • 2020-06-20: Bush Fire (Fire)

OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.

Getting there and nearby towns

Luke Air Force Base (LUF) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 11 miles away.

  • Sun City West 5 mi east, about 9 min by car
  • El Mirage 9 mi southeast, about 15 min by car
  • Sun City 10 mi east, about 17 min by car
  • Peoria 11 mi northeast, about 18 min by car
  • Glendale 18 mi southeast, about 29 min by car
  • Buckeye 20 mi southwest, about 32 min by car
  • Phoenix 22 mi east, about 35 min by car
  • Anthem 22 mi northeast, about 36 min by car
  • Avondale 26 mi south, about 41 min by car
  • New River 26 mi northeast, about 41 min by car

Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.

Reviews, tips and questions

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Sources and licences

Photo credits

Page built October 30, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.