2004-2013

In the last decade of the ‘90s, Oro Valley’s population more than quadrupled, from 6,670 to 29,700 residents in the 2000 Census.

Town services and holdings were expanded to meet the needs of a larger community. The Oro Valley Police Department moved into new headquarters in 2004. Roads were widened and improved, among them Tangerine, La Canada, and First Avenue across the CDO Wash.

The water utility diversified its sources among groundwater, the Colorado River, and treated wastewater. It purchased another 3,557 acre feet of annual water rights within the Central Arizona Project. To get its first access to “wet” CAP water, Oro Valley began “wheeling” some of that allocation directly to Oro Valley customers. And, during the decade, it commenced deliveries of reclaimed water through the “pink” pipes to golf courses, park spaces, and school turf areas. The diversification reduced pressure on Oro Valley’s groundwater supply.

Oro Valley 2004-2013: A Visual Timeline

Northwest Medical Center Oro Valley, now called Oro Valley Hospital, opened its doors in 2005. A year later, the Golder Ranch Fire District and Rural / Metro Fire agreed to make GRFD the fire and emergency service provider for all of Oro Valley.

In 2006, voters upheld financial incentives for developer Vestar to create Oro Valley Marketplace, and the major center at Tangerine and Oracle rose up in 2008.

Oro Valley purchased historic Steam Pump Ranch in 2008. And the town assumed control of Honeybee Canyon Park from Pima County in 2011.

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In This Decade

  • Tangerine Road widened, La Canada to First, 2004
  • Oro Valley Police Department moves into its HQ building, 2004.
  • Oro Valley Hospital opens for business, February 2005. It was originally called Northwest Medical Center Oro Valley.
  • La Canada widened, Tangerine to Moore, 2005
  • Securaplane's Oro Valley manufacturing plant burns to the ground, Nov. 7, 2006. After relocating with the Foothills Business Park, the company built a new facility in Oro Valley's Innovation Park.
  • Oro Valley voters uphold incentives to Vestar Inc., for development of Oro Valley Marketplace, March 2006.
  • Golder Ranch Fire District, Rural / Metro Fire Department enter agreement to make Golder Ranch the fire service provider for all of Oro Valley, 2006.
  • New bridges over the CDO Wash at Pusch View Lane and First Avenue, dedicated 05/01/2006
  • Design and construction of reclaimed water system infrastructure for delivery to 2 18-hole golf courses along La Canada, Painted Sky Elementary School and Naranja Park, 2007-'08.
  • Oro Valley purchases historic Steam Pump Ranch, 2008.
  • Steam Pump Ranch listed on National Register of Historic Places, 2009.
  • First Avenue widened, Tangerine to the CDO bridge, dedicated 04/16/2008
  • La Canada widened, Naranja to Tangerine, dedicated 02/19/2010
  • Town council adopts environmentally sensitive lands ordinance, 02/16/11
  • Honeybee Canyon Park transferred from Pima County to Oro Valley, 2011-'12.
  • First "wheeling" of CAP water from Tucson Water to Oro Valley Water Utility, 2012.
  • Major expansion and improvement of the OVAC, June 2012. It reopens to the public, 2013.
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