Should Verrado be its own city?

Since 2020, Buckeye’s population has surged nearly 25%, one of the steepest increases in the U.S. 

That explosive growth is especially visible in the 85396 ZIP code, home to Verrado and its surrounding developments. Though real estate analysts with Aterio project a more moderate 5.8% population gain from 2025 to 2030, the community’s rapid 55.1% expansion over the past five years means more than a third of its residents arrived this decade. 

The pace has even sparked neighborhood chatter about whether Verrado could one day stand on its own as an incorporated city. With more than 14,000 homes across 8,800 acres, Verrado already exceeds Carefree, Cave Creek and Paradise Valley in population — and it’s geographically larger than Tolleson, Carefree and El Mirage. 

To see how locals feel about the idea, we hit Main Street to ask around. For now, most say it’s an open question.  

Nancy Ostini, Village Grove 

I don’t know — maybe. A lot of people already think Verrado is its own place, separate from Buckeye. 

My husband and I usually tell people we live in Verrado, but we’re actually right across the street from the high school in Litchfield Park. It just feels easier to say “Verrado” than “Litchfield Park” or “Buckeye.” 

Rocky Khan, Heritage District 

If they want to separate from the city like Beverly Hills or Hollywood, that’s fine. I’d just be interested in how it would affect tax rates — especially with how much Buckeye has taken on for all these projects around the city. 

Verrado starts at the freeway, and it feels like Verrado is here and Buckeye is there. It’s such a huge area. 

I’ve been in Verrado for 10 years, and I care more about what’s better for us. As a Verrado resident, whatever benefits our community is OK with me.  

Dylan Lindsey, Verrado 

Probably not, if I’m being honest. I don’t think Verrado is quite big enough yet. Maybe in the future. 

Tara Esling, Highlands 

I don’t even know. Let me ask ChatGPT. (She asks the AI.) 

It says Verrado already feels like its own town, and I think that’s true. People here never say they live in Buckeye. But ChatGPT also says staying part of Buckeye allows residents to benefit from shared resources. 

I think that’s true, too. Buckeye’s one of the fastest-growing cities, and that could really help Verrado. 

So, I don’t know. Feeling like its own town might be good enough. We can still benefit from being part of Buckeye. 

Interviews have been edited for brevity and clarity. 

How could Verrado break away? 

For Verrado to break away from Buckeye and incorporate as its own city, residents — not the city or county — would have to initiate the process through one of two methods under Arizona law: either by collecting signatures from two-thirds of registered voters in the area to automatically form a municipality once verified by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, or by gathering signatures from at least 10% of voters to trigger an election in which a simple majority would decide whether to incorporate. 

In either case, the board’s role is limited to confirming that the petitions meet population and legal requirements before officially declaring incorporation. State law requires at least 3,000 residents to form a city (or 1,500 for a town), and if the area lies within 10 miles of an existing incorporated city or town with 5,000 or more residents, that municipality must grant written consent before the new city can form — meaning Buckeye would have to approve Verrado’s separation.