Though not incorporated until 1954, Peoria dates back to the 1880s when a group of farming families from the Illinois heartland (Peoria, Illinois) braved the hostile plains and prairies to settle in the area and reestablish their farms in Arizona. Like most of the early valley, agriculture in the Peoria area flourished as a result of the irrigation canals that enable the dessert to blossom.

The Peoria Sports Complex, a 10,000-seat stadium, is home to year-round baseball, with spring training for the MLB San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners the highlight. Two Arizona Fall League teams and several international teams round out the year. The 43rd-- and largest-- Challenger Space Science Center, in association with the Smithsonian Institute, offers simulated space missions and astronomy training. Lake Pleasant Regional Park is inside Peoria's city limits, with 23,662 acres for water sports and camping enthusiasts; its activities include water skiing, parasailing, jet-skiing, sailing, glider rides and fishing and over 140 developed sites for RV and tent camping.