Map showing the changes in Victory Acres in the late-1990s by comparing the empty lots (in red) from the late 1990s to the present-day satellite image of the neighborhood. This map illustrates the growth of the neighborhood in the 1990s. Source: December 1996-February 1997 Historical Aerial Imagery from Maricopa County (http://gis.maricopa.gov/MapApp/GIO/AerialHistorical/). Made with QGIS 4.14.4. Map design by Kaitlin Dailey on August 7, 2016.
Tempe c. 1930 with section of Victory Acres c. 1949 and parcels 2016
An aerial map of the area from 1930 includes a small section of Victory Acres, which can be seen in the overlay on the map above. The teal section is provided to show a clear outline of where the section of Victory Acres is located on the darker gray map, which is the 1930 aerial footage. The lighter gray is a more transparent map from 1949 of Victory Acres. The aerial footage shows that the area was mainly unsettled, rural farmland, as most of it still was in the 1949 map. Made with QGIS software 4.14.4, Map designed by Megan Sheehan August 6, 2016.
Tempe c. 1930 with section of Victory Acres c. 1949
In a closer look of the section of Victory Acres from the 1930 aerial footage, overlayed with the 1949 aerial map, it is easier to see the development that occurred over nearly two decades. The blue oval is a general outline of where Victory Acres overlaps on the two maps. The few houses that stood in the area in 1930 were still there in 1949, as indicated by the red arrow. There are a few houses that sprung up by 1949, that were not there in 1930—as indicated by the yellow arrow. However, two decades saw very little change in the area. Made with QGIS software 4.14.4, Map designed by Megan Sheehan August 6, 2016.
Victory Acres c. 1949 compared to 2016 Parcels
In overlaying the aerial footage of Victory Acres from 1949, with the 2016 parcels shown in teal polygon structure, you can see the changes that have occurred in over half a decade. The land that was once desert or farmland has been populated with buildings—mostly residential, as well as modern roads. Some of the only features of the area that remain are the canals running through the area, more significantly the Tempe Canal that can clearly be seen on both maps (shown by yellow arrows). A few of the original residential buildings from 1949 can still be made out on the map. Made with QGIS software 4.14.4, Map designed by Megan Sheehan August 6, 2016.
Victory Acres c. 1949 compared to 2016 Google satellite images
In this screen it is very difficult to see the changes from 1949 compared to the present based on the colorings of the maps. What is most visible in the screenshot is the Google satellite imagery that shows all of the homes that have taken over this area. In the 1949 aerial image of the map there are very few homes, and it is mostly rural farmland. By present-day that farmland has disappeared and residential buildings (with a few commercial buildings) have taken place of it. Made with QGIS software 4.14.4, Map designed by Megan Sheehan August 6, 2016.
Tempe, 2016 showing section of Victory Acres affected by the construction of light rail on Apache Blvd. An aerial map of Victory Acres from 1959 was used to map the comparison. The 1959 aerial image show large clusters of homes and businesses that were completely wiped out as a result of the construction of the light rail. Sources: Google Earth, Historical Aerials shared by Maricopa County. Made with QGIS software 2.16. Map designed by Zsuzsa Szabo, August 7, 2016.
A Google Map Satellite image showing buildings and roads that were present in Victory Acres in 1969. The map shows the impact that SR 101 had on the left-hand side of Victory Acres. All of the buildings were taken out to create the highway. The arrows show how the densely packed area of buildings that were removed. Also, several more streets have been added since 1969. Sources: Google Satellite and Historical Aerials provided by Maricopa County. The GIS was made with QGIS software 2.14.3. Map Design and GIS were designed by Brooks Waybright on August 7th, 2016.
Open Space 1976
An aerial map image showing the open space that was present in 1976. Victory Acres was originally farmland and this map shows what could possible be plots of farmland or just the backyard of the residents. In the lower picture of 2013, it shows that there was not very much open space left. The only open space, for the most part, is in parcel size lots. Sources: Historical Aerials provided by Maricopa County. The GIS was made with QGIS software 2.14.3. Map and QGIS design were made by Jonathan Lipford on August 8, 2016.
Victory Acres, showing businesses and local amenities, according to type and time period established. For example, the two churches are quite old, so their color is darker and reddish to symbolize their belonging to the cultural type. Source: 2016 Maricopa County aerial maps from 1949, 1959, 1969, 1976, 1979, 1986, 1997, 2000, 2004, and 2009, accessed through Arizona State University Data Repository, as well as ‘ground truthing through Google Streetview. Made with QGIS 4.14.4 Map design by Kris Fedorak August 10, 2016.