Avondale is home to the Phoenix International Raceway. This where they run the Bashas' Supermarkets 200, the Subway Fresh Fit 500 and Checker Auto Parts 500 NASCAR races. Avondale is also home to the "initial point," the junction of the Base Line and Principal Meridian from which all land surveys in Arizona are measured from. The point is on Monument Hill, just east of the Phoenix International Raceway. A monument was constructed there in 1851 while surveyors were making a reconnaissance survey for the U.S.-Mexico boundary under the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo, which ended the Mexican-American War. Then in 1865, John Clark, the Surveyor General for New Mexico and Arizona chose that monument to be the intial point for all surveys done in Arizona. The monument was allowed to deteriorate for a long time but was restored and refurbished in 2006. At the foot of Monument Hill is the 198-acre Base and Meridian Wildlife Area. This is a beautiful riparian habitat on the north bank of the Gila River at the confluence of the Gila and the Salt. The Tres Rios Nature Festival happens here every year, celebrating the natural beauty, the preserved wildlife habitat and the human history involved with the Gila, Salt and Agua Fria Rivers.

Avondale was originally an agricultural center, founded by William "Billy" G. Moore when he settled near the Agua Fria River about 1880. He bought a chunk of land, built a saloon, established a stage stop with a general store and post office and named it all "Coldwater, Arizona." In the early 1900's, the Coldwater post office was moved to a site closer to the Avondale Ranch and soon saw its name change to Avondale.

These days, Avondale has become one of the fastest growing cities in Arizona and the U.S. Until the recent economic crash, housing starts in Avondale had grown more than 700% over the last 10 years, and the average pre-crash home price was hovering around $273,000. The business center of Avondale seems to be a commercial corridor at the crossroads of Interstate 10 and Loop 101. Presently, this zone has an extensive auto mall, hotels, restaurants, business parks, retail centers and more. Nearby, a medical corridor is emerging, along with other offices, business parks and light manufacturing facilities.