At the turn of the 20th century, it was decided that a railway line between Phoenix and Florence was necessary. The land used to achieve this goal belonged to a man named William "Bobby" Gilbert. Gilbert was an agricultural community and remained an agricultural town for many years. Gilbert incorporated on July 6, 1920. It was known as the "hay capital of the world" until the late 1920s. Gilbert has grown from a farming town to a wealthy, young, family-oriented town. Gilbert, Arizona was recognized as the fastest growing city in America between 1990 and 2005 with a growth rate of nearly 500%. Gilbert is located in the southeastern part of the Greater Phoenix area. It is one of the cities included in a general area called East Valley. Gilbert city offices are... PLUS about 20 miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Generally, Chandler is to the west and south, Mesa is to the west and north, Queen Creek is to the east and south. Gilbert, Arizona covers about 76 square miles, and Gilbert's elevation is about 1,273 feet. Gilbert's population is 229,972 (2013 estimate, US Census Bureau). This makes it the 5th largest city in Maricopa County, rising one place since 2010 and overtaking Scottsdale. Gilbert doesn't have a traditional mall, but huge shopping centres like the SanTan Village Regional Shopping Centre and surrounding businesses, shops and restaurants help residents spend their money in their city. The nearest indoor shopping centre would be in Mesa. At the waterfront reserve, over 200 species of birds can be observed throughout the year. There are 4.5 miles of hiking trails, and fishing at the recreational lake at the Water Ranch. This unique area was designed to use recycled water to create community wetland wildlife sanctuaries for recreation, education and research. The Waterfront Institute also offers programs and courses to the public, such as bird walks, camps and programs for children, and public visits to the observatory.