From Charles Rittenhouse's 1919 thousand-acre Queen Creek Farms Company to the railroad settlement called Rittenhouse, the area renamed Queen Creek in 1947 continued to flourish as an agricultural and farming community. By the 1970s, as farming became less profitable, the land began to give way to new development. Homes and businesses began to settle among family farms, and the school district expanded. By 1989, Queen Creek had incorporated to become Arizona's 84th municipality, and the following years saw the town establishing its own goals and traditions. The town of Queen Creek is located 35 miles southeast of Phoenix. To the north lies the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, which is the former Williams Air Force Base. Queen Creek is home to the historic Rittenhouse School. A strong volunteer base allows the community to participate in the decades-long traditions of an annual Christmas parade and Fourth of July celebration.