Flash to the past: TV show sees city as ‘microcosm’ of country’s growth

In October of 2006, a “CBS News Sunday Morning” crew visited Maricopa to film a segment on population growth in America entitled “300 Million and Counting.”

The story, which aired Oct. 8, featured interviews with Mayor Kelly Anderson and Councilman Will Dunn by CBS correspondent Thalia Assuras. CBS used the city as a microcosm of the exploding U.S. population that was expected to surpass 300 million the next week, the network reported.

Maricopa’s population had grown from 1,500 to about 25,000 in the three years since its incorporation in 2003. Anderson, a Maricopa native who was interviewed on the family farm, noted the many changes he had seen in the city since he was a boy.

“Life was good, ” noted the mayor. “It’s good now.”

Related: Maricopa, a microcosm for “CBS Sunday Morning” news segment on population growth – InMaricopa