Town file
Casa Grande, Arizona
Casa Grande, Arizona (Pinal County, Arizona) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 549, "Keeping Deadly Secrets" (28 November 2024). Loretta Bowersock was born Loretta McGilton in Kansas on 2 March 1935, one of five sisters.
- Town
- Casa Grande
- County
- Pinal County
- State
- Arizona
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 549
- Approximate location
- 32.907, -111.764
Episode 549 / 28 November 2024 / 177 min / full
Keeping Deadly Secrets
"We are going to Arizona... Casa Grand in particular... this is in Pennal County" about 0:04:08
The case: Murder of Loretta Bowersock (December 2004). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2024
- Population
- 53,488
- Median age
- 37
- Median household income
- $59,175 a year
- Median home value
- $325,600
- Two-bedroom rent
- $1,450
- Cost of living
- 102
- Religious
- 24.8%
- Property crime
- ▲ about one third above the average
- Violent crime
- ▲ slightly above
History, in brief
- Casa Grande was founded in 1879 during a mining boom in Arizona, when the railroad came through. about 0:05:37
- In January 1880 it was called Terminus, meaning end of the line, and had five residents in three buildings. about 0:05:46
- In September 1880 railroad executives renamed it Casa Grande. about 0:06:30
- Fires destroyed everything in 1886 and again in 1893. about 0:06:48
- The mining boom slowed in the 1890s and the town was basically abandoned. about 0:07:22
- It incorporated in 1915. about 0:07:28
- From 1942 to 1945 it was a Japanese American relocation camp. about 0:07:28
- The actor Pat Morita was interned there. about 0:07:45
- The town motto, Stronger United, was adopted in 2002 after the September 11th attacks. about 0:05:05
The reviews read out
4 stars
"Lists truths: no place is perfect, some people are never happy, some people only know how to complain. Says Casa Grande is not a suburb of Phoenix, has good paying jobs but no big-city nightlife, and is a good solid place to live if you like a slower lifestyle."about 0:08:01
1 star
"Titled Keep on driving: says the people are dishonest, incompetent and selfish, businesses are chased out, there is no fine dining or nightlife, and there are too many Mexican restaurants and fast food places for a small town."about 0:10:50
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Maricopa, Arizona17 miles
- Florence, Arizona23 miles
- Apache Junction, Arizona35 miles
- Oro Valley, Arizona57 miles
- Three Points, Arizona65 miles
- Catalina Foothills, Arizona66 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.