The city of Surprise is located bout 45 mins from downtown Phoenix. This city with about 115, 000 people was once just one square mile of farmland back in 1938 when ti was founded by Flora Mae Statler. Why was it named Surprise? Well according to Statler’s daughter Elizabeth Wusich Stoft, her mother once commented “she would be surprised if the town ever amounted to much”. With our success, she would indeed be surprised and proud.