The Arizona Canal, passing through Scottsdale, Arizona. Canals in central Maricopa County fed agricultural fields but also, in the late 1800s, led to the founding of several communities, including Scottsdale, that are among the wealthier neighborhoods of suburban Phoenix. Flood irrigation of residential yards is still common in these neighborhoods, using a system of lateral waterways connected via gates to the canal itself. Like other "Valley of the Sun" canals, the waterway's banks are popular with joggers and bicyclists