Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and is a prominent suburb of the Phoenix, Arizona Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). It is bordered to the north and west by Tempe, to the north by Mesa, to the west by Phoenix, to the south by the Gila River Indian Reservation, and to the east by Gilbert. The population was 240,595 according to the Census Bureau's 2006 estimate.The city contains a large number of modest tract homes. It also has satellite locations for the technology companies Intel and Orbital Sciences Corporation.
Chandler is noted for its annual Ostrich Festival. Initially, agriculture was the primary business in Chandler, based on cotton, corn, and alfalfa. During the 1910s, there were ostrich farms in the area, catering to the demand for plumes used in women's hats of the era. This demand ebbed with the increasing popularity of the automobile, but the legacy of the ostrich farms would be commemorated by the Ostrich Festival. The Chandler Center for the Arts, a 1,500-seat regional performing arts venue, is located downtown, and the Arizona Railway Museum is at Tumbleweed Park.