Phoenix

Phoenix, Arizona 

Phoenix is the capital of Arizona and the city that serves as Maricopa County's seat (1871). It is situated alongside the Salt River in the state's south-central region, 120 miles (190 km) north of the border with Mexico and in the middle of the distance between El Paso, Texas, and Los Angeles, California. Phoenix and other adjacent communities including Mesa, Scottsdale, and Tempe are included in the Salt River valley, commonly known as the Valley of the Sun. Phoenix serves as a major hub for finance, communications, and transportation, contributing significantly to the economy of the Mountain West area of the United States. area of 450 miles (1,165 square km). Phoenix-Mesa-Glendale Metro Area: 4,192,887; Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metro Area: 4,845,832; Pop. (2010): 1,445,632; (2020): 1,608,139. 

Character of the City 

Phoenix resembles Los Angeles a lot with its wide, tree-lined avenues, Spanish-style buildings, and surrounding mountains. Phoenix is a metropolis with numerous centers spread out over a large area, much like its Californian sister. The greater metropolitan area, of which Phoenix is only a small portion, has expanded from its historic core to the west of Sky Harbor International Airport to encompass a vast area of land that nearly stretches from the Gila River far to the south to the tall plateaus and volcanic mountains of the north and east and out into the broad desert valley to the west. Phoenix experiences ongoing growth as tens of thousands of new inhabitants and millions of tourists move there every year. 

Landscape 

City Site 

Phoenix is located at the far northern end of the Sonoran Desert, an arid ecological region whose distinctive plant is the saguaro cactus, which is protected by law. Phoenix is close to the confluence of the Salt and Gila rivers. The rocky Superstition Mountains, a sizable cluster of volcanic calderas that erupted about 305 million years ago and rise to a height of roughly 3,000 feet (900 meters), are located to the east of Phoenix. The Verde River enters the Salt River east of Phoenix as it runs west of the Mazatzal Mountains, which rise to the northeast.

The wide valley where the city is located stretches west to the Colorado River and south to the mountain ranges north of Tucson, yet Phoenix's geographic boundaries stop well short of these insurmountable obstacles. The Valley of the Sun, often known as the Phoenix metropolitan region, is located at an altitude of 1,100 feet (335 meters) above sea level. The valley's northern and eastern ends ascend into the surrounding ranges; the rest is plain land with scattered granite and schist tiny volcanic summits. With altitudes between 2,600 and 2,700 feet, the most notable of these metropolitan peaks are Camelback Mountain, Squaw Peak, and South Mountain (790 to 820 metres).

The water in the river and nearby wells is saline and contains various minerals, while the soil in the desert is alkaline. The Phoenix area has a lot of irrigated land that is covered in dried mineral deposits, which build up and lower the soil's productivity. Given that the city is located in one of the driest sections of the continent, water is surprisingly abundant there. The valley is surrounded by an underground sedimentary bowl that has the capacity to store enormous amounts of groundwater. However, these reserves have been significantly depleted, and Phoenix has started to rely more and more on water from the Colorado River via the Central Arizona Project (CAP), an artificial waterway that runs from Lake Havasu on the California border to Tucson and is 336 miles (541 km) long. Additionally, water is piped into the valley from nearby places and subsurface storage. The majority of the water in the area used to be utilized for agriculture, but today a growing fraction is allocated for city use. 

Climate 

Phoenix boasts a dry, pleasant environment that draws tens of thousands of tourists during the winter. While summer highs frequently exceed 100 °F (38 °C), the average daily high temperature in the winter is closer to 70 °F (21 °C). Almost all of the time during the year, it is sunny. Less than 8 inches (200 mm) of precipitation falls on average each year, with the winter and summer seasons receiving about equal amounts. A large portion of this precipitation almost instantly returns to the atmosphere throughout the summer, or the "monsoon season," through evaporation or transpiration. 

None of the mountains that surround Phoenix to the north and east rise to a level where they would be able to hold much moisture. The Salt and Gila rivers' groundwater as well as additional water supplied through aqueducts connected to the CAP are the city's primary sources of freshwater.

The People 

Phoenix has a predominately white population (i.e., people who are typically of European origin); the region was largely established by Midwesterners in successive waves of migration. People who identify as Hispanic make up more over two-fifths of the population. Mexicans make up a sizable share of the city's Hispanic population, and they also make up a sizable portion of the unskilled labor force. In the city, Asians, African Americans, and Pacific Islanders are also minorities. 

The Phoenix region's first long-term Native American settlers were the Hohokam. The Maricopa, Yavapai, Yaqui, and Akimel O'odham (Pima) groups followed them. In the 19th century, the American government relocated a large number of these people to surrounding reservations. Phoenix has one of the highest metropolitan concentrations of Native Americans in the nation even though just a small portion of the city's residents are Native Americans. To the south and northeast of the urban area are a number of reservations.

Native Americans, African Americans, and Hispanics predominately reside in the southern part of the city, below the downtown area. Except when it is fought out between opposing gangs of largely young inner-city inhabitants, open ethnic conflict is uncommon. The vast majority of people in the area are under 45 years old, despite the presence of many retirement complexes. Many locals have only recently moved to Phoenix, and the majority of the population is also relatively new to the area. 

Economy 

Ranching and farming were formerly the mainstays of Phoenix's economy, but in the middle of the 20th century it began to transform to one centered on services, technology, and, most significantly, tourism. In 1980, Maricopa County ranked among the top urban agricultural producers in the nation. However, farmland has slowly lost ground to urban growth since then, and today just a small part of the labor force is involved in food production. The Phoenix area is home to around three-fourths of the state's manufacturing jobs. Light industry dominates, particularly in the production of electronics, vehicles, aerospace technology, food, and cosmetics. Cotton, durum wheat, fruits, and vegetables are the main crops.

Phoenix has attracted moving firms, many of which are involved in the production of semiconductors and other electronic components, due to its low labor union membership rate in the private sector and tax advantages. As a result, the area has become a hub for the manufacture of high technology. Phoenix is become the telecommunications industry's hub thanks to a sophisticated electronics infrastructure. Working in banking, finance, and other service industries accounts for more than half of the labor force. However, the majority of the city's economy still depends on tourism, particularly during the winter.

Phoenix is well connected by air, rail, and roadways. The most widely used form of transportation, automobiles, has caused serious air pollution. By 1920, all of the city's streets had been paved, significantly ahead of many other American cities. Phoenix is served by a network of freeways, the majority of which were constructed in the 20th century's final two decades to reduce traffic. A light-rail system's construction started in 2006. The city is connected to the main line between Los Angeles and El Paso by a branch line of the Union Pacific Railroad. In the late 1920s, regular airline service to Phoenix was established. The most significant airport serving the metro region is Sky Harbor International, located southeast of the city center. 

Cultural Life 

The Phoenix Symphony Orchestra and the Phoenix Art Museum were two organizations that launched a renowned program of touring exhibits and guest artists in the late 1940s. Today, the region is home to a number of fine art institutions, the most notable of which is the Phoenix Art Museum, which houses more than 13,000 works of art, including a sizeable collection of Southwestern art. More than 75,000 pieces of Southwestern Native American art are on display at the Heard Museum. In 1997, the Arizona Science Center, a complex including exhibit spaces, a planetarium, and a theater with a large screen, opened. The Hohokam people built the most notable settlement in the region, and its ruins are studied and preserved by the Pueblo Grande archaeological museum.

The 20,000 desert plants-strong Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden and the 1962-founded Phoenix Zoo, which spans 125 acres (51 hectares), are both located in Papago Park. The country's largest privately owned nonprofit zoo, founded by appliance tycoon Robert E. Maytag, does receive some financing and assistance from the city. It engages in breeding programs for endangered and threatened species, scientific study on the ecology of the Sonoran Desert, and other endeavors. It also has a well-regarded program for public outreach and education.

The city's convention center, one of the largest municipally operated facilities of its sort in the nation, is located in the area's downtown arts and museum district, which has seen multiple expensive upgrades since the late 1980s. It was initially built in the early 1970s, then renovated, and it is situated next to a collection of museums, theaters, and sports facilities, including a baseball stadium and a basketball arena.

Phoenix's cultural life is heavily influenced by sports. Baseball is especially well-liked. The Arizona Diamondbacks are the area's professional baseball franchise, and many other Major League Baseball teams operate their spring training camps (often referred to as the Cactus League) in the suburbs and Tucson. The Cardinals (gridiron football), Suns (men's basketball), Mercury (women's basketball), and Coyotes are some of the other professional sports teams in the region (ice hockey). Additionally, there are tracks for dog, horse, and automobile racing. Along the banks of the CAP aqueducts, running, walking, and biking are common recreational pursuits in addition to the widespread participation in tennis and golf. 

The Arizona Republic is the most important daily newspaper in the metro area. Weekly publication The Phoenix New Times covers politics, the arts, and culture. Weekly publication The Business Journal Phoenix offers news about business and finance. Taliesin West, the Arizona home and studio of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, is located close to Scottsdale. It also serves as the winter campus for the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. The Cosanti Foundation, established in Scottsdale by Italian architect and builder Paolo Soleri, is also located there. Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium in Tempe is a Wright-designed theater with a 2,900-pipe organ. About 60 miles (95 km) east and 50 miles (80 km) south of Phoenix, respectively, are Tonto and Casa Grande National Monuments. 

Sports 

The Arizona Cardinals of the NFL, the Phoenix Suns of the NBA, the Arizona Diamondbacks of the MLB, and the Arizona Coyotes of the NHL are just a few of the city's professional sports franchises. Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA and Arizona Rattlers of the Indoor Football League both play their home games at downtown's Footprint Center. Local soccer supporters can support Phoenix Rising FC of the USL, their home team in the league. The Waste Management Phoenix Open, the highest-attended event on the PGA Tour, the Fiesta Bowl and Cactus Bowl for college football, NASCAR races in the spring and fall, and the Cactus League Spring Training, where fans can watch 15 MLB teams train and compete, are all held in Greater Phoenix each year. 

Population 

Arizona's Maricopa County is home to the city of Phoenix. It serves as Maricopa County's county seat as well. It is the largest city in Arizona and the fifth-largest city in the United States as of 2020, with a population of 1,640,641. Phoenix's population has declined by -1.07% since the most recent census, which showed a population of 1,658,422 in 2020, despite Phoenix's current annual growth rate of 1.00%. Phoenix has a population density of 3,169 persons per square mile, spanning over 519 miles. 

With a 16.17% poverty rate, Phoenix has an average family income of $80,631. The median monthly cost of rent in recent years has been, and the median value of a home is. Phoenix has a 33.8 year median age, with 33.1 year males and 34.5 year females. The capital and largest city of Arizona is called Phoenix. Additionally, it is the most populated state capital and the geographic heart of the Valley of the Sun, which in 2016 had a population of over 4.5 million. Phoenix saw a 1.7% population growth in 2012. Although Philadelphia once more outnumbered Phoenix in 2016, it is thought that Phoenix passed Philadelphia in population sometime around 2013. 

Top News Websites 

#1 Arizona Mirror 

The Arizona Mirror is a nonprofit, independent news agency that strives to provide coverage of the most important topics facing the state from a new and interesting angle. 

#2 Arizona Capitol Times 

Your inside source for information on Arizona politics, business, and government is The Arizona Capitol Times. Get the latest information on politics and news in Arizona, including coverage of the governor, legislature, courts, agencies, and campaigns in both print and online media. Our reporting shapes policy, clarifies key topics, and links the numerous constituencies that make up state government. 

Current City Mayor 

Phoenix's mayor, Kate Gallego, has a vision for the city: a thriving, developing community where everyone is treated with respect and decency. The city's largest-ever business development transaction, a $12 billion semiconductor manufacturing plant that will provide major economic development for decades to come, was recently secured with Mayor Gallego's assistance. She is a strong supporter of prudent corporate growth and investment. She is positioning the city as a leader in bioscience, technology, research, and sophisticated manufacturing on a worldwide scale. 

The Mayor is also guiding Phoenix toward its objective of becoming the most environmentally friendly desert city in the country. She has supported investments in cooling technologies, including the creation of the first publicly funded Office of Heat Response and Mitigation in the country, the successful launch of the city's cool pavement pilot program, and the drive to create the essential EV infrastructure for a sustainable future.

One of the youngest big city mayors in the country, Mayor Gallego is only the second elected female mayor in Phoenix's history. She was re-elected in November 2020 with the most votes ever cast in Phoenix for a mayoral candidate. 

She received her MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business after graduating from Harvard University. She was elected to the Phoenix City Council in 2013 and now represents downtown and south Phoenix. Prior employment included strategic planning, economic development, and service in state government as a member of the Governor's team for one of Arizona's largest utility corporations. Kate Gallego, the mayor, likes to read and go on hikes in the desert. Michael, who is five years old, is her son.