Travel – Phoenix, AZ

Phoenix (/ˈfiːnɪks/ ^ⓘ FEE-niks^[9][10]) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, Phoenix is the fifth-most populous city in the United States and the most populous state capital. The Phoenix metropolitan area, with an estimated 5.19 million residents, is the tenth-most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. and the most populous in the Mountain states and Southwest.^[11][12] Phoenix is the county seat of Maricopa County in the Salt River Valley and Arizona Sun Corridor and, with an area of 517.9 square miles (1,341 square kilometers), is the largest city by area in Arizona and 11th-largest city by area in the United States.^[13]

Phoenix was settled in 1867 as an agricultural community near the confluence of the Salt and Gila Rivers and was incorporated as a city in 1881. It became the capital of the Arizona Territory in 1889.^[14] Its canal system led to a thriving farming community with the original settlers’ crops, such as alfalfa, cotton, citrus, and hay, remaining important parts of the local economy for decades.^[15][16] Cotton, cattle, citrus, climate, and copper were known locally as the “Five C’s” anchoring Phoenix’s economy. These remained the driving forces of the city until after World War II, when high-tech companies began to move into the valley and air conditioning made Phoenix’s hot summers more bearable.^[17]

Phoenix is the cultural center of Arizona.^[18] It is in the northeastern reaches of the Sonoran Desert and is known for its hot desert climate.^[19][20] The region’s gross domestic product reached over $362 billion by 2022.^[21] The city averaged a four percent annual population growth rate over a 40-year period from the mid-1960s to the mid-2000s,^[22] and was among the nation’s ten most populous cities by 1980. Phoenix is also one of the largest plurality Hispanic cities in the United States, with 42% of its population being Hispanic.^[23]