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Phoenix was incorporated on February 25, 1881 with a population of approximately 2,500 people. The coming of the railroad in the 1880's was the first of many several important events that revolutionized the economy of Phoenix. On February 14, 1912, under President William Howard Taft, Phoenix became the capital of the newly formed state of Arizona. In 1893 Phoenix inaugurated an electric streetcar system built off of earlier stagecoach lines, but when a major fire in October 1947 destroyed most of the streetcar fleet the city had a difficult choice between implementing a new street railway system or using buses. The latter was chosen and the metropolitan area's development has been oriented toward cars ever since. By 1950 there were over 100,000 people living within the city and thousands more living in the surrounding communities. In the year 2000 the census reported that there were 1,321,045 people, 465,834 households, and 307,450 families residing in the city. In 2005 Phoenix had an estimated population of 1,475,834 making it the sixth largest city in the United States. Phoenix is located in Maricopa County.
Phoenix has an arid climate and has an average annual maximum temperature that is the highest of any major US city. The temperature reaches or exceeds 100 °F (38 °C) on an average of 89 days during the year, including most days from early June through early September. The dry desert air makes the hot summer temperatures more tolerable early in the season and for the most part the winter months are considered mild. Phoenix is surrounded by the McDowell Mountains to the northeast, the White Tank Mountains to the west, the Superstition Mountains far to the east, and the Sierra Estrella Mountains to the southwest. Within the city are the Phoenix Mountains and South Mountains.
The main institution of higher education in the area is Arizona State University, with its main campus located in Tempe, and satellite campuses located within Phoenix and Mesa. ASU is currently one of the largest public universities in the U.S. with 57,543 students enrolled as of 2004. Other learning institutions include The University of Phoenix, The University of Advancing Technology, Collins College as well as ten community colleges.
Phoenix is the home to several professional sports franchises that of which include representatives of all four major professional sports leagues in the U.S. The Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association, NBA. The Phoenix Mercury of the Women's National Basketball Association, WNBA. The Phoenix Flame of the International Basketball League, IBL. The Arizona Cardinals of the NFL who play at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, which is scheduled to host Super Bowl XLII in 2008. The Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League. The Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League, NHL, and The Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball, MLB. A major highlight in the Arizona Diamondbacks young history is when they defeated the New York Yankees in the 2001 World Series to become not only the city's first professional sports franchise to win a national championship, but also the youngest expansion franchise in U.S. professional sports to ever do so. The Phoenix International Raceway, PIR, is a major venue for two NASCAR auto racing events per season.
There are many places to explore and discover in Phoenix. When in the area you should visit the Hole-in-the-Rock, which is a natural geological formation located in Papago Park. Other places of interest include Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park, Camelback Mountain, Castles N' Coasters amusement park, Desert Botanical Garden, Encanto Park, Phoenix Mountains Park and Recreation Area, South Mountain Park, the largest municipal park in the world with 16,500 acres and Sunnyslope Mountain also known as "S" mountain.
Phoenix is served by Sky Harbor International Airport which is centrally located in the metro area. Sky Harbor is the seventh-busiest airport in the U.S. and 14th in the world for passenger traffic, takeoffs and landings. Public transportation throughout the metropolitan area is provided by Valley Metro, which operates a system of buses and a rideshare program. Valley Metro is currently building Valley Metro Rail, a light rail project, which is scheduled for completion in 2008.
Phoenix Arizona has had very strange UFO sightings in it's history, most notably The Phoenix Lights. This phenomena took place in the sky over the U.S. states of Arizona, Nevada and the Mexican state of Sonora on March 13, 1997. Lights of varying descriptions were seen by thousands of people in a space of about 300 miles from the Nevada line through Phoenix and to the edge of Tucson. There were two distinct events involved in the incident: a triangular formation of lights seen to pass over the state, and a series of stationary lights seen in the Phoenix area. The United States Air Force (USAF) identified the second group of lights as flares dropped by A-10 Warthog aircraft which were on training exercises at the Barry Goldwater Range at Luke Air Force Base. Unidentified flying objects (UFO) proponents claimed both groups of lights were part of aircraft unknown to man.
City of Phoenix
200 West Washington Street
Phoenix, Arizona 85003
Telephone: 602-262-6659
City of Phoenix Website
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