

Exurbs such as Apache Junction, Fountain Hills, Queen Creek, and Sun City are becoming part of this metropolitan area as well.

Over time it has merged with the neighboring cities of Scottsdale, Tempe, Glendale, Peoria, Chandler, and Gilbert to form the Greater Phoenix Metropolitan Area. As a result, a population of just over 100,000 in 1950 has grown to over 1.5 million in 2014 (with almost 4.5 million in the metro area).Īt an elevation of 1,100 ft (340 m), it is in the biologically unique Sonoran Desert. High-tech industry began to flourish after World War II, and since that time the growth of Phoenix has been explosive. Its hot, dry climate had enticed many Easterners and Midwesterners to relocate to Phoenix. The area is being revived, and trendy hotels, bars, shops and restaurants are making it a place to be again. Many tens of thousands of acres were planted in citrus and cotton and other crops, and for many years, intensive, year-round irrigated agriculture formed the basis of the economy. In 1911 the completion of the first of several large reservoirs in the mountains north and east of Phoenix insured its success as a center for irrigation-based agriculture. The city's name reflects its history as a city "reborn from the ashes" of the previous settlement.Įuropean-American settlement of the area commenced in the 1860s, and the city was founded in 1871. White settlers discovered the remnants of the Hohokam culture in the 19th century. The area that now encompasses Phoenix was a center of the Hohokam culture, which built large canal systems and a network of towns and villages, whose remains may be viewed in the city to this day.

The Salt and Verde Rivers of central Arizona were exploited for large-scale agriculture by Native Americans as early as the 11th century. Why would anybody want to start a city in the middle of a desert? The answer is, surprisingly, agriculture. Phoenix is extremely hot and dry in the summertime, so always have sunscreen with you! Understand Warm and sunny winter weather have ensured a thriving tourism industry, and the city has become the region's primary political, cultural, economic, and transportation center. Phoenix is the capital of the state of Arizona, the most populous city in the American Southwest, and the sixth largest city in the United States. For other places with the same name, see Phoenix (disambiguation).
