Welcome to PHOENIX

Phoenix is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the fifth most populous city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,567,924 residents, and is the anchor of the Phoenix metropolitan area (also known as The Valley of the Sun), the 12th largest metro area by population in the United States with 4,281,899 residents. In addition, Phoenix is the county seat of Maricopa County, and is one of the largest cities in the United States by land area.

Phoenix was incorporated as a city in 1881 after being founded in 1868 near the Salt River, near its confluence with the Gila River. The city eventually became a major transportation hub in North America and a main transportation, financial, industrial, cultural and economic center of the Southwestern United States. The city has a notable and famous political culture. Phoenix has been home to numerous influential American politicians and other dignitaries, including Barry Goldwater, William Rehnquist, John McCain, Janet Napolitano, Carl Hayden, and Sandra Day O'Connor. Residents of the city are known as Phoenicians.

Located in the northeastern reaches of the Sonoran Desert, Phoenix has the hottest climate of any major city in the United States. The average high temperatures are over 100 °F (38 °C) for three months out of the year, and have spiked over 120 °F (49 °C) on occasion.

Overview

Phoenix, capital of Arizona, is one of America's fastest growing cities and Phoenix features more than 300 sunny days each year. Now the six-largest city in the USA, Phoenix is located on the north side of the Sonoran desert and the spreading metropolis that is Phoenix is connected by numerous strips and highways. Phoenix is a major tourist destination in the winter months and downtown Phoenix is known for being a particularly vibrant entertainment district, containing one of the only baseball stadiums in America with a retractable roof. Nearby Phoenix, the towns of Mesa, Scottsdale and Tempe are now top resort destinations in their own right.

The main tourist information center in Phoenix is the Greater Phoenix Convention and Visitors Bureau on East Van Buren Street, which provides a host of information about tourism in the area, including information about tourist in the districts of Biltmore, Cave Creek, Downtown Phoenix and Glendale. Tourist information centers in Phoenix are full of leaflets about tourist attractions, maps, travel guides, and general indepth tourism information.

Hotels in Phoenix are concentrated around the city center and throughout the city's neighborhoods, including hotels along North Black Canyon, East Chandler Boulevard, North Central Avenue, South Pointe Parkway, South Street and West Wild Horse Pass Boulevard. Further hotels and accommodation venues can be found nearby Phoenix International Airport (PHX), situated to the southeast of Phoenix city center. More information on Phoenix Hotels.

Phoenix has many splendid tourist attractions, including Chase Field - a major baseball stadium, home to the Arizona Diamondbacks; Castles and Coasters - a popular Phoenix amusement park with a roller coaster and many other fast other rides; Phoenix Zoo - an expansive zoo with large, natural enclosures; the American West Arena - home to the Phoenix Suns NBA, Arizona Rattlers and Phoenix Mercury WNBA football teams; the Mystery Castle - an extravagant folk art mansion constructed in the 1940s from local recycled materials; and Phoenix's Desert Botanical Gardens - containing the world's most comprehensive collection of desert plants.

Other major tourist attractions in Phoenix include the Arizona Capitol building - once the State Capitol and still a major Phoenix landmark, built in 1898; Burton Barr Library - a distinctive modern building with areas clad in ribbed copper; the Historic Heritage Square - one of the last historic sites remaining in the Phoenix area; Wrigley Mansion - an Italian-style mansion, once the home of William Wrigley Junior, founder of the chewing gum empire; St. Mary's Basilica - a particularly attractive Roman Catholic church visited by Pope John Paul II; Patriots Square Park - situated in the very heart of downtown Phoenix, with a large performing arts stage; and the Phoenix Mountains Park and Recreation Center - situated on the slopes of Piestewa Peak. More information on Phoenix Tourist Attractions and Phoenix Landmarks.

Phoenix also has many superb museums and art galleries close to Phoenix city center, providing interesting information on the history of Phoenix and other exhibitions. Some of the main museums and art galleries in Phoenix include Arizona Science Center - a particularly hands-on science museum with over 300 fascinating exhibits and general science information; the Mesa Southwest Museum - one of the Phoenix's premier museums, with a range of exhibits including animated dinosaurs and skeletons; the Phoenix Museum of History - full of detailed information about the history of Phoenix city; the Arizona State University Art Museum (ASU) - an innovative art gallery known for its eye-catching architecture; the Phoenix Art Museum - featuring works of art from all over the world; and the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art - boasting many rotating exhibitions of abstract works. More information on Phoenix Museums and Phoenix Art Galleries.

Tourist attractions located near to Phoenix include the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument - one of the largest prehistoric structures in North America, including many remaining earth-walled structures; the Apache Trail - a popular day trip from Phoenix, with stunning desert scenery and panoramic views of Fish Creek Canyon; Florence - just a short drive from Phoenix, featuring more than 150 sites named on the National Register of Historic Places; Goldfield Ghost Town - lying between the Goldfield Mountains and the Superstition Mountains nearby Phoenix, with many historic buildings and regular mine tours; and the Historic Sahuaro Ranch - offering a rare glimpse into Phoenix's agricultural past. More information on Phoenix Attractions Nearby.

Parks and Recreation

Phoenix is home to a large number of parks and recreation areas. Many waterparks are scattered around the valley to help residents cope with the harsh desert heat during the summer months. Some of the notable parks include Big Surf in Tempe, Wet 'n' Wild Phoenix in Glendale, Golfland SunSplash in Mesa, and the Oasis Water Park at the Arizona Grand Resort - formerly known as Pointe South Mountain Resort - in Phoenix. The area also has one amusement park in north Phoenix called Castles N' Coasters, next to the Metrocenter Mall. There is another amusement park called Enchanted Island located at Encanto Park.

Many parks have been established to preserve the desert landscape in areas that would otherwise quickly be developed with commercial and residential zoning. The most noteworthy park is South Mountain Park, the world's largest municipal park with 16,500 acres (67 km2); others include Camelback Mountain, Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park and Sunnyslope Mountain, also known as "S" Mountain. The Desert Botanical Garden displays desert plant life from deserts all over the world. Encanto Park is the city's largest and primary urban park, and lies just northwest of downtown Phoenix. Papago Park in east Phoenix is home to both the Desert Botanical Garden and the Phoenix Zoo, as well as a few golf courses.