Phoenix
was incorporated as a city on February 5
, 1881
. It is the capital
, largest city
and largest metropolitan area
in the state of Arizona
in the southwestern United States
, 150 miles (241 km) northwest of Tucson
. It is also the county seat
of Maricopa County
and the principal city of the Phoenix metropolitan area
. Phoenix is appropriately called Hoozdo
(which translates to, "the place is hot,"
in the Navajo
language) and Fiinigis
in the Western Apache
language.
Phoenix is currently the fifth
largest city in the U.S
., according to the City of Phoenix in 2005. The Phoenix Metropolitan Statistical Area
(MSA) is currently the fourteenth largest MSA of the United States, with a population of 3,251,876 (according to the 2000
U.S. Census
); with a 2004
estimate of 3,790,000. It ranks as the eighth fastest growing metropolitan area in the U.S, growing 34 percent between 1990
and 2000
. Phoenix is the largest capital city by population in the U.S., and the third largest capital city by area in the U.S. (behind Juneau, AK
and Oklahoma City, OK
).
Phoenix Neighborhoods
Downtown Phoenix
The downtown area
has been undergoing a major facelift since the building of the America West Arena and Chase Field
(formerly Bank One Ballpark). Coffeehouses, restaurants, nightclubs and shopping in the Arizona Center
continue to draw people downtown for the hopping nightlife. Many new restaurants have blossomed, including A League Of Our Own. Incorporating the themes of Phoenix's early history with culture and local events, Copper Square is a full square-mile hotspot for activities and action. Downtown attractions include a walk in the park at Patriots Square or delve into the new Arizona Science Center, Phoenix Museum of History
or the Phoenix Art Museum
.
West Phoenix
The inner neighborhoods
include moderately priced homes largely developed in the 70s. Shopping in the west area is provided by Desert Sky Mall
, and Cricket Pavilion
offers an open-air entertainment amphitheatre for concerts and attractions.
The growing west side continues to spread outward. Visit charming Historic Downtown Glendale
and Catlin Court
for first-rate antique opportunities. The newer Arrowhead Towne Center Mall
affords shopping and diverse dining choices.
South Phoenix
Largely comprised of low-cost housing and industry, the walled and gated community of Ahwatukee
is a notable exception. Ahwatukee residents
are mostly older adults and urban professionals, and upscale apartments
coexist with middle class housing. Be sure to take the South Mountain Park Scenic Drive
while you are visiting this area. Fabulous sunsets are the pride of Arizona and best enjoyed from a desert wilderness vantage point. Nearby shopping can be accomplished at the new Arizona Mills Mall just across the freeway.
Origin of the city
In 1867
, Jack Swilling
of Wickenburg
stopped to rest his horse at the foot of the north slopes of the White Tank Mountains. He looked down across the expansive Salt River
Valley and his eyes caught the rich gleam of the brown, dry soil turned up by the horse's hooves. He saw farmland, predominantly free of rocks, and beyond the reach of heavy frost or snow. All it needed was water. By 1868
, he and others from Wickenburg had dug a short canal from the Salt River and founded a small farming colony approximately four miles (6 km) east of the present city (about 22 miles west of Mesa
, which was already a city of 1,000 people; and a few miles northwest of a similar farming community at Hayden's Ferry, which would become Tempe
).
The area was named Swilling's Mill
in his honor. It would later become Hellinwg Mill, Mill City, then East Phoenix. As for the town that was to be built, Swilling, a former Confederate
soldier, wanted to name it Stonewall, after Stonewall Jackson
; others suggested Salina.
Darrell Duppa
recommended the name Phoenix
, memorializing the birth of a new civilization from the ruins left by the Hohokam.
The town of Phoenix was officially recognized on May 4
, 1868
, when the Board of Supervisors of Yavapai County
(which at the time encompassed Phoenix), formed an election precinct there. The Phoenix post office was established June 15
, 1868
, with Jack Swilling as postmaster
.
The area was surveyed in 1870
and mass meeting of the citizens of Salt River Valley was held on October 20
, 1870
, to select a suitable piece of unimproved public land for a town site. They recommended the North 1/2 of section 8 Township 1 N., Range 3 E. and that the town be called Phoenix.
On February 12
, 1871
, the territorial legislature created Maricopa County
, the sixth in the state, by dividing Yavapai County. Maricopa county gave up portions in 1875
and 1881
to help form Pinal
and Gila
counties, respectively. The first county election in Maricopa County was held in 1871
, when Tom Barnum was elected the first sheriff of Maricopa County.
The first public school in Phoenix opened on September 5
, 1872
, in the courtroom of the county building. By October
1873
, a small adobe school building was completed on Center Street (now Central Avenue), a short distance north of where the San Carlos Hotel now stands. Miss Nellie Shaver, a newcomer from Wisconsin, was appointed as the first female schoolteacher in Phoenix.
On April 10
, 1874
, President Grant issued a land patent
for the present site of Phoenix. The total cost of the Phoenix Townsite of 320 acres (1.3 km2
) was $550, including all expenses for services.
By 1881
, Phoenix had outgrown its original townsite-commissioner form of government. The 11th Territorial Legislature passed the Phoenix Charter Bill, incorporating Phoenix and providing for a mayor-council government. The bill was signed by Governor John C. Fremont
on February 25
, 1881
. Phoenix was incorporated with a population of approximately 2,500, and on May 3
, 1881
, Phoenix held its first city election, in which Judge John T. Alsap defeated James D. Monihon, 127 to 107, to become the city's first Mayor.
Prosperity and modernity
Phoenix Downtown (southern skyline) in 2004, looking west
The coming of the railroad in the 1880s
was the first of several important events that revolutionized the economy of Phoenix. Merchandise now flowed into the city by rail instead of wagon. Phoenix became a trade center with its products reaching eastern and western markets. In recognition of the increased tempo of economic life, the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce was organized on November 4
, 1888
.
In early 1888
, the city offices were moved into the new City Hall, built where the downtown bus terminal now stands. This building also provided temporary offices for the territorial government when it moved to Phoenix from Prescott
in 1889
.
In 1902
, President Theodore Roosevelt
signed the National Reclamation Act
making it possible to build dams on western streams for reclamation purposes. Valley of the Sun residents were quick to supplement this federal action by organizing the Salt River Valley Waters Users' Association on February 4
, 1903
, to assure proper management of the precious water supply. It functions to this day as the major agency for controlled use of irrigation water in the Valley.
On May 18
, 1911
, the Theodore Roosevelt Dam
, then the largest masonry dam in the world, began operation. It created Roosevelt Lake
, expanded irrigation of land in the Valley for farming, and increased the water supply for the growing population.
On February 14
, 1912
, President William Howard Taft
approved Arizona's statehood, making Phoenix the state capital.
In 1913
, Phoenix changed its form of government from mayor-council
to council-manager
. Phoenix was one of the first cities in the United States to have this form of city government.
In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge
sold 13,000 acres (53 km ) of South Mountain
to the city of Phoenix for $17,000. At its present size of 16,500 acres (67 km2
), South Mountain Park
is the largest metropolitan park in the world, and it entertains 3 million visitors each year.
1940
marked another turning point, as the war
changed Phoenix from a farming center to a distribution center. Phoenix rapidly turned into an embryonic industrial city with mass production of military supplies. Luke Field
, Williams Field and Falcon Field, coupled with the giant ground-training center at Hyder
, west of Phoenix, brought thousands of men into Phoenix.
In 1950
, 105,000 people lived within the city limits and thousands more lived in adjacent communities and depended upon Phoenix for their livelihoods. The city had 148 miles (238 km) of paved streets and 163 miles (262 km) of unpaved streets, a total of 311 miles (501 km) of streets within the city limits.
Phoenix has been selected four times since 1950 as an All-America City
, rare among larger cities. The hallmark of an All-America City is the extent to which its private citizens get involved in the workings of their government. Thousands of citizens have served on various city committees, boards and commissions to assure that major decisions are in the best interest of the people.
In 1993
, Phoenix was selected as the "Best Run City in the World", also known as the Carl Bertelsmann Prize
, by the Bertelsmann Foundation
of Germany
, a branch of Bertelsmann
media company. It shared the honor with Christchurch
, New Zealand
.
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Relocating to Phoenix
has become top of list to many businesses and individuals as Greater Phoenix is now one of the nation's best places to live and do business.
