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Phoenix, Arizona

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Phoenix is the capital and most populous city of Arizona.

Phoenix by Sentinel-2, 2020-09-09
Phoenix by Sentinel-2, 2020-09-09

It sits in the northeastern part of the Sonoran Desert. The city is located in the Salt River Valley. It is also part of the Arizona Sun Corridor. Phoenix is a very large city by land area. It is the largest city by area in Arizona. It is also the 11th-largest city by area in the United States.

Phoenix Urban Villages
Phoenix Urban Villages

The city serves as the county seat for Maricopa County.

The history of this land began long before the modern city. The Hohokam people lived in this region for 2,000 years.

OasisAmerica-es
OasisAmerica-es

They were masters of irrigation. They built hundreds of canals to bring water to the desert soil. These canals made the dry land arable for farming. Later, the Akimel O'odham and Maricopa tribes used the area. The Akimel O'odham lived in villages near the Gila River Valley. They grew corn, beans, and squash. They also grew cotton and tobacco. The Tohono O'odham lived further south toward the Mexican border. They were seasonal farmers who used the rains to grow melons and lentils.

Modern Phoenix began with the work of Jack Swilling in 1867. He was a veteran of the Civil War. Swilling saw the potential for farming in the Salt River Valley. He noticed mounds of dirt that were old Hohokam canals. He formed the Swilling Irrigation and Canal Company. This company dug a large canal to bring river water to crops. A settler named Darrell Duppa suggested the name "Phoenix." He thought the name described a city rising from ancient ruins. The town was officially incorporated as a city in 1881.

Phoenix-Duppa-Montgomery Adobe-1895-2
Phoenix-Duppa-Montgomery Adobe-1895-2

It became the capital of the Arizona Territory in 1889.

Economic growth in the early years relied on the "Five C's." These were cotton, cattle, citrus, climate, and copper.

Phoenix1885-AerialMap HiRes
Phoenix1885-AerialMap HiRes

Farming was the main driver of the local economy. Settlers grew alfalfa, cotton, and citrus for many decades. The arrival of the railroad in the 1880s helped trade. It connected Phoenix to markets in the east and west. In 1895, the Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railway arrived. This connected the city to Flagstaff and other northern communities. The city also began to build important structures like the permanent Capitol building in 1901.

Water management changed the landscape through large engineering projects. In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the National Reclamation Act. This allowed for the construction of dams to reclaim land. The first project was Salt River Dam #1 in 1903.

Phoenix1908
Phoenix1908

This was the first multi-purpose dam in the world. It provided both water and electricity to the region. In 1912, Arizona became the 48th state in the Union. Phoenix became the state capital at that time. The city also saw its first skyscraper, the Heard Building, in 1920.

Phoenix downtown03.ca1940s
Phoenix downtown03.ca1940s

By 1929, the city opened Sky Harbor airport.

Phoenix experienced a major economic shift after World War II. Before the war, it was a farming and distribution center. During the war, it became an industrial city. It produced many military supplies for the war effort. After the war, high-tech companies began moving into the valley. Air conditioning also changed how people lived. It made the hot desert summers much more bearable. This led to explosive population growth. Between the mid-1960s and mid-2000s, the population grew by four percent every year.

The View of Phoenix's Urban Sprawl from 4000 Ft. South Mountain in Background , 6 1972
The View of Phoenix's Urban Sprawl from 4000 Ft. South Mountain in Background , 6 1972

By 2020, the city had over 1.6 million residents.

Today, Phoenix is a massive metropolitan area. It has about 5.19 million residents in total.

Downtown Phoenix Aerial Looking Northeast
Downtown Phoenix Aerial Looking Northeast

This makes it the tenth-most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. It is also the most populous in the Southwest. The city is a major cultural center with a diverse population. About 42% of the residents are Hispanic.

Ethnic Origins in Phoenix
Ethnic Origins in Phoenix

The local economy is very strong. The gross domestic product reached over $362 billion by 2022. The city remains a vital part of the American West.

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🖼️ Images & Media (35)
File:OasisAmerica-es.svg
OasisAmerica-es.svg
File:Phoenix-Duppa-Montgomery Adobe-1895-2.JPG
Phoenix-Duppa-Montgomery Adobe-1895-2.JPG
File:Phoenix1885-AerialMap HiRes.jpg
Phoenix1885-AerialMap HiRes.jpg
File:Phoenix1908.jpg
Phoenix1908.jpg
File:Phoenix downtown03.ca1940s.jpg
Phoenix downtown03.ca1940s.jpg
File:The View of Phoenix's Urban Sprawl from 4000 Ft. South Mountain in Background , 6 1972.jpg
The View of Phoenix's Urban Sprawl from...
File:Phoenix by Sentinel-2, 2020-09-09.jpg
Phoenix by Sentinel-2, 2020-09-09.jpg
File:231209-2 Ahwatukee and South Mountain.jpg
231209-2 Ahwatukee and South Mountain.jpg
File:Phoenix Urban Villages.svg
Phoenix Urban Villages.svg
File:Hummingbird Springs Wilderness (9412743529).jpg
Hummingbird Springs Wilderness (9412743529).jpg
File:PhoenixDustStorm2.2011.jpg
PhoenixDustStorm2.2011.jpg
File:Median Household Income Maricopa County.png
Median Household Income Maricopa County.png

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