Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix
Official seal of Phoenix
Nicknames: 
  • Valley of the Sun
  • The Valley
Map
Interactive map of Phoenix
Phoenix is located in Arizona
Phoenix
Phoenix
Location in Arizona
Phoenix is located in the United States
Phoenix
Phoenix
Location in the United States
Phoenix is located in North America
Phoenix
Phoenix
Phoenix (North America)
Coordinates: 33°26′54″N 112°04′26″W / 33.44833°N 112.07389°W / 33.44833; -112.07389
CountryUnited States
StateArizona
CountyMaricopa
Settled1867 (1867)
IncorporatedFebruary 25, 1881
Founded byJack Swilling
Named forPhoenix, mythical creature
Government
 • TypeCouncil–manager
 • BodyPhoenix City Council
 • MayorKate Gallego (D)
Area
 • State Capital519.28 sq mi (1,344.94 km2)
 • Land518.27 sq mi (1,342.30 km2)
 • Water1.02 sq mi (2.63 km2)
Elevation1,086 ft (331 m)
Population
 • State Capital1,608,139
 • Estimate 
(2021)[3]
1,624,569
 • Rank11th in North America
5th in the United States
1st in Arizona
 • Density3,102.92/sq mi (1,198.04/km2)
 • Urban3,976,313 (US: 11th)
 • Urban density3,580.7/sq mi (1,382.5/km2)
 • Metro4,845,832 (US: 10th)
DemonymPhoenician[6]
GDP
 • Phoenix (MSA)$362.1 billion (2022)
Time zoneUTC–07:00 (MST (no DST))
ZIP Codes
85001–85024, 85026-85046, 85048, 85050-85051, 85053-85054, 85060-85076, 85078-85080, 85082-85083, 85085-85087
Area codes
FIPS code04-55000
GNIS feature ID44784
Websitewww.phoenix.gov

Phoenix (/ˈfnɪks/ FEE-niks; Navajo: Hoozdo, [xòːztò]; O'odham: S-ki:kigk;[8] Spanish: Fénix;[9] Walapai: Banyà:nyuwá[10]) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020.[11] It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States and the most populous state capital in the country.[12]

Phoenix is the most populous city of the Phoenix metropolitan area, also known as the Valley of the Sun, which in turn is part of the Salt River Valley and Arizona Sun Corridor. The metro area is the 10th-largest by population in the United States with approximately 4.85 million people as of 2020, making it the most populous in the Southwestern United States.[13][14] Phoenix, the seat of Maricopa County, is the largest city by area in Arizona, with an area of 517.9 square miles (1,341 km2), and is also the 11th-largest city by area in the United States.[15]

Phoenix was settled in 1867 as an agricultural community near the confluence of the Salt and Gila Rivers and was incorporated as a city in 1881. It became the capital of Arizona Territory in 1889.[16] Its canal system led to a thriving farming community with the original settlers' crops, such as alfalfa, cotton, citrus, and hay, remaining important parts of the local economy for decades.[17][18] Cotton, cattle, citrus, climate, and copper were known locally as the "Five C's" anchoring Phoenix's economy. These remained the driving forces of the city until after World War II, when high-tech companies began to move into the valley and air conditioning made Phoenix's hot summers more bearable.[19]

Phoenix is the cultural center of Arizona.[20] It is in the northeastern reaches of the Sonoran Desert and is known for its hot desert climate.[21][22] The region's gross domestic product reached over $362 billion by 2022.[23] The city averaged a four percent annual population growth rate over a 40-year period from the mid-1960s to the mid-2000s,[24] and was among the nation's ten most populous cities by 1980. Phoenix is also one of the largest plurality-Hispanic cities in the United States, with 42% of its population being Hispanic.[25]

  1. ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  2. ^ "Geographic Names Information System". edits.nationalmap.gov. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference USCensusEst2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "List of 2020 Census Urban Areas". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  5. ^ "2020 Population and Housing State Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
  6. ^ Billock, Jennifer (July 12, 2021). "From Chicagoan to Phoenician, here's what to call the residents of the biggest US cities". Popular Science. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
  7. ^ "Total Gross Domestic Product for Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ (MSA)". fred.stlouisfed.org.
  8. ^ "Phoenix, Arizona Mining Claims And Mining Mines | The Diggings™".
  9. ^ "La mayor planta solar del mundo se construirá en Arizona". El País (in Spanish). February 21, 2008. ISSN 1134-6582. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  10. ^ Watahomigie, Lucille, Jorigine Bender, Akira Yamamoto, University of Los Angeles. Hualapai reference grammar. 1982.
  11. ^ "QuickFacts: Phoenix city, Arizona". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  12. ^ "The 10 Most Populated State Capitals". September 3, 2020.
  13. ^ "Phoenix QuickFacts from US Census Bureau". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
  14. ^ Brunn, S.D.; Zeigler, D.J.; Hays-Mitchell, M.; Graybill, J.K. (2020). Cities of the World: Regional Patterns and Urban Environments. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 29. ISBN 978-1-5381-2635-6. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  15. ^ "County and City Data Book: 2007" (PDF) (14 ed.). U.S. Census Bureau. 2007. p. 712. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 16, 2016. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
  16. ^ Villarreal, Phil (February 14, 2018). "Arizona turns 106 Wednesday". KNXV. Retrieved February 14, 2018.
  17. ^ "Farming and Ranching". arizonaexperience.org. Archived from the original on December 28, 2013. Retrieved February 17, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  18. ^ Marin, Ph.D., Christine. "A Short History of South Phoenix from 1865 to the early 1930s". barriozona. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference azsos was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Bernard, Richard M. & Rice, Bradley R. (2014). Sunbelt Cities: Politics and Growth since World War II. University of Texas Press. p. 315. ISBN 9780292769823.
  21. ^ Kottek, M.; Grieser, J.; Beck, C.; Rudolf, B.; Rubel, F. (2006). "World Map of Köppen–Geiger Climate Classification" (PDF). Climate Change & Infectious Diseases Group, Institute for Veterinary Public Health. University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 5, 2009. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  22. ^ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A. (October 11, 2007). "Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification". Hydrology and Earth System Sciences. 11 (5): 1633–1644. Bibcode:2007HESS...11.1633P. doi:10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007.
  23. ^ "Gross Domestic Product by County and Metropolitan Area | FRED | St. Louis Fed". fred.stlouisfed.org. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
  24. ^ "Why Phoenix?". AZ International Growth Group. 2016. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
  25. ^ Backer, Kyle (August 31, 2021). "Hispanic population is now the majority in Phoenix, Census shows". AZ Big Media.