Phoenix Fact Sheet

Greater Phoenix encompasses 2,000 square miles and several communities, including the cities of Glendale, Scottsdale, Tempe and Mesa. Phoenix’s elevation is 1,117 feet, and the city’s horizon is defined by three distinct mountains: South Mountain, Camelback Mountain and Piestewa Peak

The Hohokam people inhabited what is now Greater Phoenix until about 1450 A.D. They created the first major urban civilization in the Salt River Valley and developed a canal system that is still in use today. According to legend, Phoenix gets its name from Cambridge-educated pioneer Darrell Duppa, who saw the ruins and prehistoric canals of the Hohokam and believed another civilization would rise from the ashes.

In 1865, the U.S. government established Fort McDowell here, and settlers such as Jack Swilling began farming the land. The city of Phoenix was established in 1868.

As one of the fastest-growing regions in the nation, Greater Phoenix has a population of 4.1 million. The city of Phoenix has a population of 1.5 million, making it the fifth-largest city in the U.S.

More than 13 million people visit Phoenix each year from the US and abroad, including the United Kingdom, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and Germany, among others.

Among Greater Phoenix’s top attractions are Tempe Town Lake, Chase Field, South Mountain Park and Preserve, US Airways Center, Arizona Temple and Visitors’ Center, Heritage and Science Park, and the Phoenix Zoo. Phoenix is the gateway to the Grand Canyon.

Greater Phoenix also has museums to suit every taste. The Heard Museum, a museum of Native American art and culture; Desert Botanical Garden, the world's largest collection of desert plants; Taliesin West, the home of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation; the Phoenix Art Museum, the Southwest's largest art museum; the Arizona Science Center, a 300-plus hands-on exhibits and an IMAX.