Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the <a href="/facts/List_of_capitals_in_the_United_States/RMAd1LFl">capital</a> and <a href="/facts/List_of_cities_and_towns_in_Arizona/QmXlNtds">most populous city</a> of the U.S. state of <a href="/facts/Arizona/6ayM3swJ">Arizona</a>. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, Phoenix is the <a href="/facts/List_of_United_States_cities_by_population/rcYY6hsJ">fifth-most populous city</a> in the United States and the <a href="/facts/List_of_capitals_in_the_United_States/RMAd1LFl">most populous state capital</a>, while the <a href="/facts/Phoenix_metropolitan_area/NusTFa0R">Phoenix metropolitan area</a> with an estimated 5.19 million residents is the <a href="/facts/Metropolitan_statistical_area/Y2yX0KJg">tenth-most populous metropolitan area</a> in the U.S. and the most populous in the <a href="/facts/Southwestern_United_States/LjLFs9fC">Southwest</a>. Phoenix is the seat of <a href="/facts/Maricopa_County%2c_Arizona/lw6VHMkB">Maricopa County</a> in the <a href="/facts/Salt_River_Valley/pcR5sCSm">Salt River Valley</a> and <a href="/facts/Arizona_Sun_Corridor/7bjEaoec">Arizona Sun Corridor</a> and, with an area of 517.9 square miles (1,341 km2), is the largest city by area in Arizona and <a href="/facts/List_of_United_States_cities_by_area/Yp6mmV61">11th-largest city by area</a> in the United States.
Phoenix was settled in 1867 as an agricultural community near the confluence of the <a href="/facts/Salt_River_(Arizona)/fAlEbWet">Salt</a> and <a href="/facts/Gila_River/uM5zREjV">Gila Rivers</a> and was incorporated as a city in 1881. It became the capital of <a href="/facts/Arizona_Territory/S1L96rGn">Arizona Territory</a> in 1889. Its <a href="/facts/Arizona_Canal/A5FAgW8j">canal system</a> led to a thriving farming community with the original settlers' crops, such as <a href="/facts/Alfalfa/Yesc424s">alfalfa</a>, <a href="/facts/Cotton/efXRcjbn">cotton</a>, <a href="/facts/Citrus/6FqG38Dk">citrus</a>, and <a href="/facts/Hay/eKrHnGhl">hay</a>, remaining important parts of the <a href="/facts/Economy_of_Phoenix/MQgPSDfD">local economy</a> for decades. Cotton, <a href="/facts/Cattle/44qV9B6S">cattle</a>, citrus, <a href="/facts/Climate/f57XrNFU">climate</a>, and <a href="/facts/Copper/I8PEE8oX">copper</a> were known locally as the "Five C's" anchoring Phoenix's economy. These remained the driving forces of the city until after <a href="/facts/World_War_II/2efV5L1U">World War II</a>, when <a href="/facts/High_tech/td2FYKeX">high-tech</a> companies began to move into the valley and <a href="/facts/Air_conditioning/bK2sIKQd">air conditioning</a> made Phoenix's hot summers more bearable.
Phoenix is the cultural center of Arizona. It is in the northeastern reaches of the <a href="/facts/Sonoran_Desert/RqlWcLnd">Sonoran Desert</a> and is known for its <a href="/facts/Desert_climate/orfIQqrB">hot desert climate</a>. The region's <a href="/facts/Gross_domestic_product/zQRgyFKc">gross domestic product</a> reached over $362 billion by 2022. The city averaged a four percent annual <a href="/facts/Population_growth/oxb6ttX0">population growth</a> rate over a 40-year period from the mid-1960s to the mid-2000s, and was among the nation's ten most populous cities by 1980. Phoenix is also one of <a href="/facts/List_of_U.S._cities_with_large_Hispanic_populations/BINHyKkB">the largest plurality Hispanic cities</a> in the United States, with 42% of its population being <a href="/facts/Hispanic/EY31pWn0">Hispanic</a>.

Phoenix, Arizona open-in-new

Phoenix, Arizona