Phoenix, Arizona
The Hohokam people occupied the Phoenix area for 2,000 years before vanishing from the region. They created roughly 150 miles of irrigation canals that turned desert land into arable soil. These ancient waterways now form the basis for the modern Arizona Canal and Central Arizona Project Canal systems. The civilization thrived through extensive trade with nearby Ancestral Puebloans and distant Mesoamerican cultures until severe droughts between 1300 and 1450 forced their abandonment. After the Hohokam departure, groups of Akimel O'odham tribes began using the area as seasonal farmers. They lived in small villages with well-defined irrigation systems spreading over the Gila River Valley from Florence to the Estrellas. Their crops included corn, beans, squash, cotton, and tobacco alongside native plants like saguaro fruits and mesquite candy. The Akimel O'odham were the major group in the area during this period.
Jack Swilling prospected in Wickenburg before traveling through the Salt River Valley in 1867. He noticed eroded mounds indicating previous canals dug by native peoples who had long since left the area. Swilling formed the Swilling Irrigation and Canal Company that same year and dug a large canal drawing river water. A new location three miles west of the original settlement was chosen in October 1870 when valley residents met to select a townsite. Lord Darrell Duppa suggested the name Phoenix describing a city born from ruins of a former civilization. The board of supervisors officially recognized the new town on the 4th of May 1868. The first post office opened the following month with Swilling serving as postmaster. By 1881, Phoenix's continued growth made the board of trustees obsolete. Governor John C. Fremont signed the Phoenix Charter Bill on the 25th of February 1881 incorporating the city with around 2,500 residents. The territorial capital moved from Prescott to Phoenix in 1889 establishing its political importance.
A town with just over 65,000 residents in 1940 became America's fifth most populous city by 2020. After World War II many men who trained at Arizona bases returned with their families creating an untapped labor pool. High-tech industry arrived in 1948 when Motorola chose Phoenix for its military electronics research center. Other companies like Intel and McDonnell Douglas followed opening manufacturing operations in the valley. Advances in air conditioning allowed homes and businesses to offset extreme heat during long summers. More construction occurred in 1959 alone than from 1914 through 1946 combined. The region's gross domestic product reached over $362 billion by 2022. This economic transformation shifted Phoenix from agriculture to high-tech industries while making hot summers more bearable for new residents.
Phoenix averaged a four percent annual population growth rate over forty years from mid-1960s to mid-2000s. It was among the nation's ten most populous cities by 1980. The city has maintained a low density of approximately 2,797 people per square mile compared to Philadelphia's over 11,000. In 1962 one local activist testified that none of 31,000 newly built homes on the north side had been sold to African Americans. Color lines remained rigid with no one north of Van Buren Street renting to baseball star Willie Mays during spring training in the 1960s. A reporter from The New Republic wrote in 1964 that apartheid was complete with two cities looking across a golf course. By 2020 Phoenix became the fifth most populous city in the United States with 1,608,139 residents. Hispanics now make up 41.1% of the population creating one of the largest plurality Hispanic cities in America.
Phoenix receives 3,872 hours of bright sunshine annually making it the sunniest major city on Earth. Average high temperatures in summer are hottest of any major U.S. city with 111 days reaching at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit. On the 26th of June 1990 temperature reached an all-time recorded high of 122 degrees Fahrenheit. July 2023 saw unprecedented streaks including 31 consecutive days with highs over 115 degrees. That same year recorded 113 straight days of daily highs topping 100 degrees from May 27 through September 16. Nearly all homes have air conditioning though poorer residents may struggle to afford operation costs. Maricopa County ranked seventh for ozone pollution according to American Lung Association standards. People exposed to PM10 dust particles face risks of contracting Valley Fever fungal lung infection. The urban heat island effect limits diurnal temperature variation keeping average summer lows above 74 degrees for 74 days per summer.
The Phoenix Symphony Hall opened in 1972 housing the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra and Ballet Arizona. The Orpheum Theatre serves as home to the Phoenix Opera company performing intimate shows since March 2013. Frank Lloyd Wright moved to Phoenix in 1937 building his winter home Taliesin West and main campus for The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. The Musical Instrument Museum opened doors in 2010 featuring the world's biggest collection of musical instruments. The Heard Museum attracts about 250,000 visitors annually displaying signature exhibits like a full Navajo hogan and Barry Goldwater Collection of Hopi kachina dolls. Artist Janet Echelman installed Her Secret Is Patience sculpture above Civic Space Park in April 2009 making patterns of desert wind visible through netted fabric. The city hosts dozens of museums including Phoenix Art Museum with over 17,000 works of contemporary art from around the world.
Phoenix Suns received National Basketball Association franchise in 1968 playing at Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum until moving to America West Arena in 1992. Arizona Diamondbacks began play as expansion team in 1998 winning World Series against New York Yankees four games to three in 2001. Arizona Cardinals moved to Phoenix from St. Louis Missouri in 1988 playing at Sun Devil Stadium before State Farm Stadium opened in Glendale in 2006. State Farm Stadium hosted Super Bowl XLII in 2008 and Super Bowl LVII in 2023. The Phoenix Mercury were one of eight original Women's National Basketball Association teams launching in 1997 winning championships in 2007, 2009, and 2014. Sky Harbor International Airport serves about 45 million passengers annually ranking among nation's ten busiest airports supporting tourism industry generating nearly 19 million visitors each year.
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Common questions
When was Phoenix Arizona officially incorporated as a city?
Governor John C. Fremont signed the Phoenix Charter Bill on the 25th of February 1881 incorporating the city with around 2,500 residents.
Who named the city of Phoenix and when did they choose the name?
Lord Darrell Duppa suggested the name Phoenix describing a city born from ruins of a former civilization in October 1870 when valley residents met to select a townsite.
What year did the Hohokam people abandon the Phoenix area due to droughts?
Severe droughts between 1300 and 1450 forced the Hohokam people to abandon the region after occupying it for 2,000 years.
How many days per summer does Phoenix maintain average lows above 74 degrees Fahrenheit?
The urban heat island effect keeps average summer lows above 74 degrees for 74 days per summer according to recorded data.
Which year did the Phoenix Mercury win their first WNBA championship title?
The Phoenix Mercury won championships in 2007, 2009, and 2014 as one of eight original Women's National Basketball Association teams launching in 1997.