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Phoenix is
the capital of Arizona
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The city
was originally incorporated on February 25,
1881
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By most
accounts, Phoenix is the fifth largest city
in the country
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Phoenix is
built upon the ruins of the Hohokam Indians
that built an extensive network of
irrigation canals from about 300 AD to
approximately 1450 AD
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The
average elevation of Phoenix is 1,117 ft
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The City
of Phoenix (not the metro area) covers
approximately 514 square miles. The region
encompasses over 9,200 square miles.
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The
Phoenix Valley, also known as the "Valley of
the Sun", is located in the heart of the
Sonoran desert.
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The Salt
River "flows" through the heart of Phoenix
to the south.
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Phoenix is
surrounded by mountains: McDowell
mountains to the northeast, the Superstition
mountains to the east, the San Tan mountains
to the southeast, the Sierra Estrella
mountains to the southwest, and the White
Tank mountains to the west. Located
within the city are the Phoenix Mountains
and South Mountain.
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The
temperature exceeds 100 degrees for an
average of 89 days a year.
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Phoenix
has an average of 325 sunny days a year
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The annual
rainfall in Phoenix is 7.66 inches a year.
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The
average high in metro Phoenix is 85°F while
the average annual temperature is 72.6°F.
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The
average high temperature in January is 66°F.
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On August
14 1996, during the monsoon, a wind gust of
115 mph was recorded.
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The
average start date of the monsoon in Phoenix
is July 7.
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The
hottest day recorded in Phoenix was 122
degrees on June 26, 1990.
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Phoenix's
downtown area is referred to as Copper
Square (though the natives still refer to it
as "downtown").
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Phoenix is
home to the Arizona Diamondbacks (Major
League Baseball) that is played in Chase
Field (formerly known as "BOB" or "Bank One
Ballpark"), the 2001 World Series Champions.
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Metro
Phoenix is home to the Arizona Cardinals
(National Football League) that is played in
the new Cardinals Stadium in Glendale
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Phoenix is
home to the Phoenix Suns (National
Basketball Association) and the Phoenix
Mercury (Women's National Basketball
Association) that is played in the U.S.
Airways Center.
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Metro
Phoenix is home to the Phoenix Coyotes
(National Hockey League) that is played in
the Glendale Arena.
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Phoenix
hosts 2 major NASCAR events at the Phoenix
International Raceway (PIR) each year.
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Each
January, metro Phoenix is home to the FBR
Open (PGA) that hosts many well-known
professional golfers in Scottsdale and the
Safeway International LPGA Tournament in
Phoenix.
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Carsten
Manufacturing calls Phoenix home (the makers
of PING golf clubs).
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Greater
Phoenix plays host to nine major league
baseball teams each spring as part of the
Cactus League. The San Francisco Giants,
Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals, Seattle
Mariners, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs,
San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers and
Anaheim Angels conduct their annual training
programs in the metro area while the Arizona
Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies and the
Chicago White Sox train in Tucson.
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Metro
Phoenix is home to Arizona State University
(officially located in Tempe), one of the
state's largest universities that has an
enrollment of over 50,000 students.
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Sky Harbor
Airport handled over 36 million travelers in
2000 and serves flights to and from over 100
destinations with non-stop flights
nationally and internationally.
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Sky Harbor
is the fifth busiest airport in the U.S. and
is served by 23 airlines.
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More than
50 percent of the population of Phoenix is
between the ages of 18 and 54 years of age,
younger than the national average. The
median age is 33 years old.
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The median
income in Phoenix is $46,111.
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The
unemployment rate in 2005 was 4.1% with a
labor force of 1,832,500 and 1,743,100
employed.
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The
population of the metro Phoenix area was
over 3,600,000 people in 2004 and accounts
for 3/5's of Arizona's population.
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The metro
Phoenix population increased by 34% between
1995 and 2004.
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Industry
giants such as STMicroelectronics, American
Express, Phelps Dodge, Sumitomo Sitix,
Prudential, Charles Schwab and Mayo Clinic
have major operations in Phoenix.
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The area's
major industries are 1) high-tech
manufacturing, 2) tourism, 3) construction.
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The City
of Phoenix has over 37,188 acres of parks
and hiking trails (including the mountain
preserves).
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The City
of Phoenix has over 412 miles of bicycle
pathways.
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Phoenix
hosted the NFL's Super Bowl XXX, January 28,
1996 and will be the home to the 2008 Super
Bowl also.
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Metro
Phoenix has more than 55,000 hotel rooms.
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Metro
Phoenix has over 200 golf courses
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There are
six lakes within 75 minute drive from
Phoenix.
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There are
two ski slopes within a two to three hour
drive from Phoenix.
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South
Mountain Park in southern Phoenix is the
worlds largest municipal park with over
16,500 acres.
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Taliesin
West and Gammage Auditorium, both designed
by Frank Lloyd Wright
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More than
13 million people visit Phoenix each year.
More than 29 million people visit Arizona
each year. Many of these visitors stay
for the winter and are referred to as
"Snowbirds" by the locals.
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Chase
Tower (formerly Bank One Center) is the
largest building in Arizona with 40 stories
and approximately 483 feet tall.
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Arizona is
home to 23 reservations representing 21
different Native American tribes.
