Information about Phoenix

The Economy in Phoenix

The early economy of Phoenix was primarily agricultural, dependent mainly on cotton and citrus farming. In the last two decades, the economy has diversified as rapidly as the population has grown. As the state capital of Arizona, many residents are employed by the government. Arizona State University has also enhanced the area's population through education and its growing research capabilities. Numerous high-tech and telecommunications companies have also recently relocated to the area. Due to the warm climate in winter, Phoenix benefits greatly from seasonal tourism and recreation, and has a particularly vibrant golf industry.

Phoenix is currently home to two major Fortune 500 companies: electronics corporation Avnet and mining company Phelps Dodge Corporation. Phoenix also is a de facto home base for several Fortune 100 companies such as , Intel, American Express. Honeywell hosts many factories for the building of military grade engines, as well as their company network gateway in Phoenix. American Express hosts their financial transactions, customer information, and their entire website in Phoenix. The area is also home to US Airways Group, Fortune 500 company located in Tempe). Nearby Scottsdale is also home to Allied Waste Industries, Inc. (also listed on the Fortune 500), the second largest non-hazardous solid waste management company in the United States.

The military has a significant presence in Phoenix with Luke Air Force Base located in the western suburbs. At its height, in the 1940s, the Phoenix area had 3 military bases: Luke Field, Falcon Field, and Williams Air Force Base (now Williams-Gateway Field), with numerous auxiliary air fields located throughout the region.

Newcomers Guide to Phoenix

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Phoenix is also a popular location for filming, whether it's a full-length feature film, television commercial, or a print ad. The city government operates a film office that provides an array of services for motion picture and advertising companies that are interested in filming at city-owned sites or other locations throughout the metropolitan area.

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Neighborhoods and surrounding cities

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Downtown Phoenix

Downtown attractions include the Arizona Science Center, Phoenix Museum of History and the Phoenix Art Museum. Also downtown is the Burton Barr Central Library. Downtown Phoenix currently features about twenty-five mid-rise and high-rise buildings ranging up to 39 stories tall. Only two skyscrapers reach over 400 feet tall (122 m), the latter of which was constructed in the 1970s. Phoenix has an unusually small downtown area. This is largely due to four important factors:

There is very little historical housing stock precisely because Phoenix was so small, only 106,000 people in 1950. In addition, much of what little there was largely destroyed in the "urban renewal" movements of the 1960s and 1970s, for example, no equivalent of San Diego's Gaslamp District exists anywhere in Phoenix today. Thus, few historical structures remain, and today some of downtown Phoenix is pockmarked with vacant, lots and, under-utilized, buildings. For comparison, in 1950, San Diego was more than three times as large as Phoenix. Dallas was more than four times as large, and Houston was almost six times larger. Even Kansas City, Missouri was over four times as large as Phoenix in 1950. Today, Phoenix has three times the population of Kansas City, but Phoenix's skyline has not kept pace.

Much of Phoenix's growth during the 1950s and 1960s was low density suburban sprawl, like that of most other American cities. The difference is that Phoenix had no real core of taller buildings. Zoning at the time largely favored mass subdivisions of inexpensive cement block homes at the edge of the ever-expanding city. Land was cheaper and there were few neighbors and little red tape. As a result, developers gravitated to the edges of the metropolitan area. This still continues today. Zoning favors large setbacks and ample parking requirements, with the result that parking in downtown Phoenix remains relatively easy and inexpensive. Wide streets and narrow sidewalks form the predominant nature of Phoenix's environment today.

Phoenix was an isolated far from the centers of power. Phoenix's tallest building from 1929 to 1961 was the Westward Ho, a 17-story hotel that is now a retirement home. In 1970, Phoenix's metropolitan population was less than one million, and was largely a retirement and tourist haven. At the same time, Dallas had well over two million residents and Los Angeles had seven million. Thus, much of the skyscraper-building frenzy that marked the downtowns of sunbelt cities like Dallas and Houston never occurred in Phoenix. Phoenix was considered too small and too remote to attract commercial high-rise development during the 1960s and 1970s. It is also possible that the growing leviathans of Los Angeles (and to a lesser degree, Denver, Houston and Dallas) siphoned off some of the high-rise development that might have otherwise occurred in Phoenix. All of these cities were much larger than Phoenix and were seen as being much more progressive at the time.

Phoenix was anti-urban and still is, to some degree. A comprehensive freeway plan was resisted until 1985. At that time Phoenix was the largest metropolitan area (with almost two million residents) in the United States without a completed freeway or beltway system encircling and crossing the city, which created busy arterial streets.

Sightlines and mountain views are important to residents. Many still oppose high-rises because views of the mountains are considered sacred, as evidenced by the recent rejection in 2005 of Donald Trump's 15-story high-rise project in the Biltmore area. Many people that came to Phoenix in the latter half of the 20th Century did so to escape "big city problems," so there is a natural tendency in Arizona to keep things small. The office space in Phoenix is located in low profile newer office parks in outlying areas of the city, and not in downtown high-rises like in other cities.

Several new skyscrapers are under construction as of March 2006, with many more planned that will dramatically transform the skyline.

A newly expanded convention center is under construction now, which will triple the amount of available space to nearly one million square feet. The name of the center was recently changed to the Phoenix Convention Center from Phoenix Civic Plaza.

A $1.2 billion light rail system called "The Metro" is also under construction. When the initial 20-mile (32 km) segment is completed in 2008, it will improve connections to downtown areas of Glendale, Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa. A downtown extension for Arizona State University is opening in fall 2006, with about 3,000 students. A much larger campus is planned.

West Phoenix

Maryvale, once the predominant neighborhood of the near west side, from about 35th Avenue west to 83rd Avenue and from I-10 north to the boundary with the suburb of Glendale at Camelback Road. First developed in the 1950s and 1960s by developer John F. Long, these neighborhoods include inexpensive homes largely developed in the 1950s. Like many older inner-ring suburbs around the United States, Maryvale is suffering some signs of urban decline as the belt of growth has passed by, moving ever outward. Shopping in this area is provided by Desert Sky Mall, and Cricket Pavilion offers an open-air entertainment amphitheatre for concerts. Because of the lower housing costs, Maryvale has attracted large numbers of families from all over the world. It is one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the Phoenix metropolitan area.

The west side continues to spread outward. Newer suburbs are springing up, including Avondale, Goodyear and Buckeye. Further north, newer suburbs like Surprise, Peoria, El Mirage and the western end of Glendale are exploding with development.

Glendale

Glendale is the first suburb of Phoenix moving northwest from downtown. It now has over 250,000 people, and downtown Glendale features many historic neighborhoods. Catlin Court has first-rate antique stores and shops, along with many restaurants and lodging opportunities. Further north is the newer Arrowhead Towne Center Mall, which affords shopping and diverse dining choices. Cardinals Stadium is completed in Glendale. The Fiesta Bowl is moving to the stadium in 2007 and the 2008 Super Bowl (XLII) will be held at Cardinals Stadium.

Ahwatukee

The community of Ahwatukee is located in the southeast corner of the Phoenix city limits, largely separated from the majority of the city by South Mountain Park. Ahwatukee residents are urban professionals but also has many middle class families, and upscale apartments coexist with middle class and upscale housing. Housing prices rose over 40 percent in 2005, and the area has some of the most expensive homes in Phoenix or in the southeastern metropolitan area

Northwest

Past the neighboring cities of Peoria and Glendale are communities near Sun City, Sun City West, Youngtown, and Surprise. Hikers will enjoy the White Tank Mountain Regional Park. The Sun Cities and Youngtown are largely retirement communities. While Surprise is part of a booming mid to upper class segment of the Northwest valley. The city of Surprise recently built a spring training facility for the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals, both a part of the MLB baseball league. An up-scale mall is proposed for the area. The Surprise area which contains several small towns that have major plans for economic growth in the form of housing and small business development. Many such as Waddell have already constructed many up-scale houses in its boudaries. Transportation remains an issue for the Northwest valley because of its explosive growth although a proposed freeway has made its way through the process of getting approved and many hope it will meet is proposed build date of 2010. This freeway will eliminate the need to drive through more centralized cities to get home as the closest finished freeway is located 10-15 miles to the east through neighboring Peoria and Glendale. The 303 will grant the Greater Northwest Valley with excellent access to Downtown Phoenix as well as the east valley.

East side

The eastern side of Phoenix contains some of the city's most desirable neighborhoods. The Biltmore area near 24th Street and Camelback Road has become Phoenix's ritziest intersection. Stretching east, several mid-rise offices and condos line what is known as the Camelback Corridor. The area gets its name from the Arizona Biltmore Resort. This Phoenix landmark has pampered guests since the 1920s. Its lush grounds and golf courses are surrounded by some of the most exclusive homes in the Valley. East of the Biltmore area is the Arcadia neighborhood. Located at the base of Camelback Mountain, Arcadia contains well-kept homes on large lots. Built on former citrus groves, Arcadia is known for well-irrigated, mature landscaping. Several yards prominently feature orange, lemon and grapefruit trees as reminders of the area's past.

The eastern suburbs of Phoenix are generally called the East Valley. The Northeast Valley is home to Scottsdale, Paradise Valley, Fountain Hills, Carefree and Cave Creek. The Southeast Valley is home to Tempe, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek, and Apache Junction. Separating the Northeast Valley from the Southeast Valley is the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Reservation, which, with its vast farmland and open fields, is a stark contrast to the highly-developed surrounding suburbs. This 53,000 acre reservation is nearly entirely surrounded by East Valley suburbs: Fountain Hills to the northeast, Scottsdale to the northwest, Tempe to the southwest and Mesa to the southeast.

Although they are considered suburbs of Phoenix, many of the East Valley cities have quite unique identities and sizable populations of their own:Sandwiched between Phoenix and Scottsdale is the small town of Paradise Valley. Northeast of downtown Phoenix and the Biltmore area (and on the other side of Camelback Mountain from Arcadia), Paradise Valley features the most expensive real estate in Arizona, and consists almost entirely of single-family homes on one acre lots. As a result, the median housing price reached $1.39 million in early 2006. This town of about 14,000 residents also has the highest per capita income in Arizona.

East of Paradise Valley and Arcadia is Scottsdale, with the signature tagline of being "The West's Most Western Town." Known for its world-class resorts, golf, clubs, and shopping, Scottsdale is the center of the Phoenix area's hospitality industry. The city features mostly upscale housing, with a median housing value of about $570,000 in early 2006. The newest and most expensive parts of Scottsdale are in the northern parts of the city abutting the McDowell Mountains, but Scottsdale also has a rather dynamic downtown area. Nearly 2,000 residential units are under construction in and around Old Town, with some mid-rise buildings reaching up to thirteen stories tall. This $2 billion in residential redevelopment is changing downtown Scottsdale's image of staid art galleries and tourist-oriented shops. For many years now, downtown Scottsdale has been the hub of ultra-hip nightlife and fine dining. South of downtown, the southern portion of Scottsdale contains many neighborhoods dating from the Valley's post-war boom. Plans by Arizona State University to build a bioscience campus in south Scottsdale sparked a renewed interest in the area

Located south of Scottsdale, Tempe is the home of Arizona State University and the Sun Devils. Tempe boasts a vibrant economy, liveable neighborhoods, and the Valley's most dynamic downtown. Tempe is second only to central Phoenix as an employment hub in the Valley. Downtown Tempe centers on Mill Avenue, where an eclectic mix of restaurants, night clubs and shopping attracts a wide range of visitors. Local festivals such as Oktoberfest, the Fall Festival of the Arts, and the New Years Eve Block Party (the largest in the southwest and routinely ranked as one of the top ten in the country) are extremely popular on Mill Avenue. High-density residential development has also taken off in recent years, with at least a dozen residential high-rises under construction or in the planning phases, ranging up to 30 stories tall. Just north of downtown, the city has constructed Tempe Town Lake in the dry bed of the Salt River. The lake's unique urban setting has created a building boom along its shores. The roughly two-mile-long lake is also the only place in the Phoenix area where sailboats are a common sight. Arizona State University is located just south of Town Lake and to the east of downtown Tempe. With over 50,000 students on its main campus, ASU is now the largest university in the country. The synergistic relationship between Tempe and ASU is vital to the city's economy. Beyond downtown and ASU, Tempe is made up of mostly single-family residential neighborhoods. The city's housing values have risen dramatically in recent years with many people drawn to Tempe's central location and homes with mature trees and landscaping. South Tempe has some of the southeast Valley's priciest homes.

East of Tempe is Mesa, the third-largest city in Arizona with nearly 450,000 people. Known for its affordable, family-oriented neighborhoods and strong Mormon roots, Mesa is still largely a bedroom community. Mesa has struggled to attract businesses and new development; however, the recent completion of the Mesa Arts Center has raised hopes that the area will see a turnaround. Following a massive boom in the 1970s and 80s, Mesa is working on asserting itself as a major player in the Valley and finding ways to step out of Phoenix's shadow. The area around Mesa's Williams Gateway Airport is poised to become a major employment hub in the southeast Valley and the airport hopes to establish regular commercial airline service.

South of Mesa, Chandler remained largely an agricultural community until a major growth spurt beginning in the 1970s and accelerating through the 1990s. Much of Chandler houses young families and middle-class professionals in newer stucco and tile developments. With a large Intel presence, the city has also established itself as a center of the high-tech industry in the Valley.

East of Chandler is the town of Gilbert. A small farming community of 5000 in 1980, Gilbert is today a city of over 160,000. Despite this dizzying growth, Gilbert tries hard to retain its small-town feel and agricultural heritage. The town is largely a bedroom community, but with the completion of the Santan Freeway (Loop 202), Gilbert is seeing a flood of new economic development along this future transportation corridor.

Media

The first newspaper in Phoenix was the weekly Salt River Valley Herald, which later changed its name to the Phoenix Herald in 1880. Today, the city is served by two major daily newspapers: The Arizona Republic (serving the greater metropolitan area) and The East Valley Tribune (serving primarily the cities of the East Valley). In addition, the city is also served by numerous free neighborhood papers and weeklies such as the Phoenix New Times, Phoenix Business Journal - State wide home town newspapers

Sports

Arizona Cardinals Football - Arizona Diamondbacks - Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Coyotes - Arizona Rattlers Arena Football - Phoenix Roadrunners Hockey
In addition, nine Major League Baseball teams conduct spring training in the area. These teams, plus three that train in Tucson, are collectively known as the Cactus League.
Phoenix's first major professional franchise was the Phoenix Suns, the city's National Basketball Association team, which started play in 1968. It holds a special place in Phoenix culture as it was the city's only top-level sports franchise for nearly twenty years.

Phoenix International Raceway is a major venue for 2 NASCAR auto racing events per season. Boat racing, drag racing, and road course racing are also held at the Firebird International Raceway. Sprint car racing is held at Manzanita Speedway.
The Arizona State University Sun Devils compete in football, basketball, baseball, as well as a number of other sports in the NCAA. The Sun Devils football team plays their games at Sun Devil Stadium, which also hosts the annual Fiesta Bowl (the game will move to the new Cardinals stadium in Glendale upon the completion of the stadium). Their nearest rival is the University of Arizona Wildcats, in Tucson.

The Phoenix metro area is served by many local television stations, and is the fourteenth largest designated market area (DMA) in the U.S. with 1,660,430 homes (1.51% of the total U.S.). The major network television affiliates are KPNX 12 (NBC), KNXV 15 (ABC), KPHO 5 (CBS), KSAZ 10 (FOX), KUTP 45 (UPN), and KASW 61 (WB). Other major network television affiliates operating in the area include KAET 8 (PBS, operated by ASU), KPAZ 21 (TBN), KTVW 33 (Univision), KTAZ 39 (Telemundo), KDTP 48 (Daystar), and KPPX 51 (i, formerly PAX). KTVK 3 (3TV) and KAZT 27 are independent television stations operating in the metro area.

The radio airwaves in Phoenix cater to a wide variety of musical interests. The area's rock stations include KUPD (FM) 97.9 (98KUPD), KDKB (FM) 93.3, KPKX (FM) 98.7 (The Peak), http://www.kslx.com/">KSLX (FM) 100.7KEDJ (FM) 103.9 (The Edge). Pop and hip-hop can be found on KKFR (FM) 92.3 (Power92), KZZP (FM) 104.7 (KissFM) and KMXP (FM) 96.9 (Mix96). There are two country stations: KNIX (FM) 102.5 and KMLE (FM) 107.9 (Camel Country 108) and two oldies stations: KOOL (FM) 94.5 and KAZG (AM) 1440. The area has an adult contemporary station, KESZ (FM) 99.9 and a classical station KBAQ (FM) 89.5. There are several talk radio stations, mostly operating on the AM band: KZON (FM) 101.5 (hot talk), KFYI (AM) 550 (conservative talk), KTAR (AM) 620 (news), KMIA (AM) 720 (Spanish news), KDIR (AM) 740 (Spanish talk), KKNT (AM) 960 (The Patriot), KXXT (AM) 1010 (Christian Radio), KFNX (AM) 1100 (CNN/brokered), KXAM (AM) 1310 (NBC and lifestyle talk), KFNN (AM) 1510 (financial/business news and advice), and KPHX (AM) 1480 (Air America Radio). Sports news is available on KMVP (AM) 860 (ESPN), KGME (AM) 910, and KDUS (AM) 1060.

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Museums and other points of interest

Arizona Historical Society Museum, Arizona Science Center, designed by Antoine Predock, Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum at the Arizona State Fairgrounds, Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park, Burton Barr Central Library, designed by Will Bruder, Camelback Mountain, Castles N' Coasters amusement park, Chase Tower (formerly Bank One Center), the tallest building in the state of Arizona, Desert Botanical Garden, Encanto Park, Fleischer Museum, Hall of Flame, Heard Museum, Hotel San Carlos, Mystery Castle, Papago Park, Phoenix art museum, Phoenix Mountains Park and Recreation Area, Phoenix Museum of History, Phoenix Zoo, Pueblo Grande Museum and Cultural Park, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, St. Mary's Basilica, South Mountain Park, the largest municipal park in the world with 16,500 acres, Symphony Hall for the Phoenix Symphony at the Phoenix Civic Plaza, Taliesin West and Gammage Auditorium, both designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Tovrea Castle, Wrigley Mansion.

Government

Newcomers Guide to Phoenix

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The city of Phoenix is served by a city council consisting of a mayor and eight city council members. The mayor is elected At Large, to a four-year term. Phoenix City Council members are elected to four-year terms by voters in each of the eight separate districts that they represent. The current mayor of Phoenix is Phil Gordon. The mayor and city council members have equal voting power to make laws and set the policies that govern the city.
In addition to eight voting districts, the city is also divided into 15 "urban villages," the primary purpose of which is to assist the city council with zoning and planning ordinances. These urban villages are:
Ahwatukee Foothills, Alhambra, Camelback East, Central City, Deer Valley, Desert Ridge, Desert View, Encanto, Estrella, Laveen, Maryvale, North Gateway, North Mountain, Paradise Valley (not to be confused with the town of Paradise Valley), South Mountain, as well as a fifteenth which is as of yet unnamed (created in 2004 and currently called, "New Village."). The fifteenth is sparsely populated (if at all) and new development is not expected in the near future.

History of Phoenix Mayors - About current Mayor Phill Gordon
Phoenix Mayor - Phoenix city council

District one - District One map - Contact phone numbers - Councilman Siebert
District Two - District Two Map - District Two Staff - Councilwoman Peggy Neely
District Three - District Three Map - District Three Staff - Councilwoman Peggy A. Bilsten
District Four - District Four Map - District Four Staff - Councilman Tom Simplot
District Five - District Five Map - District Five Staff - Councilman Claude Mattox
District Six - District Six Map - District Six Staff - Councilman Stanton
District Seven - District Seven Map - District Seven Staff - Vice Mayor Doug Lingner
District Eight - District Eight Map - District Eight Staff - Councilman Michael Johnson
Map of Districts - council meetings - City Council Subcommittees - Lobbyist Requirements

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More information about Phoenix Government

Neighborhood Revitalization - Neighborhood orginations
Community Involvement - Water and sewer services
Streets and traffic issues - Garbage/Recycling
Public saftey - Arizona Dept of Education
Village Planning Committies - Election Information - Phoenix Facts

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Transportation

Arizona Deptment of Transportation

Phoenix is served by Sky Harbor International Airport (IATA: PHX, ICAO: KPHX), which is centrally located in the metro area near the intersections of I-10, I-17, US 60, and State Routes 51 and Loop 202. Sky Harbor is the fifth-busiest airport in the U.S. and the world for passenger traffic for takeoffs and landings, handling more than 36 million travelers in 2000. The airport serves more than 100 cities with non-stop flights. British Airways, Air Canada and Aeromexico are among several international carriers providing flights to destinations such as London, Toronto, Costa Rica and Mexico.

The Williams Gateway Airport (IATA: WGA, ICAO: KIWA) in neighboring Mesa also serves the area's commercial air traffic. It was converted from Williams Air Force Base, which closed in 1993, and is attempting to become a commercial airport to relieve traffic at Sky Harbor. The airport has occasionally received Boeing 737's from charter airlines to carry passengers to nearby destinations.
Smaller airports that primarily handle private and corporate jets include the Scottsdale Municipal Airport (IATA: SDL, ICAO: KSDL) in Scottsdale and the Falcon Field Airport (IATA: FFZ, ICAO: KFFZ) in Mesa.

Public transportation throughout the metropolitan area is provided by Valley Metro, which operates a system of buses and a rideshare program. Valley Metro is currently building Valley Metro Rail, a light rail project. Phoenix and several cities have expressed interest in commuter rail operating on existing railroad lines.

The road system in Phoenix laid out in a traditional grid system, with most roads oriented either North-South or East-West. I-10 (the Maricopa and Papago Freeways) from Los Angeles travels from the west through downtown, and exits the metro area in a southeast direction towards Tucson. I-17 (the Black Canyon Freeway) begins in downtown Phoenix and travels north to Flagstaff. US 60 (the Superstition Freeway) also travels through the heart of the city, heading northwest through the suburbs of Glendale, Peoria, and Surprise. It also exits to the east of downtown, travelling through the suburbs of Tempe, Mesa, Gilbert, and Apache Junction, and beyond. State Route Loop 101 (the Agua Fria, Price, and Pima Freeways) is also a major highway that forms a semicircle around the northern suburbs of the city, starting from I-10 in the west and travelling around to the Santan portion of Loop 202 in the southeast.

Map Metropolitsn Phoenix area - Map Phoenix/Scottsdale Phoenix has been rapidly expanding its highway system. In 1985, voters passed a proposition establishing a œ cent general sales tax to fund new urban freeways: Arizona 51, Loop 101, Arizona 143 (the Hohokam Expressway), 153 (the Sky Harbor Expressway), Loop 202 (the Red Mountain and Santan Freeways), and Loop 303 (the Estrella Freeway), and the final section of I-10. Most of these have been completed by 2005, with Loop 202 and Loop 303 being in the final stages of construction and development.

Central Phoenix freeway map - Local Freeway camera images
Map on how to get from here to there - More on public Transportation

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