The sixth largest city in the United States, Phoenix, is the capital of the state of Arizona and a cultural hub that 14 to 16 million visitors travel to each year. With its picturesque landscapes and bustling downtown, Phoenix is a culmination of Native American heritage, complete luxury, outdoor lifestyle, and spectacular natural landforms.

Native Americans solely inhabited the area we now call the state of Arizona for 250,000 years. The first European exchange with Arizona was when the Spanish Conquistadors journeyed to the land in the mid-1500s in search of legendary gold. Up until the mid-1850s, European settlers were few and relatively accepted by the Native Americans. Once the number of settlers increased and they began to infringe on Native American lands, clashes erupted between settlers and tribes such as the Apache, Yavapai, Paiute, Navajo, and Hualapai. In accordance with the long history of unjust treatment of Native Americans, the military was summoned and ultimately they were restricted to government reservations. Today, there are more native American tribes and nations in Arizona than any other state at 22 tribes, and more than 300,000 community members.

In the early 1860s a settlement was constructed on the Salt River. It was named after the mythological creature the immortal phoenix that rises from its own ashes every 500 years. The name was chosen as a foretelling of a grand and important city rising from the ancient native American ruins. Officially, the city was recognized on May 4, 1868 and with the development of its first railroad in 1887, Phoenix attracted settlers from all across the United States. Phoenix was announced as the capital of the Arizona territory in 1889.

Upon statehood on Feb. 14, 1912, Arizona maintained Phoenix as its capital. In 1870, soon after the city was established, a survey and consensus determined that it was one mile long and a half-mile wide and had a population of 250 people. Currently, 20 cities comprise what makes up Greater Phoenix, such as Scottsdale, Tempe, Glendale, Chandler, Gilbert, and Mesa, spanning 2,000 square miles and are located in Maricopa County, which is roughly the size of the state of New Hampshire. Phoenix is encompassed by South Mountain, Camelback Mountain, and Piestewa Peak that outline the city, and has an elevation of 1,117 feet. Greater Phoenix boasts a fast growing population of approximately 4.3 million, according to the US Census Bureau statistics, however the city of Phoenix has a population of more than 1.4 million. Residents of the Greater Phoenix area are the average age of 34, which make it the fifth youngest metro area in the United States.

One of the major industries of the Greater Phoenix area is tourism. Sky Harbor International Airport is the 10th busiest airport in the United States with 40 million passengers passing through each year. Once visitors have arrived they have the option of choosing from some of the most excellent resorts in the nation. According to Forbes Travel Guide, the Canyon Suites at the Phoenician received Five Stars, and hotels like Four Season Resort Scottsdale at Troon North, the Ritz-Carlton Phoenix, and the Phoenician received Four Stars. However, Greater Phoenix is home to many more accommodations reaching almost 500 hotels available, including nearly 40 luxury resorts totaling over 62,000 rooms. The most significant resorts are the Arizona Biltmore, Wigwam Golf Resort, Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort and Spa, Westin Kierland Resort and Spa, and the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess. Visitors will be able to find accommodations suitable to their needs and preferences, whether they seek historical, southwestern, or mid-century modernism aesthetics. If visitors seek golf courses, water parks, exclusive spa treatments, and even shopping, the Greater Phoenix area is the ideal destination.

Phoenix cuisine asserts itself on the national level and offers the unique experience of enjoying the merging of native American, Spanish, and colonial influences to produce Southwestern cooking. Aside from this, the dining experience is complemented by incredible sunsets and awe-inspiring desert landscapes provided with outdoor dinning. One of the most famous pizzerias in the country is Pizzaria Bianco, with national awards and critical accolades. The James Beard Foundation named the chef Chris Bianco the Best Chef in the Southwest in 2003. Whether visitors desire Mexican, American, Asian, Mediterranean, Italian, the Phoenix food scene will not disappoint.

The art scene in Phoenix is the consolidation of ancient and modern, native American and Spanish, as well as traditional and abstract. The most prominent museum in Phoenix is the Heard Museum with the largest collection of Native American relics in the nation, in addition to contemporary and traditional art, which displays the culture and history of the Native American experience. The Desert Botanical Garden is home to the most extensive collection of desert flora. The largest Southwestern art museum is the Phoenix Art Museum, which includes European, Asian, and American art works. For children, they may enjoy The Children’s Museum of Phoenix or the Arizona Science Center, which were designed for hands-on learning and interaction. For fans and admirers of Frank Lloyd Wright, aside from being able to visit the street named after him, visitors are able to view his designs and constructions such as the celebrated Grady Gammage Auditorium, his last commissioned work. Public tours of his work are available by Taliesin West, the home of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation as well as the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.

The National Climatic Data Center found that the sun shines on Phoenix more than any other city in the United States. Throughout 85 percent of the sunlight hours in Phoenix the sun is shining down on the large city. The average annual rainfall in Phoenix is 7.7 inches. The average annual temperature of Phoenix is 22.5 C while the annual high temperature is 29.9 C. During the winter the average high temperature is 19.4 C. Although the Greater Phoenix area is situated in a desert, the Sonoran Desert with its 3-15 inches of rain annually is one of the wettest and greenest North American deserts. The Sonoran Desert is the home of the most famous cactus in the wild, the saguaro. The magnificent saguaro can grow to reach 50 feet with a lifespan of 200 years. Although hiking or biking are great ways to get up close and personal with a saguaro cactus, visitors may appreciate their grandeur high up in a hot air balloon, on horseback, or on a jeep tour. Phoenix is within a little over an hour’s drive away from six lakes. Within Phoenix sits the largest North American municipal park called South Mountain Park and Preserve, which comprises 16,500 acres, with over 50 miles of equestrian, hiking, and biking trails. For visitors interested in majestic scenery, abandoned gold mines, ancient Native American ruins, mountain climbing, Southwestern camping and cookouts, four-wheeled or aerial tours over the expansive and mountainous terrain of Arizona, Phoenix is the gateway to all of this.

Most importantly, Phoenix is considered the entryway to The Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. Once visitors arrive in Phoenix, they are only three and a half hours drive away from the South Rim of The Grand Canyon. The South Rim may be explored by the over 20 in-depth tours available to visitors ranging from a 25-30 minute helicopter ride to a 12-hour river adventure. The West Rim, which is a 6-hour road trip from Phoenix, is home to the impressive Grand Canyon Glass Skywalk, a glass U-shaped platform protruding 70 feet from the rim. Visitors experience the rush of looking below through the 10-foot wide glass walkway at 2,000 feet of space between them and the Colorado River. The Skywalk was opened for visitors in 2007, when the Astronaut Buzz Aldrin led the first walkers in a private opening ceremony. According to The Grand Canyon official website, the Skywalk is strong enough to bear the weight of full 747 aircrafts, as well as weather wind going at a speed of up to 100 miles per hour. Every side or angle of the Grand Canyon is full of potential for extreme adventures and spectacular views.

The Phoenix Zoo, which was established in 1962, is welcoming of active hikers as well as animal lovers of course. It is a non-profit zoo with over 1400 animals of which 30 are endangered from across the globe. Although the Phoenix Zoo provides ample amounts of fun for children and entertainment for adults as well, the zoo has asserted itself as a leader in conservation. What puts the Phoenix Zoo on the map is its world famous preservation victory called “Operation Oryx,” which began in 1963. The Arabian oryx was in danger of extinction from the Arabian Peninsula, and in fact became extinct from the wild ten years later in 1972, due to over hunting. The Phoenix Zoo began breeding the endangered species and within ten years the herd had reproduced enough to move the animals to other zoos to continue the program. The goal was to reproduce enough of the species in order to return them to their native habitat. The first effective reintroduction occurred in Oman in the year 1982. The species went from being on the extinct list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), to the endangered list in 1986, and finally to the vulnerable list in 2011, the 50th anniversary of the conservation effort. Estimates show that almost 7,000 are held in captivity, while 1,000 are in the wild. Arabian oryx reintroductions have occurred in most countries of the Arabian Peninsula such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates in cooperation with local governments. In fact, Saudi Arabia sent some oryx to the Phoenix Zoo that were members of the initial herd. Today, the majority of oryx in the wild have ancestry from the Phoenix Zoo.

For the sports lovers, Phoenix is one of the 13 cities with teams in all major professional American sports leagues: National Hockey League, National Basketball Association, Women’s National Basketball Association, National Football League, and Major League Baseball. For hockey enthusiasts, there is the NHL team the Phoenix Coyotes. For basketball fans, visitors may attend Phoenix Suns games (NBA), or the two time Champions Phoenix Mercury games (WNBA) depending on the time of the season. For American football and baseball fans, Phoenix is home to the Arizona Cardinals (NFL) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (MLB). February 2015 will bring American football and golf fans from all across North America to Phoenix. This year’s host of the NFL’s Super Bowl XLIX, which determines this year’s Champion, will be held at The University of Phoenix Stadium. From Jan. 26 to Feb. 2 is the Waste Management Phoenix Open Golf Tournament. Usually, this annual event attracts over 500,000 observers.

From its early beginnings as a settlement for farmers, traders and miners, to its current status as the 6th largest city in the nation, the city of Phoenix promises to live up to its namesake. For the outdoor adventurers, Phoenix is a massive playground with over 200 golf courses across the greater phoenix area, trails to hike, mountains to climb, and bodies of water to fish, swim, and admire. Lovers of luxury and relaxation, connoisseurs of fine dinning and acclaimed art institutions, must visit Phoenix, the Valley of the Sun.

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