Phoenix, which is known for it's abundance in sunshine, has lovingly been called the Valley of the Sun, and with good reason.
Not only does the sun shine over 300 days a year, but the desert terrain surrounding the city, along with the towering mountains makes it a top destination year round.
Phoenix is famous for its skyscraper buildings that rise into the clouds, and the clean, fresh invigorating air that settles over the city, but with all the hotels, restaurants and shopping that this city boasts, there are even more reasons to visit.
A few of the nicer hotels in this city would be the Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa , Hyatt Regency Phoenix, JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa, and Embassy Suites Phoenix-Biltmore.
You will really be vacationing in style when you come to Phoenix, this is one city that knows how to lavish in luxury.
Attraction opportunities abound in Phoenix, with so much to see it will make your head spin.
For starters, there's South Mountain Park Scenic Drive, Camelback Mountain, and Desert Botanical Gardens if you crave the wonderous outdoors, and the Arizona Science Center and Mystery Castle if those hot arid days drive you indoors.
And with award winning restaurants like the Latilla Dining Room, Arizona Kitchens and Ristorante Tuscany, you will feel spoiled beyond imagination.
With so many hotels, restaurants and attractions, it's no wonder Phoenix is a top tourist destination!
Phoenix (pronounced /fiːˌnks/, O'odham Skikik, Western Apache Fiinigis, Navajo Hoozdo, Mojave Hachpa 'Anya Nyava) is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona and the county seat of Maricopa County, as well as being the largest state capital in the United States by population.
It is the largest city in the American Southwest and is the region's primary government, cultural, economic, and transportation center.
Phoenix is located along the banks of the now normally dry Salt River, and was incorporated as a city on February 25, 1881.
Residents of Phoenix are known as Phoenicians.
The city's estimated population as of 2006 was 1,512,986, making it the fifth largest city in the United States. At 515 square miles, its city proper is the 10th largest land area for a city in the United States, resulting in a lower population density.
As of 2006, the Phoenix Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was the 13th largest in the United States, with an estimated population of 4,039,182.
Native American and Hispanic periods
For over 1,000 years, the Hohokam peoples occupied the land that would become Phoenix.
The Hohokam created roughly 135 miles (217 km) of irrigation canals, making the desert land arable. Paths of these canals would later become used for the modern Arizona Canal, Central Arizona Project Canal, and the Hayden-Rhodes Aqueduct.
The Hohokam also carried out extensive trade with nearby Anasazi, Mogollon, and other Mesoamerican tribes.
It is believed that, between 1300 and 1450, periods of drought and severe floods led to the Hohokam's abandonment of the area.
Local Akimel O'odham settlements, thought to be the descendants of the formerly urbanized Hohokam, concentrated on the Gila River alongside those of the Tohono O'odham and Maricopa peoples. Some family groups did continue to live near the Salt River, but no large villages existed.
Father Eusebio Kino, an Italian Jesuit in the service of the Spanish Empire, was among the first Europeans to travel here in the 1600s and 1700s.
By this time, the valley was within the territory of New Spain, which was controlled by Spain and later independent Mexico.
Father Kino named the river "Rio Salado" (Salt River) due to the water's high mineral content. He interacted with the few native peoples who remained in the valley but focused mostly on the Pima missions established in southern Arizona as well as exploring other parts of the Southwest and California.
Only southern Arizona experienced the full influence of Hispanic cultures - the Salt River Valley itself remained almost depopulated for several centuries.
Early United States period
American and European "Mountain Men" likely came through the area while exploring what is now central Arizona during the early 19th century.
They obtained valuable beaver and otter pelts; these animals, as well as deer and wolves, often lived in the Salt River Valley when water supplies and temperatures allowed.
When the Mexican-American War ended in 1848, most of Mexico's northern zone passed to US control and a portion of it was made the New Mexico Territory (this included what is now Phoenix) shortly afterward. The Gadsden Purchase was completed in 1853. The land was contested ground during the American Civil War.
Both the Confederate Arizona Territory, organized by Southern sympathizers in 1861 and with its capital in Tucson, and the United States Arizona Territory, formed by the US Congress in 1863, with its capital at Fort Whipple (now Prescott, Arizona) included the Salt River Valley within their borders. The valley was not militarily important, however, and did not witness conflict.
In 1863, the mining town of Wickenburg was the first to be established in what is now Maricopa County. At the time this county did not exist, as the land was within Yavapai County along with the other major town of Prescott.
The US Army created Fort McDowell on the Verde River in 1865 to quell Native American uprisings. Hispanic workers serving the fort established a camp on the south side of the Salt River by 1866 that was the first permanent settlement in the valley after the decline of the Hohokam. In later years, other nearby settlements would form and merge to become the city of Tempe, but this community was incorporated after Phoenix.
Founding of Phoenix
The history of Phoenix as a city begins with Jack Swilling, an American Civil War veteran who had come west to seek wealth in the 1850s and worked primarily in Wickenburg.
On an outing in 1867, he stopped to rest at the foot of the White Tank Mountains. Swilling observed the abandoned river valley and considered its potential for farming, much like that already cultivation by the military further east near Fort McDowell.
The terrain and climate were optimal; only a regular source of water was necessary. The existence of the old Hohokam ruins, showing clear paths for canals, made Swilling imagine new possibilities.
Swilling had a series of canals built which followed those of the ancient Native American system. A small community formed that same year about 4 miles (6 km) east of the present city.
It was first called Pumpkinville due to the large pumpkins that flourished in fields along the canals, then Swilling's Mill in his honor, though later renamed to Helling Mill, Mill City, and finally, East Phoenix.
Swilling, a former Confederate soldier, wanted to name the city "Stonewall," after General Stonewall Jackson. Others suggested the name of "Salina." However, neither name was supported by the community.
Finally, Lord Darrell Duppa suggested the name "Phoenix," as it described a city born from the ruins of a former civilization.
The Yavapai County Board of Supervisors, which at the time encompassed Phoenix, officially recognized the new town on May 4, 1868, and formed an election precinct. The first post office was established on June 15, 1868, with Jack Swilling serving as the postmaster.
With the number of residents growing (the 1870 US census reported about a total Salt River Valley population of 240), a townsite needed to be selected. On October 20, 1870, the residents held a meeting to decide where to locate it. A 320-acre (1.3 km²) plot of land was purchased in what is now the downtown business section.
On February 12, 1871, the territorial legislature created Maricopa County, the sixth one formed, by dividing Yavapai County. The first election for county office was held in 1871, when Tom Barnum was elected the first sheriff. Barnum ran unopposed as the other two candidates, John A. Chenowth and Jim Favorite, had a shootout that ended in Favorite's death and Chenowth withdrawing from the race.
Several lots of land were sold in 1870 at an average price of $48. The first church opened in 1871, as did the first store. Public school had its first class on September 5, 1872, in the courtroom of the county building. By October 1873, a small school was completed on Center Street (now Central Avenue).
Land entry was recorded by the Florence Land Office on November 19, 1873, and a declaratory statement filed in the Prescott Land Office on February 15, 1872.
President Ulysses S. Grant issued a land patent for the present site of Phoenix on April 10, 1874. The total value of the Phoenix Townsite was $550, with downtown lots selling for between $7 and $11 each. A short time later, a telegraph office, 16 saloons, four dance halls and two banks were open.
Modern Phoenix (1900-Present)
In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the National Reclamation Act allowing for dams to be built on western streams for reclamation purposes.
Residents were quick to enhance this by organizing the Salt River Valley Water Users' Association on February 7, 1903, to manage the water and power supply. The agency still exists today as part of the Salt River Project.
The Roosevelt Dam east of the valley was completed in 1911. Several new lakes were formed in the surrounding mountain ranges. In the Phoenix area, the river dried out, taking with it the large populations of migrating birds, beaver dams, and cottonwood trees that had lived on its waters.
On February 14, 1912, under President William Howard Taft, Phoenix became the capital of the newly formed state of Arizona.
Phoenix was considered preferable as both territorial and state capital due to its more central location as compared to Tucson or Prescott. It was smaller than Tucson but outgrew that city within the next few decades to become the state's largest.
In 1913, Phoenix adopted a new form of government from mayor-council to council-manager, making it one of the first cities in the United States with this form of city government.
During World War II, Phoenix's economy shifted to that of a distribution center, rapidly turning into an embryonic industrial city with mass production of military supplies. Luke Field, Williams Field, and Falcon Field, coupled with the giant ground-training center at Hyder, west of Phoenix, brought thousands of new people into Phoenix.
The Papago Park Prisoner of War Camp was established for captured Axis troops located just east of the city. Only a few of its former buildings remain today.
In 1944, dozens of POWs had devised a plan to escape from the camp and use boats to go down the Salt and Gila Rivers to reach Mexico.
They were apparently unaware that the Salt River had been dry for decades and were thus easily apprehended near the camp.
Another notorious incident took place on Thanksgiving night of 1942, when a large number of US troops stationed near Phoenix rioted while resisting arrest by military police due to engaging in a fight.
The military police surrounded and blocked off a predominantly African American part of the city that the troops had escaped to in order to hide. They then dispersed armored personnel carriers and used 50-caliber machine guns on civilian homes.
Several fatalities resulted. The Colonel of Luke Field soon declared Army personnel banned from Phoenix, which pressured civic leaders to reform local government by firing a number of corrupt officials, in turn getting the ban lifted.
This same bipartisan effort also successfully convinced the city council to give more power to the city manager to run the government and spend public funds.
A fire in October 1947 destroyed most of the streetcar fleet, making the city choose between implementing a new street railway system or using buses.
The latter were selected, and automobiles remained the city's preferred method of transportation.
By 1950, over 100,000 people lived within the city and thousands more in surrounding communities. There were 148 miles (238 km) of paved streets and 163 miles (262 km) of unpaved streets.
Over the next several decades, the city and metropolitan area attracted more growth. Nightlife and civic events concentrated along Central Avenue. By the 1970s, however, there was rising crime and a decline in business within the downtown core.
Arizona Republic writer Don Bolles was murdered by a car bomb in the city in 1976. It was believed that his investigative reporting on organized crime in Phoenix made him a target. The case remains unsolved.
Street gangs and the drug trade had turned into public safety issues by the 1980s. Van Buren Street in downtown became associated with prostitution. The city's crime rates in many categories have improved since that time, but still exceed state and national averages. The illegal immigrant population is of undetermined size but estimated to be large and growing.
After the Salt River flooded in 1980 and damaged many bridges, the Arizona Department of Transportation and Amtrak worked together and temporarily operated a train service, the "Hattie B." line, between central Phoenix and the southeast suburbs.
It was discontinued because of high operating costs and a lack of interest from local authorities in maintaining funding.
The "Phoenix Lights" sightings took place in March 1997.
The Baseline Killer and Serial Shooter crime sprees occurred in Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa. Steele Indian School Park was the site of a mid-air collision between two news helicopters in July 2007.
Phoenix's METRO light rail system, with a December 2008 completion date, is one of the city leaders' most visible efforts to revitalize downtown and manage the area's urban sprawl. Population growth accelerated in the city during the late 20th century and into the 21st century.
Only the Las Vegas metropolitan area in Nevada has experienced more development.
Geography
Phoenix is located at 33°26'54" North, 112°4'26" West (33.448457°, -112.073844°) in the Salt River Valley, or "Valley of the Sun", in central Arizona.
It lies at a mean elevation of 1,117 feet (340 m), in the northern reaches of the Sonoran Desert.
The Salt River course runs westward through the city of Phoenix; the riverbed is normally dry except when excess runoff forces the release of water from the six dams upriver.
The city of Tempe has built two inflatable dams in the Salt River bed to create a year-round recreational lake, called Tempe Town Lake.
The dams are deflated to allow the river to flow unimpeded during releases.
The Phoenix area is surrounded by the McDowell Mountains to the northeast, the White Tank Mountains to the west, the Superstition Mountains far to the east, and the Sierra Estrella to the southwest.
Within the city are the Phoenix Mountains and South Mountains.
Current development (as of 2005) is pushing beyond the geographic boundaries to the north and west, and south through Pinal County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 475.1 square miles (1,230.5 km²); 474.9 square miles (1,229.9 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km², or 0.05%) of it is water.
The Phoenix Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) (officially known as the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale MSA), is the 13th largest in the United States, with a total population of 4,039,182 as of the June 2006 update of the 2000 U.S. Census.
It includes the Arizona counties of Maricopa and Pinal. Other cities in the MSA include Mesa, Scottsdale, Glendale, Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, and Peoria. Several smaller communities are also included, such as Cave Creek, Queen Creek, Buckeye, Goodyear, Fountain Hills, Litchfield Park, Anthem, Sun Lakes, Sun City, Sun City West, Avondale, Surprise, El Mirage, Paradise Valley, and Tolleson.
The communities of Ahwatukee, Arcadia, Deer Valley, Maryvale and others are part of the city of Phoenix, Ahwatukee being separated from the rest of the city by South Mountain.
As with most of Arizona, Phoenix does not observe daylight savings time. In 1973, Gov. Jack Williams argued to Congress that energy use would increase in the evening, as refrigeration units were not used as often in the morning on standard time.
He went on to say that energy use would rise "because there would be more lights on in the early morning."
He was also concerned about children going to school in the dark, which indeed they were.
The exception to this are lands of the Navajo Nation in Northeastern Arizona, which observe daylight saving time in conjunction with the rest of their tribal lands in other states.
Climate
The Phoenix skyline.
Phoenix has an arid climate, and its average annual maximum temperature is the highest of any major US city.
In fact, out of the world's large urban areas, only some cities around the Persian Gulf, such as Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Baghdad, Iraq, and some cities in Pakistan such as Multan and Karachi have comparable summer temperatures.
The temperature reaches or exceeds 100°F (38°C) on an average of 89 days during the year, including most days from early June through early September. On June 26, 1990, the temperature reached an all-time high of 122°F (50°C).
Overnight lows greater than 80°F occur frequently each summer, with the average July low being 83°F and the average August low being 82°F. The all-time highest low temperature was 96°F (36°C), which occurred on July 15, 2003.
The dry desert air makes the hot temperatures more tolerable early in the season, but the influx of monsoonal moisture, which generally begins in early July and lasts until mid-September, raises humidity levels and discomfort due to mugginess.
For the most part, the winter months are mild to warm with daily high temperatures ranging from the mid 60's to low 70's, and the daily low temperatures in the 40's to low 50's.
In the outer suburbs, however, overnight lows average in the 30's to low 40's.
It has been as warm as the low 90's in winter, although it is rare. It also on rare occasions drops into the 20's at night.
Phoenix averages 85% of possible sunshine and receives scant rainfall, the average annual total at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport being 8.3 inches (210 mm).
March is the wettest month of the year (1.07 inches or 27 mm) with June being the driest (0.09 inches or 2 mm). Although thunderstorms are possible at any time of the year, they are most common during the monsoon from July to mid-September as humid air surges in from the Gulf of California.
These can bring strong winds, large hail, or rarely, tornadoes. Winter storms moving inland from the Pacific Ocean occasionally produce significant rains but occur infrequently. Fog is observed from time to time during the winter months.
On average, Phoenix has only 5 days per year where the temperature drops to or below freezing.
The long-term mean date of the first frost is December 15 and the last is February 1; however, these dates do not represent the city as a whole because the frequency of freezes increases the further one moves outward from the urban heat island.
Frequently, outlying areas of Phoenix see frost, but the airport does not. The earliest frost on record occurred on November 3, 1946, and the latest occurred on April 4, 1945.
The all-time lowest temperature in Phoenix was recorded at 16°F (-8.8°C) on January 7, 1913.
Snow is extremely rare in the area.
Snowfall was first officially recorded in 1896, and since then, accumulations of 0.1 inches (0.25 cm) or greater have occurred only seven times.
The heaviest snowstorm on record dates to January 20-January 21, 1937, when 1 to 4 inches fell (2 to 10 cm) in parts of the city and did not melt entirely for four days.
Prior to that, 1 inch (2.5 cm) had fallen on January 20, 1933. On February 2, 1939, 0.5 inches (1 cm) fell.
Most recently, 0.4 inches (1 cm) fell on December 21-December 22, 1990. Snow also fell on March 12, 1917, November 28, 1919, and December 11, 1985.
Demographics
City of Phoenix
Population by year |
1890 |
3,152 |
1900 |
5,544 |
1910 |
11,314 |
1920 |
29,053 |
1930 |
48,118 |
1940 |
65,414 |
1950 |
106,818 |
1960 |
439,170 |
1970 |
581,562 |
1980 |
789,704 |
1990 |
983,403 |
2000 |
1,321,045 |
2005 |
1,461,575 |
2006 |
1,512,986 |
According to the 2000 census, there were 1,321,045 people, 465,834 households, and 307,450 families residing in the city.
The population density was 2,782 people per square mile (1,074/km²). There were 495,832 housing units at an average density of 1,044 per square mile (403/km²).
There were 465,834 households out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were heterosexual married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families.
25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.39.
In the city the population age distribution was 28.9% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older.
The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 103.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $41,207, and the median income for a family was $46,467.
Males had a median income of $32,820 versus $27,466 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,833. 15.8% of the population and 11.5% of families were below the poverty line.
Out of the total population, 21.0% of those under the age of 18 and 10.3% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
As of 2000, the racial makeup of the Phoenix was 71.1% White, 5.1% African American, 2.0% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 16.4% from other races, and 3.3% from two or more races.
34.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.[29] Since the 2000 census, the non-Hispanic White population in Phoenix dropped below 50%, according to William Frey, a demographer with the Brookings Institution.
In 2000, the Phoenix metro area's religious composition was reported as 45% Catholic, 13% LDS (concentrated heavily in the suburb of Mesa) and 5% Jewish.
The remaining 37% are largely members of Protestant denominations or are unaffiliated.
Phoenix is currently America's second fastest growing city after Las Vegas, its population has increased at least 24.2 percent since 2000.
Performing Arts
Found throughout the Phoenix area, but primarily in and around downtown Phoenix and in Scottsdale, are several performing arts venues, including the Phoenix Symphony Hall.
Groups such as Arizona Opera and Ballet Arizona perform there.
Concerts also regularly make stops in the area. US Airways Center in downtown Phoenix, Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, and the Dodge theater (also in downtown Phoenix) are usually the venues for concerts.
Museums
Several museums are scattered around the valley.
One of the museums is the Heard Museum just north of downtown. From its start as a small museum, the Heard has grown in size and stature to where now it is recognized internationally for the quality of its collections of Native American art, its educational programming and its festivals.
The current collection of the Heard Museum consists of over 40,000 items, and it has over 130,000 square feet (12,000 m²) of gallery, classroom and performance space.
Some of the signature exhibits include a full Navajo hogan, the Mareen Allen Nichols Collection containing 260 pieces of contemporary jewelry, the Barry Goldwater Collection of 437 historic Hopi kachina dolls, and an exhibit on the 19th century boarding school experiences of Native Americans.
The Heard Museum now attracts about 250,000 visitors a year.
Other notable museums include the Arizona Science Center, Fleischer Museum, Hall of Flame Firefighting Museum, Arizona Historical Society Museum, Phoenix Museum of History, the Phoenix Zoo, and the Pueblo Grande Museum and Cultural Park.
Sports
Phoenix is home to several professional sports franchises, including representatives of all four major professional sports leagues in the U.S. The first major franchise was the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA), which started play in 1968.
In 1997, the Phoenix Mercury was one of the original eight teams to launch the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Both teams play at US Airways Center. The Phoenix Flame of the International Basketball League will begin play in the spring of 2007.
The Arizona Cardinals moved to Phoenix from St. Louis, Missouri in 1988 and currently play in the NFL's National Football Conference - West Division.
The team, however, has never played in the city itself; they played at Sun Devil Stadium on the campus of Arizona State University in nearby Tempe until 2006, and now play at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. University of Phoenix Stadium hosted Super Bowl XLII on February 3, 2008, in which the New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots.
Phoenix also has an arena football team, the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League.
Games are played at US Airways Center downtown.
The Phoenix Coyotes of the National Hockey League moved to the area in 1996, and play at Jobing.com Arena, adjacent to University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. The city also boasts a minor league hockey team, the Phoenix Roadrunners of the ECHL, who play at the US Airways Center. This makes Phoenix one of the few cities where minor and major league teams in the same sport coexist.
The Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (National League-West Division) began play as an expansion team in 1998. The team plays at Chase Field (downtown).
In 2001, the Diamondbacks defeated the New York Yankees 4 games to 3 in the World Series, becoming not only the city's first professional sports franchise to win a national championship, but also the youngest expansion franchise in U.S. professional sports to ever do so.
Additionally, due to the favorable climate, nine Major League Baseball teams conduct spring training in the metro area, as well as nearby Tucson.
These teams are collectively known as the Cactus League.
The Phoenix International Raceway is a major venue for two NASCAR auto racing events per season.
Boat racing, drag racing, and road course racing are also held at Firebird International Raceway.
Sprint car racing is held at Manzanita Speedway.
Phoenix has also hosted the Insight Bowl at Chase Field until 2005, after which it moved to nearby Tempe, as well as several major professional golf events, including the LPGA's Safeway International and The Tradition of the Champions Tour. Phoenix was originally scheduled to host the 2006 NHL All-Star Game, but it was canceled due to the 2006 Winter Olympics (the recently adopted NHL collective bargaining agreement prohibits the All-Star Game to be held during Olympic years).
Instead, Phoenix will host the 2009 All-Star Game.
Phoenix's Ahwatukee American Little League reached the 2006 Little League World Series as the representative from the U.S. West region.
Phoenix is one of the three cities that hosts the annual Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon in January.
As of 2007 Phoenix is the largest North American city not to contain a team in any of the four tiers of professional soccer.
There is a plan to try and bring Major League Soccer to the city in the shape of the proposed team Phoenix Rising.
Phoenix is currently one of thirteen cities across the United States and Canada that are aiming to claim one of two places scheduled to be made available through expansion before 2010.
The plan currently includes a suggested $150 million 25,000 soccer specific stadium with retractable roof.
Parks and recreation
Phoenix is home to a large number of parks and recreation areas such as the Castles N' Coasters amusement park and South Mountain Park, the world's largest municipal park with 16,500 acres.
Phoenicians also have access to Camelback Mountain, Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park and Sunnyslope Mountain, aka "S" Mountain. Other parks in the area include the Desert Botanical Garden, Encanto Park, Papago Park, and the Phoenix Mountains Park and Recreation Area.
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, Arizona State University's The State Press, and the College Times.
For 40 years, The Bachelor's Beat, a paid weekly newspaper, has covered local politics while selling ads for area strip clubs and escort services.
The Phoenix metro area is served by many local television stations and is the 13th largest designated market area (DMA) in the U.S. with 1,725,000 homes (1.55% 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 (MNTV), KASW 61 (CW) and KAET 8 (PBS, operated by ASU).
Other network television affiliates operating in the area include 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 and talk radio interests.
Several major feature films have been filmed in the city, including Waiting to Exhale, Song of the South, The Gauntlet, Psycho, Raising Arizona, Jerry Maguire, The Prophecy, Used Cars, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (used as a stand-in for San Dimas, California), U Turn, Eight Legged Freaks, Private Lessons, Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie, Never Been Thawed, Just One of the Guys, Terminal Velocity, Taxi, and The Banger Sisters.
Transportation
Air
Phoenix is served by Sky Harbor International Airport (IATA: PHX, ICAO: KPHX), which is centrally located in the metro area near several major freeway interchanges east of downtown Phoenix. Sky Harbor is the ninth-busiest airport in the U.S. and 18th in the world for passenger traffic, handling more than 41 million travelers in 2006. The airport serves more than 100 cities with non-stop flights.
British Airways, Air Canada, WestJet, and Aeromexico are among several international carriers as well as American carrier US Airways providing flights to destinations such as London, Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico.
The Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (IATA: AZA, 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.
The airport has recently received substantial commercial service with Allegiant Air opening a focus city operation at the airport with non-stop service to over a dozen destinations.
Smaller airports that primarily handle private and corporate jets include Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (IATA: DVT, ICAO: KDVT), located in the Deer Valley district of northwest Phoenix, as well as municipal airports in several area suburbs.
Public transportation
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, which is scheduled for completion in 2008.
As of 2004 (when Houston, Texas started running its METRO light rail), Phoenix has been the largest US city devoid of a rail transit system. Interest has also been expressed in Phoenix and several neighboring cities for the creation of a commuter rail system operating on existing railroad lines.
Amtrak no longer serves Phoenix Union Station; Phoenix is the largest city in the United States with no downtown intercity passenger rail service. The Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle stop three times a week at Maricopa, thirty miles south of downtown Phoenix.
(For shuttle and other travel information, see the Texas Eagle site). Amtrak Thruway buses connect Sky Harbor to Flagstaff for connection with the daily Southwest Chief service to Los Angeles and Chicago.
Phoenix is served by Greyhound bus service, with the station at 24th Street located near the airport.
