Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is the capital and most populous city of Arizona, with 1,626,078 people (as of 2017). It is also the fifth most populous city in the United States and the most populous American state capital and the only state capital with a population of more than one million residents. Known for its year-round sun and warm temperatures, it anchors a sprawling, multicity metropolitan area known as the Valley of the Sun. It's known for high-end spa resorts, Jack Nicklaus–designed golf courses and vibrant nightclubs. Other highlights include the Desert Botanical Garden, displaying cacti and numerous native plants. 

Phoenix is the anchor of the Phoenix metropolitan area, also known as the Valley of the Sun, which in turn is part of the Salt River Valley. The metropolitan area is the 11th largest by population in the United States, with approximately 4.73 million people as of 2017. In addition, Phoenix is the seat of Maricopa County and the largest city in the state at 517.9 square miles (1,341 km2), more than twice the size of Tucson and one of the largest cities in the United States.

Phoenix was settled in 1867 as an agricultural community near the confluence of the Salt and Gila Rivers and was incorporated as a city in 1881. It became the capital of Arizona Territory in 1889.[9] It is located in the northeastern reaches of the Sonoran Desert and has a hot desert climate. Despite this, its canal system led to a thriving farming community with many of the original crops remaining important parts of the Phoenix economy for decades, such as alfalfa, cotton, citrus and hay. Cotton, cattle, citrus, climate and copper were known locally as the "Five C's" of Phoenix's economy. These remained the driving forces of the city until after World War II, when high-tech companies began to move into the valley and air conditioning made Phoenix's hot summers more bearable.

The city averaged a four percent annual population growth rate over a 40-year period from the mid-1960s to the mid-2000s.This growth rate slowed during the Great Recession of 2007–09 and has rebounded slowly. Phoenix is the cultural center of the state Arizona.