 Although many people refer to the entire Greater Phoenix area as simply "Phoenix," the City of Phoenix is the nexus of everything. Phoenix is the state capital, and all the nonagricultural history of Arizona is concentrated here. One of the fastest growing cities in America, Phoenix recently achieved the status of the 5th largest in the country. Greater Phoenix includes about 23 cities and towns.
Incorporated as a city in 1881, Phoenix is geographically vast, covering about 470 square miles. As of 2007, the population of Phoenix stood at just over 150,000, with only 8.1 percent of residents older than 65 and 49 percent between the ages of 25 and 59. The median age for Phoenix residents is 31.5, nearly 5 years younger than the national average. Families represent 66 percent of the Phoenix population, with the median annual income running about $47,200. Almost 23 percent of the Phoenix population has at least one college degree. High tech, aerospace, and service industries comprise the majority of  industry in Phoenix. Major employers include Banner Health, Honeywell, Wells Fargo, and Target. Phoenix is home to a number of higher education institutions, including Arizona State University Downtown, Phoenix Community College, Ottawa University, DeVry University, Grand Canyon University, Apollo College, Western International University, and others. As you can imagine, there is LOTS to see and do in Phoenix. Some favorite attractions include the Arizona Science Center, Heard Museum, Desert Botanical Garden, Chase Field (home to the World Series champion Arizona Diamondbacks), Phoenix Zoo, Phoenix Art Museum, Wrigley Mansion, and the Phoenix Symphony. Phoenix is a very easy city to navigate, as it is laid out in one-mile grids between major streets. For example, it is exactly one mile between Camelback Road and Bethany Home Road.  Central Avenue is 0 when it comes to the numbering of street addresses, with Streets and Places located east of Central, while Avenues and Drives are found west of Central. Washington Street is 0 as far as North/South addresses go.
When looking for addresses, odd numbers are either on the south or east sides of the streets, depending on which way you're traveling; even numbers are on the north or west sides of the streets. Example: The address 2301 W. Dunlap Avenue is on the south side of Dunlap. Likewise, the address 4631 N. 7th Avenue is on the east side of 7th Avenue. This holds true in the entire greater Phoenix area, not just the City of Phoenix.
As of April 2009, the median price of a single-family home in the city of Phoenix is $163,900 and there are currently more than 9,000 properties on the market. However, there are more than 50,000 properties available in all of Greater Phoenix. Return to Greater Phoenix Areas page. |