What Phoenix Has to Offer

Fast Facts

• Phoenix is the United States' fifth-largest city with a population of nearly 1.4 million.

   

• Greater Phoenix has a population of 3.4 million and covers 2,000 square miles.

   

• Maricopa County-where Greater Phoenix is located-covers 9,127 square miles.

   

• Phoenix's elevation is 1,117 feet.

   

• Greater Phoenix is located in the heart of the Sonoran Desert.

   

• Phoenix has an average annual rainfall of 7.66 inches, an average annual high temperature of 85 degrees and averages 300 sun-filled days per year.

   

• Phoenix hosted the NFL's Super Bowl XXX, January 28, 1996 and will be the home to the 2008 Super Bowl also.

   

• Phoenix hosted the 2001 World Series and is the home of the World Series Champion Arizona Diamondbacks.

   

• Phoenix was selected the "Best-Run City in the World" in 1993 by the Carl Bertelsmann Foundation and the "Best Managed" city by Governing magazine in 2000.

   

• The area's major industries are 1) high-tech manufacturing, 2) tourism, 3) construction.

   

• Greater Phoenix has consistently ranked among the nation's top cities in the number of Five and Four Diamond / Five and Four Star resorts.

   

• Metro Phoenix has more than 55,000 hotel rooms.

   

• Greater Phoenix is home to over 200 golf courses.

   

• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is served by 23 airlines.

   

• More than 13 million people visit Phoenix each year. More than 29 million people visit Arizona each year.

   

• Visitors to Greater Phoenix account for about $6 billion in expenditures each year.

   

• The typical visitor to Phoenix is 53 years old, has an average annual income of $50,000 and will spend 5.4 nights in the metro area.

   

• 62 percent of all Greater Phoenix visitors are leisure travelers, while 38 percent visit for convention or business reasons.

   

• 8 out of 10 Greater Phoenix visitors plan to return for future visits.

   

• Metro Phoenix is home to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (college football festival), The Insight Bowl (college football), Arizona Cardinals (NFL), Arizona Diamondbacks (MLB), Phoenix Suns (NBA), Phoenix Coyotes (NHL), Arizona Rattlers (arena football) and the Phoenix Mercury (WNBA).

   

• Phoenix joined the ranks of Major League Baseball cities in 1998 when the Arizona Diamondbacks began play at Bank One Ballpark.

   

• Three pro golf tournaments have regular stops in Phoenix: The FBR Phoenix Open (PGA), The Safeway International LPGA Tournament, the Standard Register Turquoise Classic (LPGA) and The Nationwide Tour Stop’s Gila River Classic.

   

• Greater Phoenix plays host to nine major league baseball teams each spring as part of the Cactus League. The San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners, Oakland Athletics, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers and Anaheim Angels conduct their annual training programs in the metro area while the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies and the Chicago White Sox train in Tucson.

   

• Phoenix is home to many different motor sports. Included are Indy Car and NASCAR events at Phoenix International Raceway, drag racing at Manzanita Speedway and boat racing at Firebird International Raceway.

   

• Phoenix is home to the largest municipal park in the world. South Mountain Park covers more than 20,000 acres. The area has more than 1,700 acres of traditional park land.

   

• There are six lakes within a 75-minute drive of Phoenix.

   

• Phoenix has museums to suit nearly every taste. The Heard Museum (Native American); Desert Botanical Garden (the world's largest collection of desert plants); Taliesin West (home of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation); the Phoenix Art Museum (the Southwest's largest art museum); The Fleischer Museum (American Impressionism); The Arizona Science Center; The Hall of Flame (featuring the world's largest collection of fire-fighting equipment); Pueblo Grande Museum and Cultural Park (Native American) and the Phoenix Museum of History are among the cultural hot spots.

   

• The Heard Museum has an extensive collection of Native American artifacts, including the largest kachina doll collection-donated in part by the late Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater-of any museum in the country.

   

• Arizona is home to 23 reservations representing 21 different Native American tribes.

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To Do and See

Arts

Show Up.com - Find theatre, music, dance, art and more! Calendar events, purchase tickets online and more.

Arizona Science Center - The Arizona Science Center offers many quality educational services and resources for educators and families, both at the Center and out in the community. And it's conveniently located in the heart of downtown.

Heard Museum - Experience the Southwest at this world famous museum featuring Native American art and cultures. Children's hands-on activities and tours available. Museum Shop has unique items

Taliesen West - Taliesin West was built by Frank Lloyd Wright and his apprentices in the 1930s and was constantly expanded and modified by the architect until his death in 1959. Wright and his apprentices literally created Taliesin West out of the desert by gathering rocks from the desert floor and sand from the washes to keep the design in balance with the surrounding environment

Heritage Square - This collection of historic buildings date back to the late 1880s and were part of Phoenix's original development. They include the Victorian Rosson House, Carriage House, Teeter House Tea Room and the Arizona Doll & Toy Museum.

Phoenix Museum of History - The Phoenix Museum of History is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and exhibiting the early history of Phoenix. Visitors of all ages enjoy interactive and educational exhibits showcasing Phoenixís metamorphosis from a dusty desert town to a modern metropolis

Phoenix Art Museum - The largest in the Southwest, the Museum features over 16,000 works in its collection of American, European, Asian, Latin American, Contemporary, and Western American art, and fashion design

Pueblo Grande Museum - Near downtown Phoenix, the museum showcases life as it was 2,000 years ago in the Sonoran Desert. The Indians we now call the Hohokam settled in the area about the time of Christ, and disappeared mysteriously around AD 1450

Shopping

Scottsdale Fashion Square
Scottsdale Fashion Square is the Southwest's largest shopping destination and distinctive address for premier shopping, dining and entertainment. Scottsdale Fashion Square offers a collection of more than 225 retailers, 50 of which are exclusive to Arizona.

Shops at Gainey Village
Keeping in harmony with the surrounding area of exclusive Gainey Ranch, The Shops at Gainey Village, offers a series of linked outdoor plazas and buildings reflecting an upscale rustic "village" atmosphere. Reminiscent of the historic roots of the original Gainey Ranch, the plazas also feature inviting pedestrian paving patterns with abundant landscape.

Borgata of Scottsdale
The Borgata of Scottsdale is a shopping experience of local and national specialty shops and restaurants. Find unique merchandise at The Borgata in a setting straight from the Tuscan village of San Gimignano with cobblestone walkways, fountains and an open-air setting, offering residents and visitors a bit of Renaissance Italy in the sunny Southwest.

Dining Downton

There are a plethora of wonderful places to dine in and around Phoenix. Here is a PDF that lists the top restaurants and gives you a brief description of each along with price range, contact information and rating. A BITE TO EAT OR DRINK

Family Friendly

Botanical Garden
The Desert Botanical Garden offers the world's finest collection of arid-land plants from deserts around the world in a unique outdoor setting. The Garden has more than 50,000 accessioned plants throughout its five thematic trails, which illustrate topics such as conservation, desert living, plants and people of the Sonoran Desert and desert wildflowers

Phoenix Zoo
Voted in the top 5 zoos in the country for kids! Conveniently located, the Phoenix Zoo is home to more than 1,300 animals, including 200 endangered or threatened birds, mammals and reptiles from around the world.

Rawhide Wild West Town
A great place for locals and tourists who want a taste of the (fun) Old West. Highlights include street skits and mock gunfights, train rides through the desert, a petting zoo and stage show, and an old-timey saloon and steakhouse

Deer Valley Rock Art Center
Walking the pathway at the center is like being between two worlds. This was a place where Native Americans traveled over the centuries to make tools and etch petroglyphs in basalt boulders nestled in the hills. The center features a museum, nature & interpretive trails and rock sites with over 1,500 petroglyphs

Scenic Drives

Apache Trail - This scenic drive (about 30 minutes from downtown Phoenix) snakes along a chain of peaceful lakes on the Salt River

Sedona - Ride the red rock road to Sedona, with stops along the way for sightseeing and pie.

Northern, Central and Southern Drives - Sweeping scenic panoramas set under clear turquoise skies await road trippers in the Grand Canyon State. Come see why Arizona is still the land of scenic drives.

Golfing

The city and its immediate surrounds are blessed with 200 courses, all of them delightful, most of them within a half-hour’s drive of each other, and more than half of them possessed of ranking awards for either design excellence, beauty, service, facilities, playing conditions or value.

Watch the official Phoenix Golf Commercial

Camelback - Camelback Golf Club, one of Arizona’s original gems, features 36 holes of championship golf located in beautiful Scottsdale. Accompanied by a gorgeous 36,000 sq ft club house, top ranked Golf Shop, and lounge, all nestled in a parklike setting that promises a demanding and dynamic adventure

Continental - One of Scottsdale's favorite golf spots, Continental offers a fun round of golf in less than 3 1/2 hours. Conveniently located near Old Town, Continental is a great golf haven with gorgeous natural surrounding that will satify any golfer.

Desert Canyon - 18-hole championship course that features elevated tees coupled with a variety of elevation changes. Each hole plays to a backdrop of pristine sky and beautiful mountain views.

Gainey Ranch -A golfer's paradise in the Valley of the Sun. Against a backdrop of colorful mesas and towering saguaro cacti, 27 holes of championship golf grace the grounds of the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale. The private Gainey Ranch Golf Club was designed by Benz & Poellot and is exclusively available to Hyatt guests.

Grayhawk -Since opening in 1994, Grayhawk Golf Club has quickly become recognized as a premier player on the southwestern golf scene. Nestled within the natural beauty of the Sonoran desert, Scottsdale's acclaimed Grayhawk Golf Club offers two of the Southwest's most enjoyable and challenging golf experiences: the par-72 Talon course and the par-72 Raptor course

Kierlander - Features championship golf coupled with the luxury of a fine Scottsdale golf destination.  Surrounded by sweeping vistas of Camelback Mountain, Pinnacle Peak, and The McDowell Mountains, Kierland Golf Club is punctuated by the expansive and dramatic beauty of the Scottsdale, Arizona desert.

Legend Trail - Legend Trail Golf Club, designed by Rees Jones, offers bent grass greens and an amiable challenge that seems to capture a bit of the Old West spirit and certainly the special essence of the Southwest Sonoran style of golf.

McCormick Ranch - Our Palm Course features ten water holes and, as its name suggests, showcases many large palm trees. The Pine Course has many mature pine trees and is a bit more narrow. Both courses were designed by renowned golf course architect Desmond Muirhead and opened in 1972.

Mountain Shadow - a par 56, 3,081-yard executive course, which seemingly plays directly into Camelback Mountain, lined with both oleanders and palm trees to guide you through each shot.

Orange Tree - With 160 large, beautifully appointed non-smoking suites and a USGA-rated golf course, Orange Tree Golf Resort is the ideal destination for a relaxing vacation or a special event.

The Phoenecian - Combining playability with aesthetic beauty, The Phoenician's 27-hole USGA championship facility is comprised of three memorable nines, each named for its surrounding landscape - Canyon, Desert and Oasis. Pristine desert views, lush tropical scenery, water features, and all of the amenities that make golf a pleasure, await you during your round at The Phoenician.

Sanctuary - Sanctuary is more than a stunning 18-hole daily-fee Scottsdale golf course. Sanctuary at Westworld is the first golf course in Arizona and the 17th course in the world to attain the coveted Audubon Signature Status.

Scottsdale Silverado - a daily-fee, public golf facility, is quite simply Greater Phoenix`s best golf value. With its Par 70, 18-hole championship layout, The Scottsdale Silverado Golf Club offers golfers a challenging and enjoyable golf experience in a beautiful setting.

Starfire - Located in north central Scottsdale, Starfire Golf Club offers beautiful views of the McDowell Mountains as players wind through the 27 holes lined with many mature eucalyptus, pine and cottonwood trees

Talking Stick - Talking Stick Golf Club is located on and is owned by the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. The North course has Scottish-style bunkers, while the South course incorporates tree-lined fairways, thereby creating a more traditional layout.

Tournament Players Club - TPC of Scottsdale is home to the PGA TOUR's FBR Open, the "Greatest Show on Grass" and the largest attended golf event in the world. Stadium course: 18 holes, Par 71 7,216 yds

Troon North - Troon North Golf Club boasts two nationally recognized courses, the Monument and Pinnacle. Both courses offer outstanding designs in the heart of the high Sonoran Desert

Relocating to Phoenix? Start Here...

Greater Phoenix 2005 Guide - Receive free, full color guides so that you can start planning your Greater Phoenix getaway. Guides include Greater Phoenix, Dining, Relocation, Golf, Best of Arizona and Arts Brochures. For information in an instant, please click here to order your free, customized E-brochure.

Planning a Move
If you're thinking of moving here, you can count on the GPCVB's members for assistance. For additional information on jobs, housing, neighborhoods, schools, cost of living, check out the online Relocation Guide for all of the resources you need to start planning your new Arizona lifestyle.

Demographics, Transportation, Energy and More -The Greater Phoenix Economic Council provides informative details on demographics, labor force, environment, energy and transportation.With more than 350 pages of up-to-date information in several convenient formats, you're sure to find what you are looking for here.

Copper Square - Day or night, Copper Square, in the heart of Downtown Phoenix, is alive with the energy of the desert. This 90-square-block, revitalized district around the Convention Center occupies a key place in Phoenix's history and future as well.

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Arizona Communities

Part of what makes Greater Phoenix an outstanding destination is the social mosic created by our nearby communities. You don't have to travel far to experience and appreciate the subtle nuances and differences that make towns such as Scottsdale, Carefree, Glendale and others distinct and uniquely appealing. To get you facilitated with the many cities and communities of Arizona, download this printable PDF

Paradise Valley 

Carefree and Cave Creek

Fountain Hills

Glendale

Avondale

Mesa

Tempe

Chandler

Gilbert