PHOENIX  The City of Phoenix is located in the heart of the Sonoran Desert. Phoenix has an average annual rainfall of 7.66 inches, an average annual temperature of 72.6 degrees and an annual high temperature of 85 degrees.  Arizona is home to 23 reservations representing 21 different Native American tribes.  Greater Phoenix consistently ranks among the nation’s top cities in the number of Five and Four Diamond and Five and Four Star resorts. More than 13.5 million people visit Phoenix each year. The typical visitor to Phoenix is 50 years old, has an average household income of $74,700 and spends 4.6 nights in the metro area. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is served by more than 20 airlines. Phoenix is home to the largest municipal park in the world. South Mountain Park and Preserve covers more than 16,500 acres and has more than 50 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails. 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 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.  Phoenix is home to both Indy Car and NASCAR events at Phoenix International Raceway and at Firebird International Raceway. 

INDUSTRY Greater Phoenix's major industries are (1) high-tech manufacturing, (2) tourism and (3) construction. Greater Phoenix is the corporate headquarters for companies such as Intel, Avnet, Motorola, AlliedSignal, Honeywell and Boeing.

Population:  Greater Phoenix (which includes, among others, the cities of Chandler, Glendale, Scottsdale and Tempe) has a population of nearly 3.8 million
Size:  Maricopa County—where Greater Phoenix is located—covers 9,127 square miles.
Elevation:  1,117 feet.