Phoenix, Arizona, is a town rich in culture and history. The city is home to both families with a long history and roots in the state of Arizona as well as numerous adventurers who have made the city their new home, either for the unlimited amount of sunshine, limited rainfall, numerous activities, or job opportunities. While there are many well-known facts about the city of Phoenix, below are some interesting ones you may or may not know about the city.
1. Phoenix Was Built on Ruins
The city’s name was given by pioneer Darrell Duppa, who upon first seeing the prehistoric canals of the Hohokam and ruins, stated that a city would soon rise above the ashes. He was right, and when the city was constructed it was built over the ruins of the previous area residents, with the Phoenix Civic Plaza found to have been built over dwellings dating back 3,000 years.
2. Phoenix is the Most-Populated State Capital
Pheonix is the fifth-largest city in the United States with a population over 1.6 million, making it the most populated state capital in the United States, well exceeding the runner-up Indianapolis with a population of 850,000. The city also sees more than 44 million visitors each year making it a city that is always bustling.
3. Phoenix is Located in the Wettest and Greenest Deserts in North America
The greater Phoenix area is located in the Sonoran Desert. While this is the reason for the beautiful sunshine and warm weather, it is one of the wettest deserts, meaning that Phoenix does see rain and has even seen a little snow. On average Phoenix will receive 3 to 15 inches of rainfall but will experience sunny skies 85 percent of the daylight hours. The average highs throughout the year are 67 degrees in winter, but there were two recorded incidents of snowfall in the city, once in the 1930s and in December 1990.
4. Sports Are Part of the Phoenix Tradition
The greater Phoenix area is known as a hub of sports activity with 15 Cactus League franchises. In 2015 alone, these major league baseball teams conducted their spring training in Phoenix and drew over 1.8 million fans. Some of the teams present included the Chicago Whitesox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and multiple others.
Phoenix’s State Farm Stadium, which features both a retractable roof and a roll-out grass field, was home to Superbowls XLII and XLIX and is the future site of SuperBowl LVII set to occur in 2023. The same site also hosted the 2017 NCAA men’s Final Four and is expected to host it again in 2023.
The city of Phoenix also has the unique status of being the only city to have a franchise with all four of the major professional sports leagues. The city is the home of the Phoenix Suns, the Arizona Diamondbacks, Arizona Cardinals, and Arizona Coyotes.
Find out for yourself all the unique and interesting things about the city of Phoenix by checking with the tourism bureau to learn more about the history, the unique sites to see, and amazing activities for all ages. And when you need a reliable way to get around and see this magnificent city, come and see the amazing team at Earnhardt Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram.
“Arizona” via Flickr by IIP Photo Archive. Used with permission via CC BY-SA 2.0 / cropped from original
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