Tempe, Arizona
City of Tempe, Arizona | |
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 Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Maricopa |
| Incorporated | November 29, 1894 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Hugh Hallman (R) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 40.2 sq mi (102.30 km2) |
| • Land | 40.1 sq mi (103.8 km2) |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,140 - 1,495 ft (347.47 - 455.68 m) |
| Population (2006) | |
| • Total | 169,712 |
| • Density | 4,067.7/sq mi (1,570.6/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST (no DST)) |
| ZIP code | 85281, 85282, 85283, 85284, 85285, 85287 |
| Area code | 480 |
| FIPS code | 04-73000 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0012233 |
| Website | http://www.tempe.gov/ |
Tempe (Template:PronEng; Oidbaḍ in Pima) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with a 2006 population of 169,712.[1] The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley portion of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area; it is bordered by Phoenix on the west, Scottsdale on the north, Chandler on the south, and Mesa on the east. Tempe is the home of US Airways, Arizona State University, and, until 2007, the Arizona Cardinals.
History
The Hohokam initially lived in this area and built canals to support their agriculture. They abandoned their settlements during the 1400s, with a few individuals and families remaining nearby.
Fort McDowell was established on the upper Salt River in 1865 allowing for new towns to be built further down the Salt River. US military servicemembers and Hispanic workers were hired to grow food and animal feed to supply the fort, and less than a year later, had set up small camps near the river that were the first permanent communities in the Valley after the fall of the Hohokam. (Phoenix was settled shortly afterward, by 1867-68.) The two settlements were 'Hayden's Ferry', named after a ferry service operated by the family of the future Arizona US Senator Carl Hayden, and 'San Pablo', and were located west and east of Hayden Butte respectively. The ferry became the key river crossing in the area. The Tempe Irrigating Canal Company was soon established to provide water for alfalfa, wheat, barley, oats, and cotton.
Pioneer Darrell Duppa is credited with suggesting Tempe's name, adopted in 1879, after comparing the Salt River valley near a 300-foot-tall butte, to the Vale of Tempe near Mount Olympus in Greece.
In 1885, Arizona Territorial Legislature chose Tempe for the site of the Territorial Normal School, which became Arizona Normal School, Arizona State Teachers College, Arizona State College and finally Arizona State University.
The Maricopa and Phoenix Railroad, built in 1887, crossed the Salt River at Tempe, linking the town to the nation's growing transportation system. The Tempe Land and Improvement Company was formed to sell lots in the booming town. Tempe became an economic hub for the surrounding agricultural area. The city incorporated in 1894.
The completion of Roosevelt Dam in 1911 guaranteed enough water to meet the growing needs of Valley farmers. On his way to dedicate the dam, former President Theodore Roosevelt applauded the accomplishments of the people of central Arizona and predicted that their towns would be prosperous cities in the future. Less than a year later, Arizona was admitted as the 48th state, and the Salt River Valley continued to develop.
In the 20th and 21st centuries, Tempe has not only expanded as a suburb of Phoenix but also an important center of education and commerce in its own right.
- Tempe is so much better than Phoenix. Just as the Phoenix municipality can attest to, seeing as how they stole the Fiesta Bowl from us and are jealous of the New Year's Eve Block Party. So, please don't call it a suburb. 68.49.168.90 (talk) 20:21, 14 June 2008 (UTC)sundevil96
Economy
Tempe is the headquarters and executive office of US Airways (formerly America West Airlines) and home to the largest campus of Arizona State University. It was the longtime host of the Fiesta Bowl, although the BCS game moved to University of Phoenix Stadium, located in Glendale, in 2007.
On New Year's Eve, the city hosts the Insight Fiesta Bowl Block Party, one of the nation's largest New Year's Eve parties. The event typically has a national band heading a concert, along with several other local and national bands. It was also the site of one of the three Presidential debates in 2004 and Super Bowl XXX. Additionally, it is the spring training host city of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
One of Arizona's largest shopping malls, Arizona Mills, sits near the border with the town of Guadalupe. The city also serves as the first Arizona IKEA branch location, also near the southern boundary.
Mill Avenue, located just west of Hayden Butte, is a shopping and entertainment area in the city popular with pedestrians and students.
Education
Tempe is served by multiple school districts.
Most of Tempe is within the Tempe Elementary School District and the Tempe Union High School District; however, other portions are served by the Kyrene School District (K-8), Scottsdale Unified School District (K-12), and Mesa Public Schools (K-12).
Tempe also contains one of the state's three major universities, Arizona State University, as well as the Maricopa County Community College District administrative offices.
Demographics
As of the 2006 census estimate, there were 169,712 people, 63,602 households, and 33,645 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,959.4 people per square mile (1,528.8/km²). There were 67,068 housing units at an average density of 1,674.1/sq mi (646.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.51% White, 3.66% Black or African American, 2.01% Native American, 4.75% Asian, 0.29% Pacific Islander, 8.49% from other races, and 3.30% from two or more races. 17.95% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 63,602 households out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.4% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.1% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.8% under the age of 18, 21.3% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 106.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $42,361, and the median income for a family was $55,237. Males had a median income of $36,406 versus $28,605 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,406. About 7.5% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.6% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over. The reason for the high population poverty line is because there are a very large number of university students that live in Tempe, and does not reflect the overall income of the area.
Geography
Tempe is located at 33°25′46″N 111°56′35″W / 33.42944°N 111.94306°WInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (33.429484, -111.940164)Template:GR.
Within Tempe are the Tempe Buttes. The Salt River runs west through the northern part of Tempe; part of the river is dammed in two places to create Tempe Town Lake.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the landlocked city has a total area of 40.2 square miles (104.1 km²). The city of Tempe is bordered by Mesa to the east, Scottsdale to the north, Phoenix and Guadalupe to the west, and Chandler to the south. 40.1 square miles (103.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it is water. The total area is 0.32% water including Tempe Town Lake.
Tempe is generally flat, except for Hayden Butte (generally known as A-Mountain for Arizona State University's "A" logo located on its south face), located next to Sun Devil Stadium, Twin Buttes and Bell Butte on the western edge of Tempe, and Papago Park northwest of Tempe, inside Phoenix. Elevation ranges from 1140 feet at Tempe Town Lake to 1495 feet atop Hayden Butte.
Sports
There are currently no major league professional team sports in Tempe. However, from 1987 to 2006, Sun Devil Stadium hosted the Arizona Cardinals. They have since moved to the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. Many residents follow the teams in nearby Phoenix and Glendale. (For more information, read the sports section on the Phoenix page)
The Arizona State University Sun Devils compete in football, basketball, baseball, as well as a number of other sports in the Pac-10 Conference of the NCAA. The Sun Devils football team plays their games at Sun Devil Stadium, which had hosted the annual Fiesta Bowl, until the 2007 game moved to the new University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. Their nearest rival is the University of Arizona Wildcats, in Tucson. The two teams compete in the "Duel in the Desert" for control of the Territorial Cup.
The city also hosts the Insight Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium (since 2006).
Transportation
Tempe is the most densely-populated city in the state[citation needed] and serves as a crossroads for the area's largest communities.
Freeways make up the major transportation system for the Valley. Included in the system surrounding Tempe are Interstate 10 near the western edge as it traverses the Broadway Curve, Loop 202 crossing the northern side, Loop 101 following the eastern border, and U.S. Route 60 running east-west through the geographic center of the city.
Valley Metro operates bus routes and is building the METRO Light rail system that will serve Downtown Tempe and Arizona State University, providing service to Phoenix and Mesa when the initial segment opens in 2008. The City of Tempe also operates a free neighborhood circulator service called Orbit [1], five free shuttle routes near Arizona State University that operate on a regular basis seven days a week. Tempe residents and commuters make extensive use of public transit and service is offered on a more frequent basis than elsewhere in the state.
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, located 2 miles northwest of Tempe, provides extensive air service to points throughout North America and to London, England, and various cities in Hawaii.
Government
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Current Mayor: Hugh Hallman Current Vice Mayor: Hut Hutson Current City Manager: Charles Meyer Current Chief of Police: Tom Ryff Current Fire Chief: Cliff Jones Current City Attorney: Andrew Ching Current City Council Members: Ben Arredondo, Barbara Carter, Shana Ellis, Mark Mitchell, and Onnie Shekerjian
The city has had 27 mayors since 1894.
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Sister cities
Tempe has seven sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France
Carlow, Carlow, Ireland
Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Regensburg, Germany
Skopje, Macedonia
Zhenjiang, China
Timbuktu, Mali
Tempe has had a Sister City with Skopje, Macedonia, since 1971. The newest sister city is Carlow, Ireland, in 1998. Tempe has been voted "Best Overall Sister City Program" in 1998 and 2004. Each year, 28 candidates are given the opportunity to travel to one of the sister cities. Candidates undergo a rigorous interview process to travel to one of these countries completely free of charge. The Tempe Sister Cities Corporation is one made up of volunteers, and is one of the few Sister Cities programs in the United States that pays the full travel expenses for the trip.
References
- ^ "Table 1: Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places Over 100,000, Ranked by July 1, 2006 Population: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006" (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. 2007-06-28. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
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External links
- Official City Website
- Official Tempe Sister Cities Website
- Official Tempe Convention & Visitors Bureau Website
- Template:Wikitravel
Municipalities and communities of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
