Phoenix is the capital of the state of Arizona, the most populous city in the American Southwest. Warm and sunny winter weather have ensured a thriving tourism industry, and the city has become the region's primary political, cultural, economic, and transportation center. Phoenix is extremely hot and dry in the summertime, so always have sunscreen with you! It had about 1,625,000 residents in 2021, and is the fifth largest city in the United States.
Photos: Wikimedia Commons contributors.
Why would anybody want to start a city in the middle of a desert? The answer is, surprisingly, agriculture. The Salt and Verde Rivers of central Arizona were exploited for large-scale agriculture by Native Americans as early as the 11th century. The area that now encompasses Phoenix was a center of the Hohokam culture, which built large canal systems and a network of towns and villages, whose remains may be viewed in the city to this day. White settlers discovered the remnants of the Hohokam culture in the 19th century.
Like many metro areas in the Southwest, Phoenix and its surroundings are pretty car centric. If you plan to stay or visit any of the cities on the periphery of the metro area, a car will likely be required. However, if you plan to stick to the immediate Phoenix area (including Tempe), the Light Rail is a viable option, with an all-day adult pass costing $4. So if you are in the United States without a car, consider that. There are also rental scooters with drop-off points at almost every block in the city center.
The cultural, governmental, and business center of the city is Copper Square, which is striving to become one of the southwest's most distinctive urban centers. Copper Square was built around the original Phoenix historic town site. Its boundaries extend from Fillmore to south of Jackson Street, 7th Street to 3rd Avenue. Revitalization plans in the area are expected to cost more than $4 billion and aim to increase artistic, cultural and entertainment activity.
Winter visitors to the area will generally be looking for outdoor events. The area has many resorts with the relevant amenities, such as golf courses and the requisite pools and other activities on site. In the summer, due to the extreme heat, virtually everyone tries to avoid being outside more than necessary. 1 Castles N' Coasters, 9445 North Metro Parkway East (Car: Near I-17 and Dunlap, just southeast of Metrocenter Mall. Easily visible from the interstate; Transit: Valley Metro Rail and bus routes 27, 35, 90, and 106 to Metro Parkway Station (Thelda Willams Transit Center), then walk south along the outer (eastern) sidewalk of Metro Pkwy.), ☏ +1 602-997-7575.
For cheap eats, look out for many 24-hour Mexican food places such as Filiberto's and other restaurants offer a burrito the size of your forearm for less than $4. Chicago Hamburger Company, 3749 E Indian School Rd, ☏ +1 602-955-4137. M-Sa 10:30AM-8PM. "Home of the Original Windy City Slider" is the restaurant's slogan, and the small burgers (along with larger fare) are found here. A Chicago themed sandwich shop offering hot dogs, sandwiches and even Frito Pie (according to the menu, a former manager from Texas added it to the menu and they've left it on). This place is more what you would expect of a traditional burger joint than Delux Burger (listed below).
Phoenix as a metropolitan area offers a considerable amount of nightlife, though with the fact that the city is so spread out it can be difficult and dangerous to attempt traversing the city on a big night out. Generally, the nightlife is centered around the sub-cities of the metro area. Within Phoenix, bars tend to cluster within the Midtown or Downtown areas, while in the surrounding areas, Scottsdale offers a lively bar and club scene, Tempe is popular with students given the proximity to the University, and the city centers for Chandler and Glendale both offer some good options if you're in the suburbs.
Despite being a nice vacation destination, Phoenix is a major American city and as such does contain a fair amount of violent crime. Some parts of the city (and even a few parts of some of the suburbs) should be avoided at night. Downtown Phoenix is safe during the day, but does have a problem with the homeless/transients, some of whom approach well-dressed office workers and tourists asking for spare change.
Guide content from Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA) — abridged; the full article has much more.
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In Jul, Phoenix typically sees ~41°C daytime highs and 3 rainy days.
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