About Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the largest and most populous city in the state of Arizona. It is also the state capital and the largest state capital in the United States in terms of population. Phoenix is the only state capital with a population of more than a million. It is also the county seat of Maricopa County. It is the largest city in the Mountain Time Zone as well as the second largest city in the Western United States after Los Angeles, California. It is the region's primary cultural, economic, and financial center, while its airport is a major transportation hub. Phoenix is located on the banks of what is now the normally dry Salt River (with the exception of Tempe Town Lake). The city was incorporated on February 25, 1881. The city's metropolitan area is also known by its nickname, "The Valley of the Sun" or the shortened "The Valley," because the city is surrounded by mountains on all sides. Residents of the city are known as Phoenicians. The city is currently the fifth largest city in the United States in terms of population with a 2007 estimated population of 1,552,259. During the 1990s Phoenix competed for the title of fifth largest city in the United States with Philadelphia. Its city proper is the tenth largest for land area in the United States at 517 square miles. As of 2007, the Phoenix Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was the thirteenth largest in the United States, with an estimated population of 4,179,427.
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