Taking A Look At Phoenix, Arizona

By Sean Elstins

There's something about the charming city of Phoenix, Arizona sits jewel-like in the American Southwest, welcoming even a casual glance and promising much more, with its mild winter climate and low cost of living. It's easy enough to appreciate this city for a number of reasons, and it's certainly become emblematic of municipal leadership in the West these days.

The city itself is the capital of Arizona as well as its largest municipality. Additionally, its steady population growth has seen it reach #5 in terms of the top-10 cities in the U. S., population-wise. Currently, more than 1.6 million people call the city home, with steady growth expected in the years ahead.

As the centerpiece of a metropolitan region, Phoenix helps to anchor its spot at number twelve, with more than 4.4 million living in the region. It's also the county seat for Maricopa County, and is very near the top in the country in terms of its total land area. The westward movement of the nation's population led to it incorporating itself back in 1881.

First founded in 1868, the town immediately took off. It was laid down near the Salt River, from which it could draw fresh water in abundance, which it would need due to its location in what was actually an arid desert. Soon enough, it became the major commercial, economic, cultural and financial nexus in the Southwest, a position it still seeks to hold to this day.

Summer months in the area can be a bit warm, again due to its location in the northwestern area of the Sonoran Desert (sometimes known as the Gila Desert). Winters are a big attraction to those seeking warm climes, though, because they're very temperate. This couples with a unique quality of life that mixes Old Spanish and Mexican influences with a modern vibrancy that's appealing and attractive, in total.

Year-round, the city and the area experiences sunshine at an 85% rate. It gets most of its rainfall in March and almost none in June, a month in which it receives about 2 millimeters of precipitation, at most. Income in the area averages about 41,000 dollar annually per household and around 46,000 dollars on an annual basis per family.

Phoenix, even at a casual glance, offers much to like. Sitting like a gleaming jewel in the Sonoran Desert, it beckons to visitor, tourist and potential resident alike, and offers generally low living costs along with easy-to-afford housing. Spanish and Mexican cultural influences abound, which help to attract many tourists to its welcoming arms. - 30451

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