Phoenix, the heart of the Phoenix metropolitan region, is also known as the Valley of the Sun. It is part of the Salt River Valley. With 4.85 million residents, the metropolitan area ranks 11th in terms of population. Phoenix, the county seat, is the largest of all Arizona cities, covering 517.9 sq. miles (1,341km2) and is the 11th largest by area. It is both the largest and most populous metropolitan area in the Arizona Sun Corridor megaregion.
Phoenix was established in 1867 by an agricultural community at the confluence between the Salt and Gila Rivers. It was then incorporated in 1881 as a city. It was made the capital of Arizona Territory, in 1889. It lies in the Sonoran Desert's northeastern reaches and enjoys a hot desert climate. Its canal system enabled a flourishing farming community. The original settlers' crops, including cotton, citrus, alfalfa and hay, remained important components of the Phoenix economy for decades. The "Five C's", which were locally known as Phoenix's economic anchors, were copper, cattle, citrus, climate and copper. These were the city's driving forces until World War II when high-tech firms moved into the valley. Air conditioning made Phoenix's hot summers bearable.
Over a period of 40 years, the city experienced an average four percent annual growth rate in population between the mid-1960s and the mid-2000s. The Great Recession of 2007-09 caused this growth to slow down, but it has slowly recovered since then. Arizona's cultural capital is Phoenix. Phoenix is also a majority-minority with 42.6% of the population identifying themselves as Hispanic, and 42.5% as "white" according to the 2020 census.
For more than 2,000 years, the Phoenix area was occupied by the Hohokam tribe. The Hohokam built approximately 135 miles (217 km) of irrigation canals to make the desert land arable. These canals also served as the Arizona Canal, Central Arizona Project Canal and Hayden-Rhodes Aqueduct. They also traded extensively with nearby Ancient Puebloans and Mogollon as well as the distant Mesoamerican civilizations. The Hohokam civilization was believed to have been driven from the area by severe droughts and floods that occurred between 1300 and 14.50.
Yavapai County's Board of Supervisors officially recognized the new community on May 4, 1868. The first post office was opened the next month, with Swilling serving as postmaster. Valley residents met in October 1870 to choose a new location for their growing population. Three miles west of the original settlement was chosen and several farmland allotments were included. Lots began to be officially sold in December 1870 under the name Phoenix. The grid layout that was established in Phoenix's downtown core has been the hallmark for its urban development.
On February 25, 1881 Phoenix Governor John C. Fremont signed a bill that officially established Phoenix as a city of approximately 2,500 people.