Phoenix
The state capital and largest city in Arizona, PHOENIX
holds only minimal appeal for tourists. When it began life in the
1860s, it must have seemed like a good idea. The sweltering little
farming town stood in the heart of the large Salt River Valley,
with a ready-made irrigation system left by ancient Indians (the
name Phoenix honors the fact that the city rose from the ashes of a
long-vanished Hohokam community). Now the sixth largest city
in the US, it has filled the entire valley, engulfing the
neighboring towns of Scottsdale, Mesa and Tempe in
the process, with over a million people within the city boundaries
and more than two million in the metropolitan area. Arizona's
financial and industrial epicenter may just be getting into its
stride; boosters claim the megalopolis will one day stretch 150
miles, from Wickenburg to Tucson.
In winter, when temperatures rarely drop below 65F, tourists
from colder climes arrive in large numbers. They pay vast sums to
warm their bones in the luxury resorts and spas, concentrated
especially in Scottsdale, that are the modern equivalent of the
1930s dude ranches.
Copyright Rough Guides Ltd as trustee for its authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved.
The Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd.