City North America
Phoenix
Phoenix is a big city in the desert of the United States. It is very hot and dry in summer.
Phoenix is the capital of Arizona, in the southwestern United States. It lies in the northeast of the Sonoran Desert, near where the Salt and Gila rivers meet, and it grew from a farming community that reused old Native American irrigation canals. The Census Bureau estimated 1,665,481 people in Phoenix in 2025.
Phoenix began in 1867, says Universalis, as a farming community that revived an old Native American irrigation system that archaeologists call Hohokam. Railroads and a dam helped it grow; it became the capital of Arizona in 1912 and, after 1940, one of America's largest cities. The Census Bureau estimated 1,665,481 people on 1 July 2025.
Photo: Bigmikebmw, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Phoenix
Phoenix is the capital of the state of Arizona. It is in a hot, dry desert.
More people live in Phoenix than in any other city in Arizona.
Phoenix is the capital of Arizona. Universalis describes it on a wide desert plateau framed by mountains, in the northeast of the Sonoran Desert, near where the Salt and Gila rivers meet.
The US Census Bureau estimated 1,665,481 people in Phoenix on 1 July 2025, far more than in Tucson (548,371) or Mesa (513,656), the next biggest cities in Arizona.
The Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 estimates give Phoenix 1,665,481 people on 1 July 2025, up from an estimates base of 1,608,349 in April 2020; Tucson (548,371) and Mesa (513,656) follow in Arizona.
Universalis calls Phoenix the most populous US state capital and says its urban area, which includes Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa and Glendale, held 86 percent of Arizona's people and is among the least dense in the country.
- Country
- United States (capital of Arizona)
- People in Phoenix (estimate, 1 July 2025)
- 1,665,481
- Estimates base, April 2020
- 1,608,349
- Setting
- northeast of the Sonoran Desert, near the Salt and Gila rivers
A capitol and a desert mountain park
South of downtown are rocky desert mountains. The photo was taken from up there.
Arizona's State Capitol building is in Phoenix too.
The hero photo was taken from South Mountain, a city park in the rocky desert mountains south of downtown. From there you can see across the flat valley to the towers of downtown and the mountains beyond.
The Arizona State Capitol building dates from 1901, according to Wikidata, which also lists it as a history museum.
Wikidata lists South Mountain Park as a municipal park of Phoenix, its point about 12.7 km south-southeast of the Arizona State Capitol (1901). Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, which Wikidata dates to 1935, lies about 8 km east of the Capitol.
Universalis notes that the city's first airport was built in 1928.
- Arizona State Capitol
- 1901 (Wikidata)
- South Mountain Park
- a city park of Phoenix, south of downtown
- Sky Harbor International Airport
- opened 1935 (Wikidata)
A city built on old canals
Long ago, Native American people dug canals here to water their fields.
Later, settlers used the old canals to start farms, and a town grew.
Native Americans lived here for centuries and built a clever system of irrigation canals; archaeologists call sites like these Hohokam. In 1867, Universalis says, the pioneer Jack Swilling started a farming community that reused the old Hohokam canals, and he named it Phoenix.
Railroads arrived in 1887 and 1895. In 1912 Phoenix became the capital of the new state of Arizona, and it had about 65,000 people by 1940.
Universalis says European settlers, gold prospectors, arrived only after the US Army built Fort McDowell in 1865, and that two years later Jack Swilling founded a farming community using the old irrigation system. The US National Park Service notes that 'Hohokam' is archaeologists' name for sites with earthen buildings and extensive canals, not the name of a people. Railroad lines in 1887 and 1895 set off its growth.
In 1903 the building of a dam on the Salt River was decided, to bring both water and electricity, and in 1912 Phoenix, at the center of the new state, became its capital. The city then grew around the 'five Cs': cotton, citrus, copper, cattle and climate.
- Farming community founded
- 1867 (Universalis)
- Capital of the new state of Arizona
- 1912
- People in 1940
- 65,000
A spread-out city
Phoenix spreads out over big, flat desert land.
Planes fly in and out of its airport.
Phoenix spreads across a wide, flat desert plateau. Universalis places its urban area, which includes cities such as Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa and Glendale, among the least dense in the United States.
The railroads that arrived in 1887 and 1895 first set the city growing, and its first airport was built in 1928.
Universalis describes the Phoenix urban area as a vast, low-density spread over a desert plateau framed by mountains, holding 86 percent of Arizona's population. Railroads in 1887 and 1895 started its growth and a first airport was built in 1928.
Wikidata places Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport about 8 km east of the Arizona State Capitol and dates it to 1935.
- Railroad lines arrive
- 1887 and 1895
- First airport
- 1928
- Urban area
- among the least dense in the United States
Very hot summers, mild winters
Summers in Phoenix are extremely hot. Winters are mild.
It hardly ever rains.
The World Meteorological Organization's averages for Phoenix (1981–2010) show daytime highs of about 41 °C in July and about 20 °C in January. Even in July, nights average about 28 °C.
Only about 208 millimeters of rain fall in an average year. Most of it comes in winter and in July and August, while June is almost completely dry.
The WMO table for Phoenix, 1981–2010, gives average highs from 19.6 °C in December to 41.0 °C in July, with June to August all near or above 40 °C, and average lows from 7.1 °C in December to 28.1 °C in July.
The monthly rainfall averages add up to about 207.7 mm a year on about 30 days with rain. December to March bring 98.0 mm and July to August 51.8 mm; June averages only 0.5 mm. Universalis notes that the dry climate drew many people with tuberculosis in the early days.
- July, average high (WMO, 1981–2010)
- 41.0 °C
- January, average high (same period)
- 20.3 °C
- Rain in a year (sum of the monthly averages)
- about 208 mm
Sun, cotton and electronics
Long ago, people in Phoenix grew cotton and citrus fruit and raised cattle.
Later, many people came to work for electronics companies.
After 1912, Phoenix grew around the 'five Cs': cotton, citrus fruit, copper, cattle and climate. After the Second World War, large defense and electronics companies set up there, and the city grew from about 106,000 people in 1950 to 581,000 in 1970.
Slogans such as 'Valley of the Sun' passed into everyday speech, Universalis says.
Universalis describes how, after the Second World War, international firms in defense and electronics, such as Motorola, McDonnell Douglas and Intel, set up in Phoenix, and the city grew from 106,000 people in 1950 to 581,000 in 1970, becoming a symbol of the Sun Belt.
It says research and technology made Phoenix one of the world's innovative cities and that slogans such as 'Sun City' and 'Valley of the Sun' passed into everyday language.
- The 'five Cs'
- cotton, citrus, copper, cattle, climate
- People in 1950
- 106,000
- People in 1970
- 581,000
Phoenix on the map
Find the United States on the globe. Look at the southwest, near Mexico. Phoenix is there, in the desert!
There are mountains around the city.
Phoenix is in the southwestern United States at about 33.5° north, in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. Universalis describes a wide desert plateau framed by mountains, near where the Salt and Gila rivers meet.
Measured from the Arizona State Capitol, Sky Harbor International Airport is about 8 kilometers to the east, and South Mountain Park about 13 kilometers to the south-southeast.
Phoenix lies at about 33.5° N and 112.1° W. Measured from the Arizona State Capitol (Wikidata points), Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is about 8.0 km east and the point for South Mountain Park about 12.7 km south-southeast.
The hero photo, titled 'Downtown Phoenix, viewed from South Mountain', is dated 10 February 2009 on Commons, which gives no camera point.
- Latitude
- about 33.5° north
- Longitude
- about 112.1° west
- State Capitol to South Mountain Park
- about 12.7 km south-southeast
Amazing facts
-
Phoenix's first farms used canals dug long ago by Native Americans!
The farming community that became Phoenix reused old Hohokam irrigation canals.
Universalis says Jack Swilling's 1867 farming community took over a sophisticated Native American irrigation system.
-
More people live in Phoenix than in any other US state capital.
Universalis calls Phoenix the most populous state capital in the United States.
Universalis describes Phoenix, with about 1.6 million people, as the most populous capital of a US state.
-
In June, Phoenix gets almost no rain at all.
June in Phoenix averages only half a millimeter of rain.
In the WMO's 1981–2010 averages, June brings just 0.5 mm of rain, the least of any month.
-
Phoenix grew up thanks to five things starting with C!
Phoenix grew with the 'five Cs': cotton, citrus, copper, cattle and climate.
Universalis lists the 'five Cs' behind Phoenix's growth after 1912: cotton, citrus, copper, cattle and climate.
Words to know
- capital
- the city where a state's or country's government is based
- irrigation
- bringing water to fields through canals or pipes
- desert
- a very dry place that gets little rain
- canal
- a channel dug to carry water
- plateau
- a large area of high, flat land
- citrus
- fruits such as oranges, lemons and grapefruit
Discovery challenge
-
Phoenix is the capital of which state?
Phoenix is the capital of which US state?
Since 1912, Phoenix has been the capital of which state?
- Nevada
- Arizona
- Texas
Show the answer
Arizona
Arizona!
Arizona, in the southwestern United States.
Arizona, which became a state in 1912.
-
What kind of place is Phoenix built in?
In which desert does Phoenix lie?
Universalis places Phoenix in the northeast of which desert?
- The Sahara
- The Sonoran Desert
- The Gobi
Show the answer
The Sonoran Desert
A desert, the Sonoran Desert!
The Sonoran Desert.
The Sonoran Desert, near the Salt and Gila rivers.
-
What did Native American people dig here long ago?
What did the farming community that became Phoenix reuse?
Which Hohokam system did Jack Swilling's community take over in 1867?
- Gold mines
- Irrigation canals
- Railroad tracks
Show the answer
Irrigation canals
Canals for water!
The Hohokam irrigation canals.
Their irrigation system.
-
Which of these was one of Phoenix's 'five Cs'?
Which of these was one of the 'five Cs' that helped Phoenix grow?
Which product was among the 'five Cs' of Phoenix's economy after 1912?
- Coffee
- Cotton
- Coal
Show the answer
Cotton
Cotton!
Cotton, with citrus, copper, cattle and climate.
Cotton; the others were citrus, copper, cattle and climate.
-
Which month is the hottest in Phoenix?
Which month has Phoenix's highest average daytime temperature?
In the WMO's 1981–2010 averages, which month has Phoenix's highest average high (41.0 °C)?
- January
- July
- October
Show the answer
July
July!
July, at about 41 °C.
July (41.0 °C), ahead of August (40.1 °C) and June (39.9 °C).
Nearby places
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Watch
Natural wonder
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert covers about 260,000 square kilometers of northwestern Mexico and the southwestern United States. It gets rain in two seasons each year, and the US Geological Survey says it is considered the most biologically diverse desert in North America. It is home to the saguaro cactus.
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Natural wonder
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a huge, steep-sided canyon in Arizona carved by the Colorado River. It is about 447 kilometers long and, on average, 1.6 kilometers deep, and its walls show layers of rock almost two billion years old.
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Natural wonder
Colorado River
The Colorado River rises in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado and flows to the Gulf of California in Mexico. Over millions of years it cut deep canyons into the Colorado Plateau, including the Grand Canyon and the curving gorge called Horseshoe Bend.
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Landmark
Hoover Dam
Hoover Dam is a huge concrete dam across the Colorado River, on the border between Nevada and Arizona in the United States. Built from 1931 to 1936, it holds back Lake Mead, protects farms and towns from floods, stores water for cities and farms, and makes electricity.
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Natural wonder
Antelope Canyon
Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon near Page, Arizona, on the lands of the Navajo Nation. Its walls of Navajo Sandstone are smooth and wavy because water from flash floods rushed through the narrow passages again and again, wearing the rock away. Visitors may enter only with a guided tour.
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Natural wonder
Bryce Canyon National Park
Bryce Canyon National Park, in southern Utah, is not really a canyon. It is a row of giant bowls, called amphitheaters, carved into the edge of a high plateau and filled with colorful rock spires called hoodoos. The park says it has the largest collection of hoodoos in the world. Ice and rain shaped them from rocks first laid down in an ancient lake.
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City
Los Angeles
Los Angeles is the second-biggest city in the United States, spread across a wide plain between the mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Founded in 1781 as a small farming village, it grew into a world center of movies and music. About 3.9 million people lived there in 2020.
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Landmark
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a long sidewalk in Los Angeles, California, with more than 2,800 stars set into it. Each named star honors someone from entertainment, such as movies, television, music recording, radio or live theater. Building began in 1960, and new stars are still added about twice a month.
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Country
United States
The United States is a large country in North America made of 50 states, from icy Alaska to the warm islands of Hawaii. It has the Grand Canyon, the Mississippi River and Yellowstone, and about 342 million people live there.
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Denver
Denver is the capital of the state of Colorado, in the United States. It began in 1858 during a gold rush, where Cherry Creek meets the South Platte River, and it is nicknamed the Mile High City because it lies about 5,280 feet (one mile) above sea level. About 740,600 people lived there in 2025.
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Los Angeles
Los Angeles is the second-biggest city in the United States, spread across a wide plain between the mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Founded in 1781 as a small farming village, it grew into a world center of movies and music. About 3.9 million people lived there in 2020.
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Natural wonder
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a huge, steep-sided canyon in Arizona carved by the Colorado River. It is about 447 kilometers long and, on average, 1.6 kilometers deep, and its walls show layers of rock almost two billion years old.
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Watch
Natural wonder
Antelope Canyon
Antelope Canyon is a slot canyon near Page, Arizona, on the lands of the Navajo Nation. Its walls of Navajo Sandstone are smooth and wavy because water from flash floods rushed through the narrow passages again and again, wearing the rock away. Visitors may enter only with a guided tour.
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Anchorage
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Atlanta
Atlanta is the capital of the state of Georgia, in the southeastern United States. It began in 1837 as Terminus, the end point of a planned railroad, and grew into a center for trains, then for highways and airplanes. Martin Luther King Jr. was born here, and about 529,000 people lived in the city in 2025.
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Belmopan
Belmopan is the capital of Belize. It was built inland in the valley of the Belize River, after a hurricane badly damaged Belize City on the coast in 1961, and the government moved there in 1970. In mid-2025 about 22,584 people lived in Belmopan.
For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Phoenix in the Sonoran Desert of the southwestern United States.
- Describe how irrigation made farming and a city possible in a desert.
- Explain how railroads, dams and new industries drove a city's growth.
- Read a desert climate with very hot summers and little rain.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Phoenix's first farmers reused canals built centuries earlier by Native Americans. Why might old ideas still be useful today?
- Phoenix gets only about 208 millimeters of rain a year. Where do you think a big desert city gets its water?
- The city grew from 65,000 people in 1940 to more than 1.6 million. What changes when a city grows that fast?
Try at home or in class
- Canal model: make a channel in a tray of sand and pour water to see how it reaches a 'field'.
- Rain chart: plot Phoenix's monthly rainfall and compare it with your own town's.
- Growth line: draw a line graph of Phoenix's population in 1940, 1950, 1970 and 2025.
Key vocabulary: capital, irrigation, desert, canal, plateau, citrus
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- City and town population totals, Arizona (Vintage 2025, sub-est2025_4.csv) , US Census Bureau
- Phoenix, Arizona , Encyclopaedia Universalis
- World Weather Information Service: Phoenix climatological information , World Meteorological Organization
- File:Phoenix, Arizona.JPG (Bigmikebmw, 10 February 2009) , Wikimedia Commons
- History and culture: a brief history of the Casa Grande Ruins , US National Park Service
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.