...Phoenix is the only state capital with a city proper population of more than a million people. 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. It is also major national transportation hub. Phoenix is located on the banks of what is now the normally dry Salt River . 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. Its city proper is the tenth largest for land area in the United States at . As of 2008, the Phoenix Metropolitan Statistical Area was the thirteenth largest in the United States, with an estimated population of 4,579,427.
History
Native American Period
For more than 1,000 years, the Hohokam peoples occupied the land that would become Phoenix.
["Out of the Ashes, Early Life along the Salt River." City of Phoenix. Retrieved on November 26, 2006.] The Hohokam created roughly 135 miles of irrigation canals, making the desert land arable. Paths of these canals would later become used for the modern Arizona Canal, Central Arizona Project Canal, and the Hayden-Rhodes Aqueduct. The Hohokam also carried out extensive trade with nearby Anasazi, Mogollon, and other Mesoamerican tribes.
It is believed that, between 1300 and 1450, periods of drought and severe floods led to the Hohokam's abandonment of the area.
Local Akimel
... (This article is used under GFDL)
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