Phoenix is the capital of Arizona and has over a million residents. It is a large sprawling city covering an area of 500 square miles located on the Salt River near the center of the state. The weather in Phoenix is either hot or pleasant. Phoenix sees an average of 330 sunny days a year. From May to September the daily highs reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit; in the winter temperatures range from 70 to 75 degrees.
Phoenix was founded in 1865 when the U.S. army established an outpost. Soon after, they irrigated an experimental farm using canals built by the Hohokam tribes. The farm was a success and one of its main crops was pumpkins and hence the area was known as Pumpkinville. The name was later changed to Phoenix because the residents felt their town would rise from the ashes of the vanished Hohokam civilization like the mythical phoenix.
Phoenix and the nearby area has many attractions which can be seen in the photo galleries on this page. In addition to pictures of the Apache trail, and old west towns such as Goldfield, visitors can also see many varieties of cacti and succulents at the Desert Botanical Garden.
