Welcome to the "Valley of the Sun"

Incorporated in 1881, Phoenix was established 31 years before Arizona became a state. The name “Phoenix” came from a prediction by one of the town's founders that a great city would rise like the mythical phoenix from the ashes of the ancient Hohokam Indian settlement.

Phoenix's elevation is 1,117 feet and is located in the heart of the Sonoran Desert. It is a sprawling metropolitan desert area that extends from trendy Scottsdale in the northeast, to Glendale and numerous expanding towns in the west. In the heart of the Greater Phoenix area is Tempe, an active university town. To the east lies the Mormon-founded city of Mesa. Desert mountains surround the area, creating "The Valley of the Sun." There are six lakes within a 75-minute drive of Phoenix. Within a 4-hour drive from Phoenix, discover the Grand Canyon. Beautiful San Diego is only 5 hours away. Rocky Point, Mexico is 3 hours away. Just imagine the feel of soft, warm sand between your toes on a sunny summer day! If you want to try your luck, Las Vegas is only an hour flight from Sky Harbor International Airport.

Come and enjoy the beautiful weather. There are more than 300 sunshine-filled days annually. Phoenix has an average annual rainfall of 7.66 inches and an average annual high temperature of 85 degrees.

Phoenix is best in the cooler months, October-April, when warm sunny afternoons (mid 60s to mid 80s) melt into cool nights. Occasional rain and thunderstorms occur during the winter, but snow is extremely rare. In the summer temperatures above 100 degrees are common, though the low humidity makes the heat more tolerable.

If you would like to enjoy some shopping, Phoenix has various shopping centers across the Valley and Arizona. Please visit www.westcor.com for more information.

If you want to experience the arts and culture, there are museums and events to accommodate nearly every taste. Among the cultural attractions are: The Heard Museum (Native American); Desert Botanical Garden (the world's largest collection of desert plants); Taliesin West (home of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation); the Phoenix Art Museum (the Southwest's largest art museum); The Arizona Science Center; The Hall of Flame Fire Museum (featuring the world's largest collection of firefighting equipment); Pueblo Grande Museum and Cultural Park (Native American) and the Phoenix Museum of History.

Zoos, wildlife parks, botanical gardens, theaters, historic sites and a growing nightlife round off the list of things to do and see.

Phoenix is one of the three fastest growing cities in the country and the nation’s fifth-largest city with a population of nearly 1.4 million. The Greater Phoenix area has a population of 3.5 million. With all of this of this growth, there are plans for several hospitals to be built within the next 18 months. They are in great need of nurses to staff the hospitals and to care for the patients. Phoenix has much to offer to everyone. For more information, visit www.phoenixchamber.com or www.phoenix.about.com.