Arizona’s
capital city, Phoenix, has risen from the mythical ashes of an
ancient agricultural Indian village to become a sprawling modern
metropolis, the sixth largest city in the USA.
This Valley of the Sun, as Phoenix also is known, boasts of the
maximum number of 5-star hotels, more than any other city in the
USA.
With luxurious resorts and spas, glitzy shopping plazas, up market
restaurants and superb golf courses, together with over 300 days
of sunshine a year, Phoenix has become a popular winter getaway
for the rest of the country.
Whether you're looking for amateur or professional sports, the
great outdoors or the pampered indoors, Phoenix has it all. Originally
home to the ancient Hohokam Indians, Phoenix became the center
point of the Valley of the Sun when it was founded in 1867, long
before Arizona was a state. Now covering 400 square miles, and
boasting a population of 1.2 million, the Valley melds the unique
and diverse from adjoining Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa and Tempe
into one. Even with plenty to offer on its own, the Valley has
traditionally been known as the Gateway to the Grand Canyon, which
is located about 3-1/2 hours north of Phoenix.
Although
sunshine is the standard that permits year-round outdoor recreation,
summer offers a unique late afternoon spectacle. Monsoon storms
roar through the Valley, cutting swaths with wind, punctuated
by swirling dust devils, finally drowned by brief but powerful
rains. Departing as quickly as they arrive, they leave rainbows
arcing overhead until they are absorbed into pink and orange sunsets.
