Phoenix, Arizona

Downtown Phoenix in 2022, viewed from an airplane.

Phoenix, Arizona is a sprawling desert city in the mid-southern half of the U.S. state of Arizona and is the state capital. Phoenix lies near the confluence of the Salt and Gila Rivers, is located in the northeastern reaches of the Sonoran Desert, and has a hot desert climate. In 2020, the city had 1,608,139 residents, and its metropolitan area 4.85 million. It is the largest city in the state.

Phoenix was settled in 1867 as an agricultural community near the confluence of Arizona's Salt River and Gila River. Phoenix was incorporated as a city in 1881 and became the capital of Arizona Territory in 1889.