Phoenix

 

Basic Information

 

Population 2021:1,624,569

82.9% of the populution has a HS or higher education
There are 580,535 housing units in the city
19.3% of the residents were born abroad

Median Household Income:$60,914

16.2% of the Residents Live below the poverty line

Total Area 372.39 Sq Miles

73,266 of the city residents are veterans

 

 

Phoenix Historical Sites

 

Phoenix CL-46

 

History of Phoenix

The first people to inhabit the area around Phoenix were Paleo and
Archaic Indians. Hohokam Indians later replaced them. In the more modern period, the Hohokam were replaced by the Pima and parts of the Yavapai and Apache Indians. The first European explorers arrived in the 16th century, bringing diseases that decimated the Indian population.

It was not until 1867 when Jack Swilling came to the area and recognized the agricultural potential of Salt River Valley. He raised funds to develop an irrigation system for the valley and begin farming. A town was formed, and the Board of Supervisors of Yavapai County officially recognized the city on May 4, 1868. In 1871 Phoenix became the county seat for the newly formed Maricopa County.

By 1875 the town had sixteen saloons, a telegraph office, and several dance halls. By 1880 it had a population of 2,453. The town slowly grew getting a newspaper in 1890 called the Arizona Republican. The first rail service arrived on March 12, 1895 with the Sante Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railroad running its first train from the northern part of the state.

At the turn of the century the population of the town stood at 5,554. Phoenix became the capital of the new state of Arizona on February 14, 1912. The town saw rapid growth during World War II becoming a major site of war manufacturing. In 1940 the town had 65,000 residents, and by 2010 postwar growth had catapulted the city's population to 1.5 million.