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Tempe (pronounced ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with a 2005 population estimate of 165,796 according to the mid-decade Census survey. Darrell Duppa is usually credited with suggesting the name, adopted in 1879, after comparing the Salt River valley near a 300-foot-tall butte, to the Vale of Tempe near Mount Olympus in Greece. Duppa also had the honor of giving name to Phoenix, 11 years earlier. Tempe is a major suburb of Phoenix and is located immediately southeast. The upscale suburb of Scottsdale is immediately to the north of Tempe. Tempe is the location of the head offices of US Airways (formerly America West Airlines) and the main campus of Arizona State University. It was the longtime host of the Fiesta Bowl, although the BCS game will move to University of Phoenix Stadium, located in Glendale, in 2007. On New Year's Eve, the city hosts the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl Block Party, one of the nation's largest New Year's Eve parties. The event typically has a national band heading a concert, along with several other local and national bands. It was also the site of one of the three Presidential debates in 2004 and Super Bowl XXX. It is additionally the spring training host city of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Geography Tempe is located at (33.388696, -111.928783). Within Tempe are the Tempe Buttes. The Salt River runs west through the northern part or Tempe; part of the river is dammed in two places to create Tempe Town Lake. According to the United States Census Bureau, the landlocked city has a total area of 104.1 km² (40.2 mi²). The city of Tempe is bordered by Mesa to the east, Scottsdale to the north, Phoenix and Guadalupe to the west, and Chandler to the south. 103.8 km² (40.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.32% water including Tempe Town Lake. Tempe is generally flat, except for Hayden Butte (locally known as A-Mountain and named after Carl Hayden), located next to Sun Devil Stadium, Twin Buttes and Bell Butte on the western edge of Tempe, and Papago Park in northwest Tempe. Elevation ranges from 1140 feet at Tempe Town Lake to 1495 feet atop Hayden Butte. History The Anasazi initially lived in this area and built canals to support their agriculture. Fort McDowell was established on the upper Salt River in 1865 allowing the safe establishment of communities further down the Salt River. Tempe was an amalgamation of two settlements 'Hayden's Ferry' and 'San Pablo' located west and east of Hayden Butte, respectively. The two settlements benefited from the Tempe Irrigating Canal Company which provided the water for alfalfa, wheat, barley, oats and cotton. In 1885, Arizona Territorial Legislature chose Tempe for the site of the Territorial Normal School, which became Arizona Normal School, Arizona State Teachers College, Arizona State College and finally Arizona State University The Maricopa and Phoenix Railroad, built in 1887, crossed the Salt River at Tempe, linking the town to the nation's growing transportation system. The Tempe Land and Improvement Company was formed to sell lots in the booming town. Tempe became one of the most important business and shipping centers for the surrounding agricultural area. The completion of Roosevelt Dam in 1911 guaranteed enough water to meet the growing needs of Valley farmers from the early 20th century to the present.. On his way to dedicate the dam, former President Theodore Roosevelt applauded the accomplishments of the people of central Arizona and predicted that their towns would grow to become prosperous cities. Less than a year later, Arizona became the 48th state, and the Salt River Valley was well on its way to becoming the new population center of the Southwest. Tempe has had 27 mayors since 1894. Fenn J. Hart 1894-1896 E.A. Murphy 1896-1897 John Knight 1897-1902 Samuel Brown 1902-1903 J.A. Dins 1903-19121, 1916-1920 Joseph T. Birchner 1912-1914 George M. Frizzell 1914-1916 C.M. Woodward 1920-1922 Curt W. Miller 1922-1924 Garfield A. Goodwin 1924-1926 J.L. Felton 1926-1928 Hugh E. Laird 1928-1930, 1948-1960 Thanks Anderson, 1930-1932, 1934-1937 F.E. Ostrander 1932-1934 W.W. Cole 1937-1948 Clyde Gililland 1960-1961 Ross R. Price 1961-1962 Bernard R. Caine 1962-1963 Harold Andrews 1963-1964 John C. Moeur 1964-1966 Rudy E. Campbell 1966-1968 Elmer Bradley 1968-1970 Dale R. Shumway 1970-1974 William J. LoPiano 1974-1978 Harry E. Mitchell 1978-1994 Neil Giuliano 1994-2004 Hugh Hallman 2004- Demographics As of the 2004 census estimate, there were 160,676 people, 63,602 households, and 33,645 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,528.8/km² (3,959.4/mi²). There were 67,068 housing units at an average density of 646.4/km² (1,674.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 77.51% White, 3.66% Black or African American, 2.01% Native American, 4.75% Asian, 0.29% Pacific Islander, 8.49% from other races, and 3.30% from two or more races. 17.95% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 63,602 households out of which 24.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.4% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.1% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 3.05. In the city the population was spread out with 19.8% under the age of 18, 21.3% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 106.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $42,361, and the median income for a family was $55,237. Males had a median income of $36,406 versus $28,605 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,406. About 7.5% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.6% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over. Transportation Tempe is the most densely-populated city in the state and serves as a crossroads for its largest communities due to its location. There are a variety of transportation modes, including freeways Interstate 10 near the western edge, Loop 202 crossing the northern side, Loop 101 following the eastern border, and U.S. Route 60 running east-west through the geographic center of the city. Valley Metro operates bus routes and is building a light rail system that will serve Downtown Tempe and Arizona State University, providing service to Phoenix and Mesa when the initial segment opens in 2008. The City of Tempe also operates several free shuttles near Arizona State University. Greyhound Lines operates intercity bus service to the Tempe Transit Center by ASU. Amtrak's Sunset Limited formerly served the downtown depot but now stops only at Maricopa some thirty miles south with no connecting bus. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, located 2 miles northwest of Tempe, provides extensive air service to points throughout North America and to London, England and various cities in Hawaii. Education Tempe is served by a variety of school districts. Most of Tempe is served by the Tempe Elementary School District and the Tempe Union High School District. Other portions are served by: Tempe is also home to one of the state's three major universities, Arizona State University. Sister cities Tempe has seven sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI): Tempe has had a Sister City with Skopje, Macedonia, since 1971. The newest sister city is Carlow, Ireland, in 1998. Tempe has been voted "Best Overall Sister City Program" in 1998 and 2004. Each year, 28 candidates are given the opportunity to travel to one of the sister cities. Candidates undergo a rigorous interview process to travel to one of these countries completely free of charge. The Tempe Sister Cities Corporation is one made up of volunteers, and is one of the few Sister Cities programs in the United States that pays the travel expenses for the trip. | ||||||||
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