Tempe, Arizona
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Downtown Tempe and Arizona State University |
Tempe (pronounced by local residents) is a city in
Maricopa County,
Arizona,
USA, with a 2004 population estimate of 160,676.
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
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 lesser known local 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.
 |
Location of Tempe, Arizona, within Maricopa County |
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, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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Kyrene Elementary School District (students continue on to Tempe Union)
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Scottsdale Unified School District (K-12)
*
Mesa Public Schools (K-12)
Tempe has seven
sister cities, as designated by
Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
*
Beaulieu-sur-Mer,
France*
Carlow,
Carlow,
Ireland*
Lower Hutt,
New Zealand*
Regensburg,
Germany*
Skopje,
Macedonia*
Zhenjiang,
China*
Timbuktu,
MaliTempe 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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Official City Website*
Official Tempe Sister Cities Website
