Phoenix

BACKGROUND

Phoenix, Arizona is located in the Salt River Valley at the edge of the Sonora Desert. The city is not only the State Capital of Arizona, but it also holds the County Seat.

The climate in Phoenix changes very little throughout the year. It averages 300 sunny days per year with a daily temperature that usually exceeds 100 degrees. There is very little rainfall or humidity, so Phoenix residents generally find the high temperatures more bearable than they would otherwise be.

Still, nearly every home has a shaded deck and all children play wearing baseball caps to hide their faces from the harsh sunshine. The only exception to the low-humidity in Phoenix occurs yearly when the monsoon season hits the nearby water region in August and humidity is brought in with the moisture from the rains. Phoenix can become as humid as the North and Southeast in summertime months if there is a particularly harsh rainfall.

Phoenix is the fifth largest city in the United States and is home to people from all ethnic backgrounds including White, African American, Native American, Asian, Pacific Islander and Hispanic. The crime rate in Phoenix is quite low for a city of its size, incurring 9722 violent crimes in 2003, and 241 homicides, as reported by the FBI.

Phoenix also hosts the homes of many celebrities, including rock legend, Stevie Nicks, Mare Winningham, and Gary Hall, Jr.