Phoenix

Neighborhoods

Phoenix and its suburbs form a 2,072-square-kilometer (800-square-mile) grid of north-south and east-west streets and avenues, surrounded by mountains and desert. Downtown Phoenix, the historic center of the city, is home to Arizona's capitol building, the Phoenix Civic Center, Heritage Square, and other important sites. A newer neighborhood, called "midtown" serves as an extension of the downtown, housing the city's main library, its art museum, and other museums, as well as office buildings.

Phoenix is the hub of a rapidly growing metropolitan area that includes 23 satellite towns, all located along the Salt River Valley. Relatively low housing costs contribute to the popularity of Phoenix. In 1990 the average value of a single home was $77,100, well below the national average. In addition, Phoenix's property taxes have been rated the ninth lowest in the nation by Money magazine.

A number of government and private groups oversee urban redevelopment, including the Central Phoenix Redevelopment Agency, Phoenix Community and Economic Development Administration, and Metro Phoenix Economic Development Consortium. Since the late 1980s, the city has carried out a $1.1 billion redevelopment program that has included construction of the Arizona Center and Mercado shopping complexes and the 18,000-seat America West Arena, home of the Phoenix Suns. The city has 7,364 federally assisted housing units.