Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with a 2006 population of 169,712. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley portion of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale on the north, Chandler on the south, and Mesa on the east. Tempe is the location of US Airways' corporate headquarters, and of Arizona State University's oldest, largest and main campus.
Tempe is the headquarters and executive office of US Airways (formerly America West Airlines) and home to the largest campus of Arizona State University. It was the longtime host of the Fiesta Bowl, although the BCS game moved to University of Phoenix Stadium, located in Glendale, in 2007.
On New Year's Eve, the city hosts the Insight 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. Gammage Auditorium was also the site of one of the three Presidential debates in 2004 and Super Bowl XXX. Additionally, it is the spring training host city of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
One of Arizona's largest shopping malls, Arizona Mills, sits near the border with the town of Guadalupe. The city also serves as the first Arizona IKEA branch location, also near the southern boundary.
Mill avenue, located just west of Hayden Butte, is a shopping and entertainment area in the city popular with pedestrians and students. With the completion of Tempe Town Lake, commercial and high-rise development along the reservoir quickly transformed the cityscape of Mill Avenue and the skyline of downtown Tempe.
Tempe is served by multiple school districts.
Most of Tempe is within the Tempe Elementary School District and the Tempe Union High School District; however, other portions are served by the Kyrene School District (K-8), Scottsdale Unified School District (K-12), and Mesa Public Schools (K-12).
Tempe also contains one of the state's three major universities, Arizona State University, as well as the Maricopa County Community College District administrative offices.
Geography
Within Tempe are the Tempe Buttes. The Salt River runs west through the northern part of 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 40.2 square miles (104.1 km²). 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. 40.1 square miles (103.8 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.3 km²) of it is water. The total area is 0.32% water including Tempe Town Lake.
Tempe is generally flat, except for Hayden Butte (generally known as A-Mountain for Arizona State University's "A" logo located on its south face), located next to Sun Devil Stadium, Twin Buttes and Bell Butte on the western edge of Tempe, and Papago Park northwest of Tempe, inside Phoenix. Elevation ranges from 1140 feet at Tempe Town Lake to 1495 feet atop Hayden Butte.
Sports
There are currently no major league professional team sports in Tempe. However, from 1987 to 2006, Sun Devil Stadium hosted the Arizona Cardinals. They have since moved to the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. Many residents follow the teams in nearby Phoenix and Glendale. (For more information, read the sports section on the Phoenix page)
The Arizona State University Sun Devils compete in football, basketball, baseball, as well as a number of other sports in the Pac-10 Conference of the NCAA. The Sun Devils football team plays their games at Sun Devil Stadium, which had hosted the annual Fiesta Bowl, until the 2007 game moved to the new University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. Their nearest rival is the University of Arizona Wildcats, in Tucson. The two teams compete in the "Duel in the Desert" for control of the Territorial Cup.
The city also hosts the Insight Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium (since 2006).
Transportation
Freeways make up the major transportation system for the Valley. Included in the system surrounding Tempe are Interstate 10 near the western edge as it traverses the Broadway Curve, 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 the METRO 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 operates a free neighborhood circulator service called Orbit, five free shuttle routes near Arizona State University that operate on a regular basis seven days a week.[3] Tempe residents and commuters make extensive use of public transit and service is offered on a more frequent basis than elsewhere in the state.
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.
