Forest Scientific Corporation

About forestry service, 85140, San Tan Valley, AZ, US, Arizona

Phoenix ( FEE-niks) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the fifth-most populous city in the United States and the most populous state capital in the country. Phoenix is the most populous city of the Phoenix metropolitan area, also known as the Valley of the Sun, which in turn is part of the Salt River Valley and Arizona Sun Corridor. The metro area is the 10th-largest by population in the United States with approximately 4.95 million people as of 2020, making it the most populous in the Southwestern United States. Phoenix, the seat of Maricopa County, is the largest city by population and area in Arizona, with an area of 517.9 square miles (1,341 km2), and is also the 11th-largest city by area in the United States. Phoenix was settled in 1867 as an agricultural community near the confluence of the Salt and Gila Rivers and was incorporated as a city in 1881. It became the capital of Arizona Territory in 1889. Its canal system led to a thriving farming community with the original settlers' crops, such as alfalfa, cotton, citrus, and hay, remaining important parts of the local economy for decades. Cotton, cattle, citrus, climate, and copper were known locally as the "Five C's" anchoring Phoenix's economy. These remained the driving forces of the city until after World War II, when high-tech companies began to move into the valley and air conditioning made Phoenix's hot summers more bearable.