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Renting an Apartment in Tempe
What You Should Know
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with a population of
161,143 according to 2005 Census Bureau estimates. 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 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. It 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.
The city is known in Pima as Oidbaḍ.
Geography
Tempe is located at 33°23′19″N, 111°55′44″W (33.388696, -111.928783)GR1.
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 104.1 km˛ (40.2 mi˛). 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 km˛ (40.1 mi˛) of it is land and 0.3 km˛ (0.1 mi˛) of it is water.
The total area is 0.32% water including Tempe Town Lake.
Tempe is generally flat, except for Hayden Butte (locally known as A-Mountain
and named after Carl Hayden), 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.
History
The Hohokam initially lived in this area and built canals to support their
agriculture.
Fort McDowell was established on the upper Salt River in 1865 allowing the safe
establishment of communities further down the Salt River. Tempe was an
amalgamation of two settlements 'Hayden's Ferry' and 'San Pablo' located west
and east of Hayden Butte, respectively. The two settlements benefited from the
Tempe Irrigating Canal Company which provided the water for alfalfa, wheat,
barley, oats and cotton. In 1885, Arizona Territorial Legislature chose Tempe
for the site of the Territorial Normal School, which became Arizona Normal
School, Arizona State Teachers College, Arizona State College and finally
Arizona State University
The Maricopa and Phoenix Railroad, built in 1887, crossed the Salt River at
Tempe, linking the town to the nation's growing transportation system. The Tempe
Land and Improvement Company was formed to sell lots in the booming town. Tempe
became one of the most important business and shipping centers for the
surrounding agricultural area.
The completion of Roosevelt Dam in 1911 guaranteed enough water to meet the
growing needs of Valley farmers from the early 20th century to the present. On
his way to dedicate the dam, former President Theodore Roosevelt applauded the
accomplishments of the people of central Arizona and predicted that their towns
would grow to become prosperous cities. Less than a year later, Arizona became
the 48th state, and the Salt River Valley was well on its way to becoming the
new population center of the Southwest.
Demographics
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/km˛
(3,959.4/mi˛). There were 67,068 housing units at an average density of
646.4/km˛ (1,674.1/mi˛). 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.
Transportation
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. Greyhound Lines operates
intercity bus service to the Tempe Transit Center by ASU. Amtrak's Sunset
Limited formerly served the downtown depot but now stops only at Maricopa some
thirty miles south with no connecting bus. 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.
Education
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:
* Kyrene School District (students continue on to Tempe Union)
* Scottsdale Unified School District (K-12)
* Mesa Public Schools (K-12)
Tempe is also home to one of the state's three major universities, Arizona State
University.