Tempe ( ; ''Oidbaḍ'' in
O'odham) is a city in
Maricopa County, Arizona
Maricopa County () is a County (United States), county in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the population was 4,420,568, or about 62% of the state's total, making it the List ...
, United States, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2020 population of 180,587. The city is named after the
Vale of Tempe
The Vale of Tempe or Tembi (; ; ) is a gorge in the Tempi municipality of northern Thessaly, Greece, located between Olympus to the north and Ossa to the south, and between the regions of Thessaly and Macedonia. The gorge was known to the Byz ...
in
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
. Tempe is located in the
East Valley section of
metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by
Phoenix and
Guadalupe on the west,
Scottsdale and the
Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community
The Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC) comprises two distinct Native American tribes—the Pima ( O'odham language: Onk Akimel O'odham, ''meaning "Salt River People"'') and the Maricopa (Maricopa language: Xalychidom Piip ...
on the north,
Chandler on the south, and
Mesa
A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge, or hill, bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and standing distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks, such as shales, capped by a ...
on the east. Tempe is the location of the main campus of
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
.
History
The
Hohokam
Hohokam was a culture in the Indigenous peoples of the North American Southwest, North American Southwest in what is now part of south-central Arizona, United States, and Sonora, Mexico. It existed between 300 and 1500 CE, with cultural p ...
lived in this area and built
canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...
s to support their agriculture. They abandoned their settlements during the 15th century, with a few individuals and families remaining nearby.
Fort McDowell was established approximately northeast of present downtown Tempe on the upper
Salt River in 1865 allowing for new towns to be built farther down the Salt River. US military service members and Hispanic workers were hired to grow food and animal feed to supply the fort, and less than a year later, had set up small camps near the river that were the first permanent communities in the Valley after the fall of the Hohokam. (Phoenix was settled shortly afterward, by 1867–68.) The two settlements were 'Hayden's Ferry', named after a ferry service operated by
Charles T. Hayden, and '
San Pablo', and were located west and east of
Hayden Butte respectively. The ferry became the key river crossing in the area. The Tempe Irrigating Canal Company was soon established by William Kirkland and James McKinney to provide water for alfalfa, wheat, barley, oats, and cotton.
Pioneer
Darrell Duppa is credited with suggesting Tempe's name, adopted in 1879, after comparing the
Salt River valley near a -tall
butte
In geomorphology, a butte ( ) is an isolated hill with steep, often vertical sides and a small, relatively flat top; buttes are smaller landforms than mesas, plateaus, and table (landform), tablelands. The word ''butte'' comes from the French l ...
, to the
Vale of Tempe
The Vale of Tempe or Tembi (; ; ) is a gorge in the Tempi municipality of northern Thessaly, Greece, located between Olympus to the north and Ossa to the south, and between the regions of Thessaly and Macedonia. The gorge was known to the Byz ...
near
Mount Olympus
Mount Olympus (, , ) is an extensive massif near the Thermaic Gulf of the Aegean Sea, located on the border between Thessaly and Macedonia (Greece), Macedonia, between the regional units of Larissa (regional unit), Larissa and Pieria (regional ...
in
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
.
From its founding in 1871 until 90 years later, Tempe was a
sundown town
Sundown towns, also known as sunset towns, gray towns, or sundowner towns, were all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States. They were towns that practiced a form of racial segregation by excluding non-whites via some combinati ...
where African Americans were permitted to work but forced to live elsewhere. In 1965, Warren and Carol Livingston were the first African Americans to buy property in Tempe.
In 1885, the
13th Arizona Territorial Legislature
The 13th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which began on January 12, 1885, in Prescott, Arizona. The session's accomplishments included allocation of a variety of territorial instituti ...
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
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
.
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 an economic hub for the surrounding agricultural area. The
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors
The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors is the governing body of Maricopa County, a county of over four million in Arizona. The five supervisors are each elected from single-member districts to serve four-year terms. Partisan primary, Primary el ...
incorporated the town of Tempe in 1894.
The completion of
Roosevelt Dam
Theodore Roosevelt Dam is a dam on the Salt River located northeast of Phoenix, Arizona. The dam is high and forms Theodore Roosevelt Lake as it impounds the Salt River. Built between 1905 and 1911, the dam was renovated and expanded in 1989� ...
in 1911 guaranteed enough water to meet the growing needs of Valley farmers. On his way to dedicate the dam, former President
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
applauded the accomplishments of the people of central Arizona and predicted that their towns would be prosperous cities in the future. Less than a year later, Arizona was admitted as the 48th state, and the Salt River Valley continued to develop.
On August 30, 1971, Tempe was hit by a rare F2
tornado
A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with the surface of Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, although the ...
that injured 41 people, the most injuries recorded from a tornado in Arizona, and caused damage in upwards of $3 million. One indirect fatality occurred when a man died from a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
during the storm.
In the 20th and 21st centuries, Tempe has expanded as a suburb of Phoenix, and as a center of education and commerce.
Geography
Tempe is an
inner suburb
An inner suburb is a suburban community central to a large city, or at the inner city and central business district. The urban density is usually lower than the inner city or central business district, but higher than that of the city's rural� ...
, located between the core city of Phoenix and the rest of the East Valley. Due to this as well as being the home of the main campus of Arizona State University, Tempe has a fairly dense, urbanized development pattern in the northern part of the city especially in relation to the
Valley Metro Line. Going south, development becomes less dense, consisting of single-family homes, strip malls and lower-density office parks.
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
Tempe Town Lake is an artificial perennial reservoir located just north of Tempe Butte at the confluence of the intermittent Salt River (Arizona), Salt River and the ephemeral Indian Bend Wash Area, Indian Bend Wash in Tempe, Arizona, United State ...
.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, the landlocked city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The total area is 0.32% water, including
Tempe Town Lake
Tempe Town Lake is an artificial perennial reservoir located just north of Tempe Butte at the confluence of the intermittent Salt River (Arizona), Salt River and the ephemeral Indian Bend Wash Area, Indian Bend Wash in Tempe, Arizona, United State ...
. The city of Tempe is bordered by
Mesa
A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge, or hill, bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and standing distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks, such as shales, capped by a ...
to the east,
Scottsdale and the
Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community
The Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community (SRPMIC) comprises two distinct Native American tribes—the Pima ( O'odham language: Onk Akimel O'odham, ''meaning "Salt River People"'') and the Maricopa (Maricopa language: Xalychidom Piip ...
to the north,
Phoenix and
Guadalupe to the west, and
Chandler to the south.
Tempe is generally flat, except for
Tempe Butte or 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
Mountain America Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in Tempe, Arizona, located on the campus of Arizona State University (ASU). It is the home of the Arizona State Sun Devils football team of the Big 12 Conference. The stadium o ...
, Twin Buttes and Bell Butte on the western edge of Tempe, and the buttes within
Papago Park
Papago Park () is a Urban park, municipal park of the cities of Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona, United States. It has been designated as a Phoenix Points of Pride, Phoenix Point of Pride.
It includes Hunt's Tomb, which is listed on ...
at northwest corner of Tempe. Elevation ranges from at
Tempe Town Lake
Tempe Town Lake is an artificial perennial reservoir located just north of Tempe Butte at the confluence of the intermittent Salt River (Arizona), Salt River and the ephemeral Indian Bend Wash Area, Indian Bend Wash in Tempe, Arizona, United State ...
to atop Hayden Butte.
Climate
Tempe experiences a
desert climate
The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...
with a higher degree of
diurnal temperature variation
In meteorology, diurnal temperature variation is the variation between a high air temperature and a low temperature that occurs during the same day.
Temperature lag
Temperature lag, also known as thermal inertia, is an important factor in diur ...
than neighboring Phoenix.
Demographics

As of the 2010 census, there were 161,719 people, 63,602 households, and 33,645 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 67,068 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 77.5%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 5.9%
Black
Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
or
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 2.9%
Native American, 5.7%
Asian, 0.4%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 8.5% from
other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. 21.2% of the population were
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
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, 19.8% of the population was 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
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $22,406. About 7.5% of families and 14.3% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 13.6% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.
There is a
Mexican-American
Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the United State ...
community in Tempe centered around the neighboring town of Guadalupe.
Economy

Tempe is the headquarters and executive office of one
Fortune 500
The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune (magazine), Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States Joint-stock company#Closely held corporations and publicly traded corporations, corporations by ...
company:
DriveTime
DriveTime Automotive Group Inc. is an American used car retailer and finance company. It is based in Tempe, Arizona, and sells and finances cars to customers around the nation. The company was formerly known as Ugly Duckling and was renamed Dr ...
.
Benchmark Electronics
Benchmark Electronics Inc is an EMS, ODM, and OEM company based in Tempe, Arizona in the Phoenix metropolitan area.Worldwide Locations > The Americas > New Hampshire Benchmark Electronics Official Site Singapore
Singapore, officially th ...
,
Carvana
Carvana Co. is an online Car dealership, used car retailer based in Tempe, Arizona. Carvana was named to the 2021 Fortune 500, ''Fortune'' 500 list, one of the youngest companies to be added to the list.
History
Carvana was founded by Ernes ...
,
GoDaddy
GoDaddy Inc. is an American publicly traded Internet Domain name registry, domain registry, Domain name registrar, domain registrar and web hosting company headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, and incorporated in Delaware. GoDaddy is the world's fif ...
,
NortonLifeLock
Gen Digital Inc. (formerly Symantec Corporation and NortonLifeLock Inc.) is a multinational software company co-headquartered in both Prague, Czech Republic (European Union, EU) and Tempe, Arizona (United States, USA). The company provides comp ...
,
First Solar
First Solar, Inc. is a publicly traded American manufacturer of solar panels, and provider of utility-scale PV power plants, supporting services that include finance, construction, maintenance and end-of-life panel recycling. First Solar uses ...
, the
Salt River Project
The Salt River Project (SRP) encompasses two separate entities: the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District, an agency of the state of Arizona that serves as an electrical utility for the Phoenix metropolitan area, and the ...
,
Circle K
Circle K Stores, Inc. is a Canadian-American chain of convenience stores headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, and owned by Alimentation Couche-Tard, Alimentation Couche-Tard, Inc., based in Laval, Quebec. Founded in 1951 in El Paso, Texas, the comp ...
, and Fulton Homes are also headquartered in Tempe.
Cold Stone Creamery
Cold Stone Creamery, Inc. is an American international ice cream parlor chain. Headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, the company is owned and operated by Kahala Brands. The company's main product is premium ice cream made with approximately 1 ...
was originally headquartered in Tempe and location #0001 is still in operation today at 3330 S McClintock Drive in Tempe. Tempe prides itself in assisting burgeoning businesses and has a variety of resources and programs available, such a
FABRiC(Fashion and Business Resource Innovation Center) an
BRiC(Business Resource and Innovation Center).
Tempe is also home to the first and largest campus of
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
. It was the longtime host of the
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area since 1971.
From its beginning until 2006, the game was hosted at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has be ...
(1971–2006), where it hosted multiple national championship college football games. It then began hosting the
Insight Bowl
The Rate Bowl is an annual college football bowl game that has been played in the state of Arizona since 1989, under several different names.
Played as the Copper Bowl from inception through 1996, it was known as the Insight.com Bowl from 1997 ...
in December 2006, which remained through the January 2015 playing, when it was known as the
Cactus Bowl
The Rate Bowl is an annual college football bowl game that has been played in the state of Arizona since 1989, under several different names.
Played as the Copper Bowl from inception through 1996, it was known as the Insight.com Bowl from 1997 ...
.
Tempe houses several performance venues including
Gammage Auditorium and the
Tempe Center for the Arts
Tempe Center for the Arts (TCA) is a publicly owned performing and visual arts center in Tempe, Arizona. It opened in September 2007 and houses a 600-seat proscenium theater, a 200-seat studio theater, and a 3,500-square-foot gallery. Its Lakeside ...
.
Tempe Town Lake is home to many national and international events, such as Ironman Arizona and Rock n Roll Marathon.
Gammage Auditorium was also the site of one of the three
Presidential debates in 2004, and
Super Bowl XXX
Super Bowl XXX was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion fo ...
was played at
Sun Devil Stadium
Mountain America Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in Tempe, Arizona, located on the campus of Arizona State University (ASU). It is the home of the Arizona State Sun Devils football team of the Big 12 Conference. The stadium o ...
. Additionally, Tempe is the
spring training
Spring training, also called spring camp, is the preseason of the Summer Professional Baseball Leagues, such as Major League Baseball (MLB), and it is a series of practices and exhibition games preceding the start of the regular season. Spri ...
host city of the
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. Since 1966, the team has pl ...
.

One of Arizona's largest shopping malls,
Arizona Mills, sits near the border with the town of
Guadalupe. The city is the location of the first
IKEA
IKEA ( , ) is a Multinational corporation, multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in Sweden that designs and sells , household goods, and various related services.
IKEA is owned and operated by a series of not-for-profit an ...
branch in Arizona, also near the southern boundary.
Tempe Marketplace
Tempe Marketplace is an open-air shopping center located in Tempe, Arizona. It is located along the Salt River near the interchange of Loop 101 (the Pima/Price Freeway) and Loop 202 (the Red Mountain Freeway) near the Tempe borders with Me ...
, a large open air mall featuring live music and water and laser shows, is located just southeast of
Tempe Town Lake
Tempe Town Lake is an artificial perennial reservoir located just north of Tempe Butte at the confluence of the intermittent Salt River (Arizona), Salt River and the ephemeral Indian Bend Wash Area, Indian Bend Wash in Tempe, Arizona, United State ...
. Tempe can boast an array of wholesalers and manufacturers.
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.
Top employers
According to Tempe's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the financial year ending June 2020, the top employers in the city are:
Arts and culture
Tempe Center for the Arts

Opened in September 2007,
Tempe Center for the Arts
Tempe Center for the Arts (TCA) is a publicly owned performing and visual arts center in Tempe, Arizona. It opened in September 2007 and houses a 600-seat proscenium theater, a 200-seat studio theater, and a 3,500-square-foot gallery. Its Lakeside ...
(TCA) is a community crown jewel for performing and visual arts. The $65 million venue houses a state-of-the-art 600-seat theater, a 200-seat studio theater, a picturesque 200-seat multi-purpose space, a 3,500 square-foot art gallery.
Tempe History Museum
The Tempe History Museum explores local history through collections, research services, exhibits, and programs.
Public art
The Tempe Public Art Program coordinates artists with building designers to install permanent and temporary public art projects. Since 1988, more than 50 projects have been commissioned by the Tempe's Community Services Division. The Art in Private Development ordinance of 1991 has helped add more than 60 privately owned pieces of art to the city, accessible by the public.
Live music scene
Tempe enjoyed a thriving alternative music scene throughout the 1980s and '90s, producing acts including as the
Gin Blossoms
Gin Blossoms is an American alternative rock band formed in 1987 in Tempe, Arizona. They rose to prominence following the 1992 release of their first major label album, '' New Miserable Experience'', and the first single released from that al ...
,
Meat Puppets
Meat Puppets are an American rock band formed in January 1980 in Phoenix, Arizona. The group's original lineup was Curt Kirkwood (guitar/vocals), his brother Cris Kirkwood (bass guitar/vocals), and Derrick Bostrom (drums). The Kirkwood brothe ...
,
Dead Hot Workshop
Dead Hot Workshop is an American rock band based in Tempe, Arizona.
The band was a popular fixture of the Tempe music scene in the 1990s, when Tempe was being dubbed as "The Next Seattle" by music reps, and as a region that would produce many ...
,
The Refreshments,
Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers
Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers is an American rock band from Tempe, Arizona.
History
Roger Clyne and The Peacemakers formed in 1998, following the removal of Brian Blush and departure of Art Edwards from The Refreshments (American band), The ...
,
Hans Olson,
The Maine, and
Injury Reserve
Injury Reserve was an American hip hop music, hip hop group formed in 2012 in Tempe, Arizona, Tempe, Arizona. The group consisted of rappers RiTchie with a T (Nathaniel Ritchie), Stepa J. Groggs (Jordan Groggs), and producer Parker Corey. After ...
. Historic dive-bar Yucca Tap Room, one of the last remaining 'small stage' venues that defined this era, continues to host nightly local live music.
Tempe Music Walk
The Tempe Music Walk honors select bands, musicians and musical venues with plaques embedded in the sidewalk on Mill Avenue. Honorees are Walt Richardson,
The Gin Blossoms,
Hans Olson, and
Long Wong's.
Public libraries
Tempe Public Library is the local library. It is located adjacent to the Tempe History Museum.
Tourism
Many of the reasons people visit Tempe are places and events, such as
P. F. Chang's
P. F. Chang's China Bistro is an American-based, casual dining restaurant chain founded in 1993 by Paul Fleming and Philip Chiang that serves Asian fusion cuisine. Centerbridge Partners owned and operated Chang's until acquired by the private e ...
Rock 'n' Roll Arizona
Marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...
&
1/2 Marathon, Tempe Marketplace, Arizona Mills, Mill Avenue, and Tempe Town Lake.
The Tempe Tourism Office, located on Mill Avenue's downtown district, provides maps and additional information about hotels and upcoming city events.
Historic properties
There are numerous properties in the city of Tempe which are considered to be historical and have been included either in the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
.
Sports

From 1988 to 2005,
Sun Devil Stadium
Mountain America Stadium is an outdoor college football stadium in Tempe, Arizona, located on the campus of Arizona State University (ASU). It is the home of the Arizona State Sun Devils football team of the Big 12 Conference. The stadium o ...
hosted the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
's
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...
(they were known as the Phoenix Cardinals from 1988 to 1993). The Cardinals have since moved to
State Farm Stadium
State Farm Stadium is a multi-purpose retractable roof stadium in Glendale, Arizona, United States, west of Phoenix. It is the home of the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) and the annual Fiesta Bowl. It replaced Sun Devi ...
in
Glendale for games, but maintain their headquarters and training facility in Tempe. 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
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
Sun Devils compete in
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
,
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
,
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
, as well as a number of other sports in the
Big-12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. It consists of 16 full-member universities (3 private universities and 13 public universities) in the states of Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Okla ...
of the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...
. The Sun Devils football team plays their games at Sun Devil Stadium. Currently as a
Division I Independent program, the
men's ice hockey team plays at 5,000-seat
Mullett Arena
Mullett Arena (originally ASU Multi-Purpose Arena) is an indoor multipurpose arena at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.
The 5,000-seat arena is the home of the Arizona State Sun Devils men's ice hockey, men's ice hockey, Arizona State ...
. The Sun Devils' nearest rival is the
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it ...
Wildcats, in
Tucson
Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...
. The two teams compete in the "Duel in the Desert" for control of the
Territorial Cup
A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, belonging or connected to a particular country, person, or animal.
In international politics, a territory is usually a geographic area which has not been granted the powers of self-government, ...
. Sun Devil Stadium had hosted the annual
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area since 1971.
From its beginning until 2006, the game was hosted at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has be ...
until the 2007 game moved to State Farm Stadium.
The
Los Angeles Angels
The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...
have their spring training at
Tempe Diablo Stadium, a 9,785-seat ballpark built in 1968. The Angels moved to Tempe in 1993 from
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...
.
The
Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are an inactive professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division (1996–1998, 2021–2024) and ...
began using Mullett Arena as their home venue for the 2022-23 National Hockey League season after struggling to find long-term arena agreements in the greater Phoenix area. This was to be a short-term solution until a new arena was built. After several unsuccessful attempts at securing a new arena, the Coyotes played what would ultimately be the franchise's final two seasons in Arizona at Mullett Arena before ceasing operations in 2024 and relocating to Salt Lake City, Utah.
The
Arizona Hotshots
The Arizona Hotshots were a professional American football franchise based in Tempe, Arizona, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), which played one season from February 2019 to April 2019. They played their ...
of the
Alliance of American Football
The Alliance of American Football (AAF) was a professional American football minor league. The AAF consisted of eight centrally owned and operated teams in the southern and western United States, seven of which were located in metropolitan area ...
played their one season in Tempe in early 2019. The league folded before the season was completed.
Rugby union
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...
is a developing sport in Tempe as well as in the
Phoenix metropolitan area
The Phoenix metropolitan area, also known as the Valley of the Sun, the Salt River Valley, metro Phoenix, or The Valley, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the Southwestern United States, with its largest principal city being the c ...
. The multiple clubs, ranging from
men's and women's clubs to
collegiate
Collegiate may refer to:
* College
* Webster's Dictionary, a dictionary with editions referred to as a "Collegiate"
* ''Collegiate'' (1926 film), 1926 American silent film directed by Del Andrews
* ''Collegiate'' (1936 film), 1936 American musi ...
and Under 19, are part of the
Arizona Rugby Union. Notable clubs are Arizona State University Rugby Football Club and the Tempe "Old Devils" Rugby Club.
Parks and recreation
Tempe is home to many outdoor activities. Tempe Town Lake is a publicly accessible lake that is run by City of Tempe. The lake provides recreation activities to residents and tourists, but also helps protect the surrounding area from flooding. The City of Tempe estimated that 2.7 million people visited the lake in 2013.
Papago Park
Papago Park () is a Urban park, municipal park of the cities of Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix and Tempe, Arizona, United States. It has been designated as a Phoenix Points of Pride, Phoenix Point of Pride.
It includes Hunt's Tomb, which is listed on ...
and
Tempe Butte Desert Preserves offer hiking, mountain and road biking, rock climbing,
disc golf, and equestrian activities. Tempe is also home to the annual
Ironman Triathlon
An Ironman Triathlon is one of a series of long-distance triathlon races organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC), consisting of a swim, a bicycle ride and a marathon run completed in that order, a total of . It is widely consid ...
, which takes place in late November.

Tempe has more than 50 neighborhood and community parks, including Kiwanis Park, Tempe Beach Park and Tempe Sports Complex. Kiwanis Park contains
Kiwanis Lake, the only indoor wave pool in the Phoenix area, a gymnasium, a batting range, tennis courts, a fitness center, and classroom programs.
Government
* Mayor: Corey Woods
* Vice Mayor: Doreen Garlid
* City Manager: Rosa Inchausti
* Chief of Police: Kenneth McCoy
* Fire Chief: Darrel Duty
* City Attorney: Eric Anderson
* City Council Members: Vice Mayor Doreen Garlid, Councilmembers Jennifer Adams, Nikki Amberg, Arlene Chin, Berdetta Hodge and Randy Keating.
The city has had 33 mayors since 1894.
* 1894–1896: Fenn J. Hart
* 1896–1897: E.A. Murphy
* 1897–1902: John Knight
* 1902–1903: Samuel Brown
* 1903–1912: J.A. Dins
* 1912–1914: Joseph T. Birchett
* 1914–1916: George M. Frizzell
* 1916–1920: J.A. Dins
* 1920–1922: C.M. Woodward
* 1922–1924: Curt W. Miller
* 1924–1926: Garfield A. Goodwin
* 1926–1928: J.L. Felton
* 1928–1930: Hugh E. Laird
* 1930–1932: Thanks Anderson
* 1932–1934: F.E. Ostrander
* 1934–1937: Thanks Anderson
* 1937–1948: W.W. Cole
* 1948–1960: Hugh E. Laird
* 1960–1961: Clyde Gililland
* 1961–1962: Ross R. Rice
* 1962–1963: Bernard R. Caine
* 1963–1964: Harold Andrews
* 1964–1966: John C. Moeur
* 1966–1968: Rudy E. Campbell
* 1968–1970: Elmer Bradley
* 1970–1974: Dale R. Shumway
* 1974–1978: William J. LoPiano
* 1978–1994:
Harry Mitchell
Harry Everett Mitchell (born July 18, 1940) is an American politician and educator who served as a U.S. Representative representing from 2007 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
Early life, education and career
Born and raised ...
* 1994–2004:
Neil Giuliano
Neil Gerard Giuliano (born October 26, 1956) is an American politician who served as mayor of Tempe, Arizona for four terms, from 1994 to 2004 (Three two-year terms and one four-year term). After serving in elected office he served as president of ...
* 2004–2012:
Hugh Hallman
Hugh Hallman is an American politician who served as the mayor of Tempe, Arizona for two consecutive terms, from 2004 to 2012, and as councilman from 1998 to 2002. Hallman was a candidate for State Treasurer of Arizona in the Republican primary on ...
* 2012–2020: Mark Mitchell
* 2020–present:
Corey Woods
Tempe is in Arizona's 9th Congressional District, served by
Representative Greg Stanton
Gregory John Stanton (born March 8, 1970) is an American lawyer and politician who is the U.S. representative from , serving since 2019. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, he was previously Mayor of Phoenix, mayor of Phoenix, Arizona, ...
(D).
Education
Tempe is served by multiple
school district
A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public Primary school, primary or Secondary school, secondary schools or both in various countries. It is not to be confused with an attendance zone, which is within a school dis ...
s. Most of Tempe is within the
Tempe Elementary School District
The Tempe Elementary School District is a school district in Tempe, Arizona.
The Tempe Elementary School District is located in the heart of the “Valley of the Sun”. It encompasses an area of approximately including not only Tempe but als ...
and the
Tempe Union High School District; however, other portions are served by the
Kyrene School District
Kyrene School District is a K-8 school district that serves parts of Tempe, Chandler, Guadalupe, and Phoenix, Arizona, as well as portions of the Gila River Indian Community within Maricopa County. Kyrene School District operates a total of ...
(K–8),
Scottsdale Unified School District
The Scottsdale Unified School District (SUSD) is a school district with its headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona. The district serves most of Scottsdale, most of Paradise Valley, a portion of Phoenix, and a portion of Tempe.
Its 22 schools ...
(K–12), and
Mesa Public Schools
Mesa Public Schools (incorporated as Mesa Unified School District #44) is the largest public school district in the US state of Arizona, headquartered in Mesa. It has approximately 34,000 students. The district has, in addition to regular progr ...
(K–12).
James Madison Preparatory School and
Tempe Preparatory Academy are also located in the area.
Emmanuel Lutheran School is a Christian Pre-K–8 grade school of the
Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod
The Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS), also referred to simply as the Wisconsin Synod, is an American Confessional Lutheran denomination of Christianity. Characterized as Christian theology, theologically conservative, it was founded ...
in Tempe.
Tempe also contains one of the state's three major universities,
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
, the
Maricopa County Community College District
The Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD), also known as Maricopa Community Colleges, is a Public college, public community college district in Maricopa County, Arizona. Headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, Tempe, MCCCD is among the la ...
administrative offices and the headquarters of
Rio Salado Community College
Rio Salado College is a public community college headquartered in Tempe, Arizona United States. It is part of the Maricopa County Community College District and accredited by The Higher Learning Commission. It offers associate degree and certi ...
. Arizona State University is known for its numerous studies and innovations, particularly in the field of science which include furthering the knowledge of certain cancers, business management research, and population science. Tempe is also the home of several other schools, including the
University of Phoenix
University of Phoenix (UoPX) is a Private university, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit university headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1976, the university confers certificates and degrees at the Ac ...
,
Brookline College
Brookline College is a Private college, private For-profit higher education in the United States, for-profit college in Phoenix, Arizona. It offers associate degree, associate and bachelor's degrees in nursing and affiliated healthcare-related ...
, Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine,
Southwest Institute of Healing Arts,
Bryan University and Lamson Junior College.
Media
* Tempe 11, a local access channel, found on Cox Cable Channel 11.
* KJZZ, an NPR station, is located in Tempe at Rio Salado College.
*
KBAQ, a 24/7 member-supported classical radio station, is the only such service in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Sun Sounds, a radio station for the blind, is also located there.
* Tempe Tribune and Times Media Group have offices in Tempe.
Tempe Independent covers Tempe
Infrastructure
Transportation

Tempe is one of the most densely populated cities in the state and serves as a crossroads for the area's largest communities.
Freeways make up the major transportation system for the Valley. Included in the
system
A system is a group of interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its open system (systems theory), environment, is described by its boundaries, str ...
surrounding Tempe are
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...
near the western edge as it traverses the
Broadway Curve
In the U.S. state of Arizona, Interstate 10 (I‑10), the major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States Sun Belt, runs east from California, enters Arizona near the town of Ehrenberg and continues through Phoenix and Tucson a ...
,
Loop 202
Arizona State Route 202 (SR 202) or Loop 202 (202L) is a semi-beltway circling the eastern and southern areas of the Phoenix metropolitan area in central Maricopa County, Arizona. It traverses the eastern end and the southern en ...
crossing the northern side,
Loop 101
State Route 101 (SR 101) or Loop 101 is a semi-beltway looping around the Phoenix Metropolitan Area in central Arizona, United States. It connects several suburbs of Phoenix, including Tolleson, Glendale, Peoria, Scottsd ...
following the eastern border, and
U.S. Route 60
U.S. Route 60 is a major east–west United States highway, traveling from southwestern Arizona to the Atlantic Ocean coast in Virginia.
The highway's eastern terminus is in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where it is known as General Booth Bouleva ...
running east–west through the center of the city.
Valley Metro
The Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority, more popularly known as Valley Metro, is the unified public brand of the regional transit system for the Phoenix metropolitan area. Within the system, it is divided between Valley Met ...
operates bus routes and the
Valley Metro Rail
Valley Metro Rail is a light rail system serving the Phoenix metropolitan area in Arizona, USA. The network, which is part of the Valley Metro public transit system, began operations on December 27, 2008. In , the system had a ridership of , ...
system that serves Downtown Tempe and
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
, providing service to
Phoenix and
Mesa
A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge, or hill, bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and standing distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks, such as shales, capped by a ...
. The City of Tempe operates a free neighborhood circulator service called Orbit involving five free shuttle routes near
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
that operate on a regular basis seven days a week. Three other FLASH (Free Local Area Shuttle) circulate in northern Tempe around the university. Tempe residents and commuters make extensive use of public transit and service is offered on a more frequent basis than elsewhere in the greater Phoenix valley, or in the entire state. Most Tempe buses offer 15 minute service during rush hour and 30 minute service throughout the rest of the day.
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a civil-military public international airport east of downtown Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is Arizona's largest and busiest airport; among the largest commercial airports ...
, located northwest of Tempe, provides extensive air service to points throughout
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
and to
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
, England, and various cities in
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
.
Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport
Mesa Gateway Airport – also known as Phoenix–Mesa Airport – is an international airport in southeastern Mesa, Arizona, located approximately southeast of Phoenix, in Maricopa County. effective May 15, 2025, AirportIQ 5010, GCR Inc. ...
is located in Mesa, and offers air service to many additional destinations.
Tempe is one of the few cities in the United States to permit
self-driving taxis.
Waymo
Waymo LLC, formerly known as the Google Self-Driving Car Project, is an American autonomous driving technology company headquartered in Mountain View, California. It is a subsidiary of Google's parent company (Alphabet Inc., Alphabet Inc).
T ...
currently offers service within most parts of the city as well as certain other portions of the Valley. In 2018, Tempe was the location of the first reported killing of a pedestrian by a self-driving car, when
Elaine Herzberg
The death of Elaine Herzberg (August 2, 1968 – March 18, 2018) was the first recorded case of a pedestrian fatality involving a self-driving car, after a collision that occurred late in the evening of March 18, 2018. Herzberg was pushing a bic ...
was struck and killed by a car owned by
Uber
Uber Technologies, Inc. is an American multinational transportation company that provides Ridesharing company, ride-hailing services, courier services, food delivery, and freight transport. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, a ...
that was operating in autonomous mode. The incident caused Uber to suspend its self-driving car program nationwide, and its permit to operate in Arizona was revoked.
Tempe is home to the nation's first zero-driving community called Culdesac Tempe which opened in 2023.
The $170 million development project will contain 761 apartments, housing 1,000 residents and 16,000 square feet of retail, serving as a form of
infill development in the city as it is being built on a vacant 17-acre lot.
In this community, residents are contractually forbidden from parking a vehicle within a quarter mile radius of the area.
Prices to live in Culdesac Tempe are projected to be similar to rent prices in the rest of the area and discounted
public transport
Public transport (also known as public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) are forms of transport available to the general public. It typically uses a fixed schedule, route and charges a fixed fare. There is no rigid definition of whic ...
services are included in the monthly rent to allow for residents to travel to other places.
Notable people

*
Albert Alan – financial literacy advocate and author, born in Tempe
*
Steven Anderson
Steven James Stuart Anderson (born 19 December 1985) is a Scottish footballer who plays for Broxburn Athletic. Anderson plays in central defence.
Club career Early career
Anderson's senior career in football began when he stepped up from Dalk ...
– pastor of
Faithful Word Baptist Church
Faithful Word Baptist Church is a New Independent Fundamentalist Baptist church in Tempe, Arizona, that was founded by Steven Anderson. The church describes itself as "an old-fashioned, independent, fundamental, King James Bible-only, soul-w ...
*
Jules Asner
Jules Asner (born Julie Ann White; February 14, 1968) is an American screenwriter, author, former entertainment journalist, television personality, and model.
Early life
Asner was born Julie Ann White in Tempe, Arizona. At age 16, she was dis ...
– television personality, model, author
*
Roger Clyne – musician
*
Norman Dubie
Norman Dubie (April 10, 1945--February 20, 2023) was an American poet from Barre, Vermont.
Life
He was the author of twenty-eight collections of poetry. Dubie's work often assumes historical personae and has been included in ''The New Yorker'', ' ...
– poet
*
Gabe Freeman
Gabriel DeAndre Freeman (born November 5, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. Freeman also has experience with the London Lightning in the NBL Canada and steered them to a 2012 Finals victory. He won the ASEAN Basketball L ...
– professional basketball player
*
Grady Gammage – educator, president of
NAU and, after,
ASU
*
Gin Blossoms
Gin Blossoms is an American alternative rock band formed in 1987 in Tempe, Arizona. They rose to prominence following the 1992 release of their first major label album, '' New Miserable Experience'', and the first single released from that al ...
– rock band
*
Margaret Gisolo
Margaret Gisolo (Oct. 21, 1914 - Oct. 20, 2009) was an American sportswoman and educator who while still a child was a pioneer in the history of women in baseball as the first girl to play American Legion baseball, a predecessor of Little League. ...
– baseball pioneer, dance educator
*
Mary Green – first Black property owner in Tempe
*
Carl T. Hayden – United States
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...
for Arizona, and its first Representative in the
House
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
*
Katie Hobbs
Kathleen Marie Hobbs (born December 28, 1969) is an American politician serving since 2023 as the 24th governor of Arizona. A member of the Democratic Party, she was secretary of state of Arizona from 2019 to 2023 and a member of the Arizona Le ...
– 24th and current governor of Arizona since 2023
*
Injury Reserve
Injury Reserve was an American hip hop music, hip hop group formed in 2012 in Tempe, Arizona, Tempe, Arizona. The group consisted of rappers RiTchie with a T (Nathaniel Ritchie), Stepa J. Groggs (Jordan Groggs), and producer Parker Corey. After ...
- hip hop group
*
Joe Jackson – professional football player
*
Frank Kush
Frank Joseph Kush (January 20, 1929 – June 22, 2017) was an American football player and coach. As a player he earned All-American honors in 1952 as a defensive lineman playing for the Michigan State Spartans.
He was head coach at Arizona S ...
– college football coach
*
Ryan Maifield - Professional R/C Car Driver
*
Aaron McCreary – college baseball, basketball and football coach
*
The Meat Puppets
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
– rock band
*
Harry E. Mitchell – former
U.S. Representative
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...
*
Paul "P.H." Naffah – musician
*
Mike Pollak
Michael David Pollak (born February 16, 1985) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a Guard (American football), guard for seven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football f ...
– professional football player
*
Psychostick
Psychostick is an American comedy metalcore band from Tempe, Arizona, known for their comical image and usage of humor in their songs and lyrics. Their style is referred to by themselves and some online album review sites as "humorcore".
To dat ...
– comedy rock band
*
John H. Pyle –
Governor of Arizona
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...
from 1951 to 1955.
*
The Refreshments – alternative rock band
*
Alberto Ríos
Alberto Álvaro Ríos (born September 18, 1952) is a US academic and writer who is the author of ten books and chapbooks of poetry, three collections of short stories, and a memoir.
Rios was named Arizona's first state poet laureate in August 2 ...
– poet
*
Charli Turner Thorne – college basketball coach
Twin towns and sister cities
:
Beaulieu-sur-Mer
Beaulieu-sur-Mer (; ; ; "Beautiful Place on the Sea"), commonly referred to simply as Beaulieu, is a seaside commune on the French Riviera between Nice and the Principality of Monaco. Located in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence- ...
,
Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes (; ; ; ) is a Departments of France, department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the France–Italy border, Italian border and Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'A ...
,
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (commonly shortened to PACA), also known as Région Sud, is one of the eighteen Regions of France, administrative regions of France, located at the far southeastern point of the Metropolitan France, mainland. The main P ...
, France
:
Carlow
Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland, ...
,
Carlow
Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland, ...
, Ireland
:
Lower Hutt
Lower Hutt () is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropoli ...
, New Zealand
:
Regensburg
Regensburg (historically known in English as Ratisbon) is a city in eastern Bavaria, at the confluence of the rivers Danube, Naab and Regen (river), Regen, Danube's northernmost point. It is the capital of the Upper Palatinate subregion of the ...
,
Bavaria
Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
, Germany
:
Skopje
Skopje ( , ; ; , sq-definite, Shkupi) is the capital and largest city of North Macedonia. It lies in the northern part of the country, in the Skopje Basin, Skopje Valley along the Vardar River, and is the political, economic, and cultura ...
, North Macedonia
:
Zhenjiang
Zhenjiang, alternately romanized as Chinkiang, is a prefecture-level city in Jiangsu Province, China. It lies on the southern bank of the Yangtze River near its intersection with the Grand Canal. It is opposite Yangzhou (to its north) and ...
,
Jiangsu
Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...
, China
:
Timbuktu
Timbuktu ( ; ; Koyra Chiini: ; ) is an ancient city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. It is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrative regions of Mali, having a population of 32,460 in the 2018 census.
...
, Mali
:
Cuenca
Cuenca may refer to:
People
* Cuenca (surname)
Places
Ecuador
* Cuenca Canton, in the Azuay Province
** Cuenca, Ecuador, capital of Cuenca Canton and Azuay Province
** Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cuenca
Peru
* Cuenca District, Huarochirí ...
, Ecuador
:
Cuzco
Cusco or Cuzco (; or , ) is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Sacred Valley of the Andes mountain range and the Huatanay river. It is the capital of the eponymous province and department.
The city was the capital of the Inca Empire unti ...
, Peru
:
Trollhättan
Trollhättan () is the 23rd-largest city in Sweden, the seat of Trollhättan Municipality, Västra Götaland County. It is situated by Göta älv, near the lake Vänern, and has a population of approximately 50,000 in the city proper. It is loc ...
, Sweden
:
Agra City, India
The newest sister city is Agra City, India, since 2016.
See also
*
List of historic properties in Tempe, Arizona
This is a list, which includes a photographic gallery, of some of the remaining historic structures and monuments in Tempe, Arizona. Tempe, known as ''Oidbaḍ'' by the Pima Native-American tribe, was also known as Hayden's Ferry during the t ...
*
List of historic properties in Glendale, Arizona
*
List of historic properties in Chandler, Arizona
*
List of historic properties in Phoenix, Arizona
This is a list, which includes photographic galleries, of some of the remaining historic structures and monuments, of historic significance, in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. Included are photographs of properties identified by the African, A ...
*
Double Butte Cemetery
*
List of sundown towns in the United States
A sundown town is a municipality or neighborhood within the United States that practices or once practiced a form of racial segregation characterized by intimidation, hostility, or violence among White people directed toward non-Whites, especial ...
References
Further reading
* Smith, Jared. ''The African American Experience in Tempe'' (Tempe History Museum and African American Advisory Committee, 2013).
* Sweeney, Jennifer. From" Open Country" to" Open Space": Park Planning, Rapid Growth and Community Identity in Tempe, Arizona, 1949–1975. (MA Thesis. Arizona State University, 2019), bibliography pp 121–14
online
* Solliday, Scott. ''Tempe Post-World War II Context Study'' (December 2001. Archived on City of Tempe Web site
online* Stephenson, Gregory. ''Tempe, Du Stadt Meiner Träume:'' Studies in Psychogeography. Ober-Limbo Verlag, 2020.
External links
Official government websiteTempe news, sports and things to do from The Tempe Republic newspaperOfficial Tempe Tourism website*
List of Tempe Neighborhoods*
{{Authority control
Populated places established in 1865
Cities in Arizona
Cities in Maricopa County, Arizona
Phoenix metropolitan area
Populated places in the Sonoran Desert
Sundown towns in Arizona