Hot Markets: Phoenix, Arizona

Phoenix is Arizona's largest city and largest metropolitan area by population. It is also the county seat of Maricopa County and the principal city of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Phoenix is appropriately called Hoozdo, or "the place is hot", in the Navajo language and Fiinigis in the Western Apache language.

In mid-2004, Phoenix was the sixth-largest city in the United States according to the U.S. Census Bureau's latest estimates. However, according to unofficial projections Phoenix surpassed Philadelphia in late 2005, moving into the top five cities in the U.S.

The 2000 U.S. Census reported the Phoenix Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) as the fourteenth-largest in the U.S., with a population of 3,251,876. The city's MSA grew to an estimated 3,790,000 by 2004. Between 1990 and 2000, the metropolitan area grew by 34 percent, making it the eighth fastest-growing metropolitan area in the U.S.

Numerous high-tech and telecommunications companies have also recently relocated to the Phoenix area. Due to the warm climate in winter, Phoenix benefits greatly from seasonal tourism and recreation, and has a particularly vibrant golf industry.