"Phoenix is for golfers & retire ..." a Phoenix Travel Page by kimod74

The Phoenix Metropolitan Area is the 14th largest in the United States and has a population over 3,790,000 people. Some of the cities and towns that make up the Phoenix Metropolitan Area are:

· Mesa: Mesa is the third largest city in Arizona behind Phoenix and Tucson. With a population over 451,860 Mesa is larger than St. Louis, Pittsburgh, and Salt Lake City and is the second largest suburban city in the United States.
· Scottsdale: Scottsdale has become a posh vacation destination and was dubbed one of the most luxurious places in the nation by The Travel Channel. The New York Times also referred to Scottsdale as The Beverly Hills of the Desert. In 2005 Scottsdale ranked in the top 10 for luxury homes sales in the United States. The city is known for its premiere shopping, golf courses, and homes.
· Glendale: The city of Glendale is home to Phoenix Coyote’s (NHL) and the Arizona Cardinal’s. The 2008 Super Bowl XLII is scheduled to be played in Glendale.
· Tempe: Tempe has a population of 160,676 and is home to the headquarters for US Airways as well as the Arizona State University.
· Chandler: The city of Chandler has seen a lot of growth over the past 10 years. In 2000 the Census reported that there were 176,582 people living in Chandler and in 2004 the population had grown 25% to 220,705.
· Gilbert: Gilbert is another area on the fast track. Still small enough to be considered a town Gilbert’s population grew 46% from the years of 2000 to 2004 from 109,697 to just above 150,000.
· Peoria: Named after Peoria, IL this Phoenix suburb has roughly 123,239. Peoria is also home to spring training for the San Diego Padres.

I loved all the goofy looking cactuses in the desert. The magnificent Saguaro Cactus, the state flower of Arizona, is composed of a tall, thick, fluted, columnar stem, 18 to 24 inches in diameter, often with several large branches (arms) curving upward in the most distinctive conformation of all Southwestern cacti.

The skin is smooth and waxy, the trunk and stems have stout, 2-inch spines clustered on their ribs. When water is absorbed , the outer pulp of the Saguaro can expand like an accordion, increasing the diameter of the stem and, in this way, can increase its weight by up to a ton.

The Saguaro often begins life in the shelter of a "nurse" tree or shrub which can provide a shaded, moister habitat for the germination of life. The Saguaro grows very slowly -- perhaps an inch a year -- but to a great height, 15 to 50 feet. The largest plants, with more than 5 arms, are estimated to be 200 years old. An average old Saguaro would have 5 arms and be about 30 feet tall

This is a view from the top of the hill of the Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs where we stayed while we were in Phoenix. I believe this is looking North. I have not been to the desert since I lived in California over 15 years ago. The desert is very lonely and beautiful at the same time. I sitll cannot understand why anyone would want to live in this boiler of a state!