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Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, with a 2007
population of 174,091. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe
in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of the
Phoenix Metropolitan Area; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe
on the west, Scottsdale on the north, Chandler on the south, and
Mesa on the east. Tempe is the location of US Airways's corporate
headquarters, and of Arizona State University's oldest, largest
and main campus.
History
The Hohokam initially lived in this area and built canals to
support their agriculture. They abandoned their settlements during
the 1400s, with a few individuals and families remaining nearby.
Fort McDowell was established on the upper Salt River in 1865
allowing for new towns to be built further 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 to provide water for alfalfa, wheat, barley,
oats, and cotton.
In the 20th and 21st centuries, Tempe has expanded not only as a
suburb of Phoenix, but also a center of education and commerce in
its own right.
Demographics
Males: 89,931 (51.7%)
Females: 84,160 (48.3%)
Median resident age: 28.8 years
Arizona median age: 34.2 years
Zip codes: 85280, 85281, 85282, 85283, 85284, 85285, 85287, 85289.
Estimated median household income in 2007: $49,281 (it was $42,361
in 2000)
Estimated median house or condo value in 2007: $275,300 (it was
$126,700 in 2000)
Mean prices in 2007: All housing units: $323,416; Detached houses:
$371,563; Townhouses or other attached units: $192,091; In
3-to-4-unit structures: $198,214; In 5-or-more-unit structures:
$215,807; Mobile homes: $24,189
Median gross rent in 2007: $871.
Percentage of residents living in poverty in 2007: 19.8%
Races in Tempe:
White Non-Hispanic (69.7%)
Hispanic (17.9%)
Other race (8.5%)
Black (3.7%)
Two or more races (3.3%)
American Indian (2.7%)
Chinese (1.3%)
Asian Indian (1.1%)
Other Asian (0.7%)
Vietnamese (0.5%)
For population 25 years and over in Tempe
High school or higher: 90.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher: 39.6%
Graduate or professional degree: 14.6%
Unemployed: 4.3%
Mean travel time to work: 20.4 minutes
For population 15 years and over in Tempe city
Never married: 44.0%
Now married: 41.3%
Separated: 1.4%
Widowed: 3.3%
Divorced: 10.0%
20,422 residents are foreign born (6.1% Latin America, 4.4% Asia,
1.5% Europe).
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