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62-595: The Mogollon Mountains are located west of the Gila River and east of the San Francisco River , between the communities of Reserve and Silver City . They extend roughly north–south for about 30 mi (48 km), and form part of the divide between the San Francisco and Gila Rivers. The crest of the range lies about 15 mi (24 km) east of U.S. Route 180 , which traverses parallel to

124-491: A large regional campus in Chandler. The Metropolitan Area ranks 5th in the nation in economic growth, which is a major comeback from the recession. The unemployment rate of the area is 5.3%, lower than the national rate of 6.3%. It also has slightly higher recent job growth (2.0% compared to 1.2%) and higher projected job growth (38.7% compared to 36.1%). Although the area has significantly higher sales tax rates compared with

186-552: A mean flow of about 1,800 cubic feet per second (51 m /s) at the mouth. The river's modern discharge near the mouth is less than 180,000 acre-feet (0.22 km ) per year, with an average flow of just 247 cubic feet per second (7.0 m /s). Overdraft from the Gila River system prompted the construction of the Central Arizona Project , which delivers some 1,500,000 acre-feet (1.9 km ) annually from

248-527: A month. Among the last to be captured were three German soldiers who had based their audacious but ill-fated escape plans on a stolen highway map of Arizona, which showed the Gila River leading to the Colorado River, which in turn led to Mexico. Devising a scheme to flee by water, the Germans constructed a collapsible kayak under the noses of their American captors, tested it in a makeshift pool within

310-873: A section of the San Francisco River. The Sierra Aguilada , a lower altitude smaller range, borders to the west of Route 180. Most of the Mogollon Mountains range is protected within the Gila Wilderness , in the Gila National Forest . The highest point in the range is Whitewater Baldy which, at 10,895 ft (3,321 m), is the highest point in southwestern New Mexico. The range also contains five other peaks over 10,000 feet, most notably Mogollon Baldy 10,778 ft (3,285 m). The Mogollon Mountains were formed between forty and twenty-five million years ago as part of

372-618: A statutory prohibition against any such projects on the state's portion of the river. The Gila River between Virden, New Mexico , and Solomon, Arizona , is navigable during spring snowmelt and after summer and autumn storms. The river passes through many scenic canyons and stretches of Class I to III whitewater. Due to its desert surroundings, the river is characterized by erratic flows and flash floods that reach high peaks and drop off just as quickly. The Gila's Salt River tributary has even more difficult whitewater, ranging up to Class IV in places, and often has higher and more dependable flows than

434-662: A total area of about 14,600 square miles. Because of the size of counties in Arizona, even though Maricopa and Pinal counties together contain nearly 4.9 million people, most of the area is uninhabited, which gives the MSA an extremely low density compared to other major MSAs in the nation. The average elevation in the city itself is about 1,100 feet (340 m), with the highest point being in South Mountain Park Preserve 2,704 feet (824 m).The highest point in

496-401: Is 300 miles away. As of the 2010 census, there were 4,192,887 people, 1,537,137 households, and 1,024,971 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 73.0% White (58.7% White Non-Hispanic), 5.0% Black , 3.3% Asian , 2.4% Native American or Alaska Native (virtually all Native American) and 16.2% of other or mixed race . 29.5% were Hispanic of any race. In 2010

558-597: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Gila River The Gila River ( / ˈ h iː l ə / ; O'odham [Pima] : Keli Akimel or simply Akimel , Quechan : Haa Siʼil , Maricopa language : Xiil ) is a 649-mile-long (1,044 km) tributary of the Colorado River flowing through New Mexico and Arizona in the United States. The river drains an arid watershed of nearly 60,000 square miles (160,000 km ) that lies mostly within

620-534: Is due to the occasional corrections in the grid caused by the curvature of the Earth . This results in arterial roadways deviating slightly from a straight line, as can be seen in many locations where roads abruptly curve either just north or just south of Baseline Road to follow a new section line. The majority of the cities in the metropolitan area, as well as unincorporated areas in Maricopa County, observe

682-564: Is in Arizona. A band of Pima (autonym "Akimel O'odham", river people), the Keli Akimel O'odham (Gila River People), have lived on the banks of the Gila River since before the arrival of Spanish explorers. Popular theory says that the word "Gila" was derived from a Spanish contraction of Hah-quah-sa-eel, a Yuma word meaning "running water which is salty". Their traditional way of life ( himdagĭ , sometimes rendered in English as Him-dak)

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744-735: Is intermittent at that point. The majority of the water is diverted at the Ashurst-Hayden Diversion Dam near Florence, Arizona . A number of minor diversion dams have been built on the river between the Painted Rock Dam and the Coolidge Dam, including the Gillespie Dam , which was breached during a flood in 1993. Many dams have been built on tributaries to the Gila River, including Theodore Roosevelt Dam , Horse Mesa Dam , and Mormon Flat Dam on

806-489: Is known as "11 Mile Corner"). Exceptions include: Apache Junction continues Mesa's convention of numbered north-south street names by having the sequence continue east from 112th St while simultaneously having east-west numbered avenues south of Apache Trail and east-west numbered streets north of Apache Trail. In terms of safety, the Phoenix–Mesa–Chandler, AZ metropolitan area has been ranked 16th most dangerous in

868-612: Is officially designated by the US Census Bureau as the Phoenix–Mesa–Chandler, AZ Metropolitan Statistical Area. The total population for metropolitan Phoenix at the 2020 Census was 4,845,832. The Phoenix Metropolitan Area is hundreds of miles away from any other metropolitan area of similar population size. For instance, the closest metropolitan area with almost the same population size is the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA Metro Area , which

930-543: Is served by the Southwest Chief . Amtrak's Los Angeles-New Orleans Sunset Limited served the city of Phoenix directly from 1971 until it was rerouted on June 2, 1996, to a more southerly route between Tucson and Yuma, Arizona , in order to accommodate the Union Pacific Railroad 's desire to abandon a portion of its Phoenix-to-Yuma "West Line." This made Phoenix one of the largest cities in

992-968: Is that the major north-south arterial roads are rarely similarly named; the "avenue" arterials in the West Valley are all odd-numbered and the "street" arterials in the East Valley are even-numbered, with the exception of 7th Ave. & 7th St., both being major roadways running parallel and each one-half mile from Central Ave. Communities in Maricopa County that have their own street numbering systems include: Additional confusion can be encountered in Mesa in its urban core, with east-west numbered avenues and drives counting down from 11th Avenue north towards Main Street), and numbered streets and places counting down from 11th Place south towards Main Street. Then, in

1054-649: The Apache . Geronimo is said to have been born in the area around 1829. Mining occurred in the area beginning in the 1890s and continuing for some decades when the natural grizzly bear population was destroyed. The Mogollon Mountains should not be confused with the Mogollon Rim , a large escarpment in Arizona, about 100 miles (160 km) to the northwest. 33°19′24″N 108°38′30″W  /  33.32336°N 108.64174°W  / 33.32336; -108.64174 This New Mexico state location article

1116-597: The Arizona Sun Corridor megaregion along with the second-most populous metropolitan area in the state, the Tucson metropolitan area . The gross domestic product of the Phoenix metropolitan area was $ 362 billion in 2022, 14th highest amongst metro areas in the United States. As of the 2020 census , the two-county metropolitan area had 4,845,832 residents, making it the 11th largest metropolitan area in

1178-631: The Census Bureau which consists of the entirety of the counties of Maricopa, Pinal, and Gila. This includes the Phoenix metropolitan area and the Payson, AZ micropolitan statistical area . As of April 1, 2020, the Phoenix–Mesa CSA had a population of 4,899,104, making it the fourteenth-most populous in the nation. The Phoenix Metropolitan Area comprises Maricopa County (2020 population: 4,420,568) and Pinal County (2020 population: 425,264). It

1240-701: The Datil-Mogollon Volcanic Plateau. Hot springs existing in the area are a remnant of that volcanic activity. The Mogollon Mountains are named for Juan Ignacio Flores Mogollón , governor of Spanish colonial Nuevo Leon from 1712 to 1715, in the Viceroyalty of New Spain . Early inhabitants of the range include the Mimbres Culture , from 300 BCE to 1300 CE. Later peoples included the Chiricahua and Mimbres bands of

1302-756: The Gila River Indian Reservation as an intermittent stream due to large irrigation diversions, primarily at the Hayden Ashurst Diversion Dam. Well west of Phoenix, the river bends sharply southward along the Gila Bend Mountains, then it swings westward again near the town of Gila Bend . It flows southwestward between the Gila Mountains to the south and the Languna and Muggins ranges to

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1364-633: The Salt River , New Waddell Dam on the Agua Fria River , and Bartlett Dam on the Verde River . Many major dams in the Gila River system were built and operated by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation , which also constructed most of the large dams throughout the Colorado River basin. Others, such as Coolidge Dam, are owned by local water supply agencies, irrigation districts, or Native American tribes. The Gila River and its main tributary,

1426-810: 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 city of Phoenix . It includes much of central Arizona . The United States Office of Management and Budget designates the area as the Phoenix–Mesa–Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) , defining it as Maricopa and Pinal counties. It anchors

1488-592: The addressing system employed by the city of Phoenix. A number of cities, however, retain their own addressing systems with differing reference points, creating the potential for multiple instances of a house number being found on the same named road. In terms of numbering systems, some roads that continue through multiple cities will switch numbering conventions several times. Broadway Road, for example, starts and stops multiple times, passing through Goodyear, Avondale, Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, and Apache Junction, each with their own reference point for address numbering. Though

1550-612: The Colorado River to supplement water supplies in the basin. The upper Gila River, including its entire length within New Mexico, is a free-flowing one. Recent efforts to allow for damming or otherwise diverting this stretch have met with stiff political resistance, having been named as one of the nation's most endangered rivers due to proposed dam projects such as Hooker Dam . During his time in office, former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson had promised to block any such attempt during his term, and he had even considered pushing for

1612-505: The Colorado River, the Gila is usually either a trickle or completely dry, as is also the lower Salt from Granite Reef Diversion Dam downstream to the Gila, but both rivers can carry large volumes of water following rainfall. The historic width of the Gila River varied from 150 to 1,200 feet (46 to 366 m) with a depth of 2 to 40 feet (0.61 to 12.19 m). Its natural discharge was roughly 1,300,000 acre-feet (1.6 km ) per year, with

1674-651: The Colorado and Gila Rivers; maps drawn by his expedition show the river as the Miraflores or Brazos de la Miraflores . During the Mexican–American War , General Stephen Watts Kearny marched 100 cavalrymen from the 1st U.S. Dragoons along the Gila River in November 1846. This detachment was guided by Kit Carson . The Mormon Battalion followed Kearny's troops, building a wagon trail roughly following

1736-545: The Gila River valley around modern Phoenix, using the Gila, Salt, and San Pedro Rivers for irrigation and establishing at least six major settlements. In 1944, 25 German prisoners of war pulled off the largest and most spectacular escape from an American compound during the war, digging a 178-foot (54 m) tunnel out of the Navy’s Papago Park Prisoner of War Camp in Arizona. All of the men were eventually captured, though some remained at large for more than

1798-601: The Gila Wilderness, and Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument , then westward into Arizona, past the town of Safford . After flowing along the southern slope of the Gila Mountains in Graham County through a series of canyons, the Gila is impounded by Coolidge Dam in San Carlos Lake south of Peridot . It emerges from the mountains into the valley southeast of Phoenix, Arizona, where it crosses

1860-449: The Gila. Boating and fishing are popular on San Carlos Lake and other basin reservoirs, including Lake Pleasant and Theodore Roosevelt Lake . The river system has 36 fish species, including largemouth bass , sunfish , channel catfish , flathead catfish , and Gila trout (Oncorhynchus gilae gilae) . The Gila River has also been known as: Phoenix metropolitan area The Phoenix metropolitan area , also known as

1922-575: The Main Street line 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles from Sycamore to Mesa Drive in Downtown Mesa, finished construction and opened on August 22, 2015. The Northwest rail project opened March 2016. The project extended the 19th Avenue track from its former terminus at Montebello Ave to Dunlap Avenue, 3 miles north. Many more extensions are funded, with further projects being studied for feasibility. In 2010, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport

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1984-536: The Salt River, were both perennial streams carrying large volumes of water – the Gila was once navigable by large riverboats from its mouth to near Phoenix, and by smaller craft from Phoenix nearly to the Arizona-New Mexico border – until irrigation and municipal water diversions turned both into usually dry rivers which carry water only after local downpours create flooding. Below Phoenix to

2046-423: The U.S., but also extends into northern Sonora , Mexico. Indigenous peoples have lived along the river for at least 2,000 years, establishing complex agricultural societies before European exploration of the region began in the 16th century. European Americans did not permanently settle the Gila River watershed until the mid-19th century. During the 20th century, development in the Gila River watershed prompted

2108-799: The USA, based on its Pedestrian Danger Index, computed on the share of local commuters who walk to work and the most recent data on pedestrian deaths as found in a 2016 report released by Smart Growth America . Amtrak serves the Phoenix metropolitan area with their Sunset Limited and Texas Eagle trains—both of which stop in Maricopa , located about 40 miles south of downtown Phoenix. Amtrak's Stagecoach Express provides Amtrak Thruway service from Maricopa station to both Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Tempe station . Amtrak also provides additional Thruway Motorcoach service from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to Flagstaff station , which

2170-519: The United States, the headwaters of two tributaries – the San Pedro and Santa Cruz Rivers – extend into Mexico. About 1,630 sq mi (4,200 km ), or 2.8% of the Gila's 58,200-square-mile (151,000 km ) watershed, is in Mexico. A further 3,300 sq mi (8,500 km ) or 5.7% lies within New Mexico, while the remaining majority, 53,270 sq mi (138,000 km ) or 91.5%,

2232-402: The area, including Avnet , PetSmart , Apollo Education Group , Republic Services , ON Semiconductor , Insight Enterprises, and Sprouts Farmers Market . Other Fortune 500 companies with significant presence include Banner Health , the state's largest private employer, American Airlines , which merged with Tempe-based US Airways , American Express, Wells Fargo, Boeing, and Intel , which has

2294-602: The boundaries of the Phoenix–Mesa, AZ US are in bold below. Principal city Places with 250,000+ inhabitants Places with 150,000–249,999 inhabitants Places with 75,000–149,999 inhabitants Places with 30,000–74,999 inhabitants Places with 10,000–29,999 inhabitants Fewer than 10,000 inhabitants Over 10,000 inhabitants Under 10,000 inhabitants As of 2020, the Phoenix Metropolitan area consists of Maricopa and Pinal counties, comprising

2356-409: The construction of large diversion and flood control structures on the river and its tributaries, and consequently the Gila contributes only a small fraction of its historic flow to the Colorado. The historic natural discharge of the river was around 1,900 cubic feet per second (54 m /s), but has declined to only 247 cubic feet per second (7.0 m /s). The engineering projects transformed much of

2418-484: The construction of new freeways where no road existed before such as SR 24 , SR 30 , and I-11 . Most of the arterial roads in the Phoenix metropolitan area are laid out on a regular grid , following the section lines established in the Public Land Survey System . As a result, arterial roads in cities that had once been geographically separate may have been given different names while occupying

2480-586: The core city. However, Arizona has relatively large counties and a harsh, rugged desert landscape. For these reasons, much of the land that is part of the Metropolitan Statistical Area is rural or completely uninhabited. The core part of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area is the Phoenix–Mesa, Arizona Urban Area, which is far smaller than the Metropolitan Statistical Area. Places that fall completely or partially within

2542-569: The eastern part of the city, north-south streets and places count up from 22nd St east of Gilbert Rd, to 112th Street on the Apache Junction border. Numerous trailer parks inside the city limits run their own contradictory variations of the numbered street system. Most communities in Pinal County use the Pinal County street numbering system, whose point of origin is at SR 287 and 11 Mile Corner Road (the intersection of which

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2604-479: The median income for a household in the MSA was $ 50,385 and the median income for a family was $ 58,497. The per capita income was $ 24,809. What follows is a list of places in Metro Phoenix (populations for incorporated places are as of the 2020 census). The Office of Management and Budget defines a metropolitan area as the core city plus its county and any nearby counties that are economically dependent on

2666-479: The nation as a whole (8.3% to 6.0%), income tax rates are lower than the national average (3.4% to 4.7%). The largest occupation by population is in the office/administrative sector, comprising more than a quarter of all jobs in the region. The Phoenix Metropolitan Area is served by several controlled-access freeways, including: New freeways are planned in the future, either through upgrades of existing roads such as SR 74 , SR 85 , and Northern Parkway ; or through

2728-445: The nation by population. Metro Phoenix grew by 652,945 people from April 2010 to April 2020, making it one of the fastest growing metro areas in the country. This also contributed to the entire state's exceptional growth; the area is home to just over two-thirds of Arizona's population. The population of the Phoenix metropolitan area increased by 45.3% from 1990 through 2000, compared to the overall U.S. rate of 13.2%, helping make Arizona

2790-424: The nation without direct passenger service. A light rail system (dubbed the "METRO Light Rail") runs more than 20 miles from suburban Mesa, through Tempe and into Phoenix, traveling through the downtown area, offering access to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and linking two of the four metro area campuses of Arizona State University . The light rail began public operation on December 27, 2008, and it

2852-418: The national average of 205. The average July high is about 104 °F (40 °C), with the average January low being about 36 °F (3 °C), still above freezing. Bestplaces gives Metropolitan Phoenix a comfort index of 44/100, which is also the national average. Below is a chart showing climate data collected from Sky Harbor Airport . Due to the vast area covered by the MSA, climates vary throughout

2914-592: The north in Yuma County , and finally it empties into the Colorado at Yuma, Arizona . The Gila is joined by many tributaries, beginning with the East and West Forks of the river, which combine to form the main stem near Gila Hot Springs in New Mexico. Above Safford, it is joined by the San Francisco River and the intermittent San Simon River. Further downstream, it is joined by the San Carlos River from

2976-658: The north in San Carlos Lake. At Winkelman, Arizona , it picks up the San Pedro River and then is joined by the Santa Cruz River south of Casa Grande . The Salt River , its main tributary, joins in the Phoenix metropolitan area, and further west the Gila receives its last two major tributaries, the Agua Fria and Hassayampa Rivers, from the north. Although the Gila River flows entirely within

3038-408: The prison compound, then sneaked it out through the tunnel. Their plan was perfect – except for the map. The Gila, shown as a healthy blue waterway, turned out to be little more than a dry rut. The only major dam on the Gila River is Coolidge Dam, 31 miles (50 km) southeast of Globe, Arizona , which forms San Carlos Lake. The Painted Rock Dam crosses the Gila near Gila Bend, although the river

3100-497: The river from December 1846 to January 1847. After the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo in 1848, the Gila River served as a part of the border between the United States and Mexico until the 1853 Gadsden Purchase extended American territory well south of the Gila. The confluence of the Gila with the Colorado River was also used as a reference point for the southern border of California. Beginning in 1871, mainly Mormon settlers populated

3162-645: The river valley and its surroundings from arid desert into irrigated land, and supply water to more than five million people in the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas who live in the watershed. The Gila River has its source in western New Mexico, in Sierra County on the western slopes of the Continental Divide in the Black Range . It flows southwest through the Gila National Forest ,

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3224-559: The same section line. When these roads were extended to accommodate the growth in the area they eventually merged into a single road while the previous segments retained their existing names. This results in several cases of a road abruptly changing names; for example, Dunlap Avenue in Phoenix becomes Olive Avenue west of 43rd Avenue, in Glendale. Another quirk of a grid system based upon the Public Land Survey System

3286-456: The second-fastest growing state in the nation in the 1990s behind Nevada . The 2000 census reported the population of the metropolitan area to be 3,251,876. Water insecurity and drought in conjunction with climate change have become a significant concern for the metropolitan area's future growth prospects. The Phoenix–Mesa combined statistical area (CSA) was designated in September 2018 by U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and by

3348-552: The street does not curve, the direction changes from west to east in each city and back again when moving from one city to the next, causing considerable overlap in numbers. Most communities in Maricopa County use the Phoenix-County numbering system, with the point of origin at Central Avenue and Washington Street. In the Phoenix-County system, north-south numbered roads labeled "avenue", "drive", and "lane" are West of Central Avenue, while those labeled "street", "place" and "way" are east of Central Avenue. Starting with 579th Avenue in

3410-437: The two county area is 7,657 feet (2,334 m) in the Four Peaks mountain range. Metropolitan Phoenix is notable for its warm, desert climate. On average, the area receives about 9 inches of rain annually, with less than 1 inch of snow every decade. In total, the region will see about 32 days of measurable precipitation each year. The MSA is one of the sunniest major metropolitan areas, receiving 295 days of sunshine, compared to

3472-465: The two largest industries are manufacturing and tourism. About 10 million people visit from other states and Canada each year, due to the area's mild winters and long, sunny days. The technology and service industries currently account for almost 77% of total employment in the region. As well as a strong tourism industry, the Phoenix area has a significant business sector. Several Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies have their international headquarters in

3534-419: The valley. Metropolitan Phoenix has historically been the center of the state's economy. As with the state of Arizona, the area relied on the 5 C's (copper, cattle, climate, citrus, and cotton) for its economic growth and expansion. However, after World War II, the area entered the manufacturing industry, which spurred the growth of what would eventually be one of the largest urban areas in the nation. Currently,

3596-608: The west near Tonopah the avenues count down with approximately 8 numbers per mile to 19th Avenue and count up again to from 16th Street to 228th Street near Queen Creek in the east. They go, in order from west to east (although not all necessarily exist): This has been a source of confusion for a few newcomers, who might end up, for example, at 91st Avenue and Thunderbird Road, when in fact they intended to go to 91st Street and Thunderbird Road, between 30 minutes and an hour away from one another depending on traffic. One beneficial quality of this arrangement for unfamiliar travelers

3658-519: Was and is centered at the river, which is considered holy. Traditionally, sand from the banks of the river is used as an exfoliant when bathing (often in rainstorms, especially during the monsoon). Indigenous peoples such as the Hohokam were responsible for creating large, complex civilizations along the Middle Gila River and Salt River between 600 and 1450 AD. These native civilizations depended largely on irrigated agriculture, for which they constructed over 200 miles (320 km) of canals. The upper Gila

3720-447: Was inhabited by the Mogollon culture over most of the same time period, in settlements like those at Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument in the later period. The first European to see the Gila River was possibly Spanish explorer and missionary Juan de la Asunción . Asunción reached the Gila in 1538 after traveling northwards along one of its tributaries, either the San Pedro or Santa Cruz. In 1540, Hernando de Alarcón sailed up

3782-428: Was projected to accommodate 26,000 boardings a day, or more than 8 million boardings in its first year. Valley Metro Rail boardings has experienced constant growth since the beginning. In the year 2012, the light rail boarded just over 14 million people. Many expansions to the METRO system are currently in the early planning stages, and others are under construction. The Central Mesa extension project, which extends

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3844-486: Was the 24th busiest passenger facility in the world and the 10th busiest in the United States, with more than 38 million passengers using the facility. With three terminal buildings encompassing 120 gates, more than 20 airlines offer daily non-stop flights to destinations throughout the world. Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport began commercial passenger flights in 2004. The airport provides service to over 40 destinations. There are several municipal and regional airports in

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