Phoenix Community Trends and Profile

Incorporated	1881
Form of government	Council-Manager
Population (fifth largest city in United States)	1,421,298 (as of Sept. 30, 2004)
Area (in square miles)	514 (larger than Los Angeles)
Average annual temperature (Fahrenheit)	72.6
Average precipitation in inches	7.66
Average number of days of sunshine per year	325
Moody's (bond rating)	Aa1
Did you know... Phoenix covers more than 514 square miles and has a population of 1.4 million, ranking it the fifth largest city in the country. Phoenix is a premier destination, with more than 300 sun-filled days a year and average temperature of 74 degrees. More than 50 percent of the population is between 18 and 54 years of age, which is younger than the national average. In January 2000, after a yearlong, in-depth study of management efficiency by the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, Phoenix was the only city among the nation’s 35 largest urban centers to earn an overall grade of “A.” Phoenix also was named the “Best Run City in the World” in 1993 by the Carl Bertelsmann Foundation and has earned numerous other awards for efficient government operations. The greater Phoenix area is a $50 billion marketplace driven by technology. World-leading companies such as Intel, Avnet, Motorola, AlliedSignal, Honeywell and Boeing Company have chosen Phoenix for their corporate and regional headquarters. Industry giants such as STMicroelectronics, American Express, Phelps Dodge, Sumitomo Sitix, Prudential, Charles Schwab and Mayo Clinic have major operations in Phoenix.
Bonds and Taxes
Standard & Poor's (bond rating)	AA+
City sales tax rate	1.8%
City property tax rate      (Per $100 of assessed valuation)	$1.82
Aviation
Number of airports	3
Passengers enplaned and deplaned	35,500,000
Takeoffs and landings 2001 (includes general aviation)	561,000
Did you know... Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is the fifth busiest in the U.S. and the world for passenger traffic for takeoffs and landings, handling more than 36 million travelers in 2000. The airport serves more than 100 cities with non-stop flights, and British Airways, Air Canada and Lufthansa are among carriers providing international flights to destinations such as London, Toronto, Mexico and Frankfurt, Germany.
Fire and Police
Sworn Firefighters	1,375
Fire stations      (Includes temporary station 49)	47
Sworn Police officers	2,734
Police briefing stations	8
Housing/Human Services
Federally assisted housing units	7,364
Senior centers	17
Reserve-a-Ride transportation      (elderly and disabled clients served)	162,139
Family service centers	5
Head Start classroom sites	74
Head Start classrooms	163
Senior Companions	94
Phoenix Workforce Connection employment   and training placements (2003-04 figures)	1783
Libraries
Libraries	13
Library books and audio visual materials	1,973,515
Library card holders	970,624
Annual circulation	0,802,370
Annual visitors	4,267,567
Parks and Recreation
Total acreage (includes Mountains Preserve)	37,188
Parks cleaned and maintained	207
Mountain parks	7
Municipal golf courses (five 18-hole/ three 9-hole)	8
Miles of bicycle pathways	412
Municipal swimming pools	29
Municipal tennis courts	136
Public Transit
Bus fleet	464
Average daily ridership	118,225
Miles of ServiceAnnually	15,792,000
Dial-a-Ride vehicles	113
Dial-a-Ride service hours annually	295,000
Solid Waste Management
Residences served	294,291
Residential solid waste collected annually (tons)	567,000
Residential solid waste disposed at city landfills (tons)	519,755
Material collected through recycling program (tons)      (100,000 participating households)	436,383
Street Transportation
Miles of street	4,675
Signalized intersections	965
Left-turn arrows	1,147
Water Services
Number of water connections	363,000
Water production (billion gallons annually)	103.1
Water treatment plants	5
Wastewater treatment (billion gallons annually)      (Total treated for Phoenix and surrounding areas)	66.2
Wastewater treatment plants	2
Water reclamation plants	1