A landlocked suburb of Phoenix, Tempe is bordered by upscale Scottsdale. The city is home to one of the state's three major universities with the main campus of Arizona State University. Full-time student enrollment tops 37,000 annually. Home of Sun Devil Stadium, NFL sports fans can take in an Arizona Cardinals game. Tempe Diablo Stadium is the place to watch spring training for pro baseball’s Anaheim Angels. Tempe is known for holding one of the country’s biggest New Year’s Eve parties and was once the host of the annual Tostitos Fiesta Bowl.
If you are relocating to Tempe, you’ll find a college atmosphere. The average age of 28.8 years is low, primarily because of the three major universities within the city. U.S. Census estimates put Tempe’s population at 161,143 in 2005, just a 1.6% increase over the 2000 census. The population density was 3,959.4 residents per square mile. Tempe is made up of primarily White non-Hispanic citizens (69.7%), followed by Hispanic (17.9%), Black (3.7%) and Native American (2.7%). Both the Black and Hispanic populations are below state average. The crime index is high (570.8 in 2005), but the number of registered sex offenders in this city is much smaller than the state and federal averages at a ratio of one in 5,371 residents.
Despite being a college community, average earnings are above state and national averages. Median household income was $42,361 (year 2000), median family income, $55,237. The per capita income for the city was $22,406. Affordable housing can be found in Tempe. The median house value of $132,100 (year 2000) is below the Arizona average. Housing starts have dropped off since 1999 when over 300 homes were constructed annually. The average cost of new home construction has fluctuated from $206,100 in 2000 to as low as $116,600 in 2002. The average home start in 2005 cost $163,000. On average, renters were paying $715 monthly gross rent.
If you like it hot, relocating to Tempe is the right choice for you. The average high temperature in summer can reach 105 degrees. Winters a very mild, seldom below 40 degrees. Don’t expect much rain either with an annual recorded precipitation of 9.4 inches. Including the city’s man-made lake, less than .32% of the 40-square mile area is covered by water. Tempe is flat, except for the Tempe Buttes. Part of the Salt River that runs through northern Tempe is dammed to create Tempe Town Lake. Residents have a whole range of outdoor activities that include rock climbing, biking, hiking and tubing down the Salt River.
You can see some unusual architecture in the city of Tempe. To encourage architectural innovation, Tempe City Hall is shaped like an inverted pyramid, made of solar-bronzed glass and steel. It has become a popular tourist attraction. Tempe travelers primarily use Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Located six miles outside the city, the airport offers intercontinental flights and stops in London, England and Hawaii.
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