Location:
Tempe is located in Maricopa County, Arizona. You’ll find it in the East Valley of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. Phoenix and Guadalupe border Tempe on the west, with Scottsdale on the north and Chandler on the South. Mesa is to the east of Tempe.
US Airways is headquartered in Tempe, Arizona and is one of the city’s largest employers. Arizona State University is the areas largest and oldest main campus in the area. It, too, is a major source of employment.
One of America’s Best Places to Live
In 2006, CNNMoney.com named Tempe, Arizona as one of the country’s best places to live. The city’s air quality index was rated 22.1 percent compared to the “Best Cities” average of 71.9 percent.
Only 6.5 percent of the population commute to work for 45 minutes or longer compared to the “Best Cities” average of 13.4 percent.
The report cited in Tempe:
* 35 movie theaters within 15 miles
* 4,281 restaurants within 15 miles
* 228 bars within 15 miles
* 133 public golf courses within 30 miles
* 56 libraries within 15 miles
* 5 museums accredited by the AAM within 30 miles
Popular Tempe Districts
Mill Avenue District
The Mill Avenue District is one of Tempe’s finest attractions. When you live in the Mill Avenue District, you live among those who crave education, culture, art and outdoor recreation.
Because Mill Avenue is centrally located, it is the hub of the surrounding area’s attractions.
Visitors and locals rave about the Mill Avenue and Lake District night life. Dinner and dancing are the norm for this happening community. You’ll find country, swing, jazz, and rock and roll entertainment at bars, dance clubs and night spots all over town.
This district is “eclectic, energetic and enthusiastic!”
“It's about high heels on brick sidewalks on balmy afternoons and high-powered executive lunch meetings. While the Mill Avenue District offers more than 100 restaurants, nightclubs and retail shops, it also provides more than 20,000 jobs. Connected to Arizona State University on the south and to Tempe Town Lake to the north, Mill Avenue is uniquely positioned. It's not unusual to see the country's top scientists, researchers and students strolling down Mill Avenue.”
Feel like getting out? Spend a day at Tempe Town Lake or Tempe Beach Park.
Adjacent to Tempe’s Mill Avenue District, Arizona State University and the 2,000-acre Papago Park, you will find Tempe Town Lake. This regional and national destination place is a major area attraction. Locals who live in the Mill Avenue District and the surrounding area are lucky to spend their time at Tempe Town Lake where they play in the water, commune with nature and participate in organized and individual recreational activities. Visitors travel from far away to enjoy what residents delight in every day.
Tempe Town Lake is two miles long with 200 surface acres. Tempe Beach Park is Tempe’s oldest park. It was built in 1931 and has since been completely renovated. There are 25 acres of Tempe Beach Park with a special event venue, Cox Splash Playground, and historic baseball field.
Splash Playground at Tempe Beach Park teaches visitors how rain becomes a part of rivers and how rain is used by society. Here you will find slides, a waterfall, and water cannons. This is a very safe place for small children accompanied by adults because no more than two inches of water accumulates in the playground. Attendants are always on duty. Best of all, it’s free and opened April through September.
The Arizona State University Art Museum is frequently visited by locals. Broadway productions are a part of the repertoire at ASU Gammage auditorium.
Arizona State University is a public metropolitan research university. More than 60,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students on four campuses are enrolled there.
ASU describes its educational system as “a federation of unique colleges, schools, departments, and research institutes that comprise close-knit but diverse academic communities that are international in scope.” ASU champions intellectual and cultural diversity.
There are ASU campuses in Tempe, Mesa, Phoenix and Downtown Phoenix.
Tempe Historic Districts
If you have an affinity for history, you might enjoy these historic neighborhoods.
The Arizona State University Historic District
More than 100 years of historical architecture make the ASU Historic District among the most admired in Arizona. There is a spirit of youth there, tempered by respect, culture and education.
The Gage Addition Historic District
The Gage Addition is west of the ASU campus. The Maple-Ash neighborhood is one of the oldest neighborhoods and it is remarkably preserved. Enjoy homes built in the early 1900s as well has more “modern” homes built in the 1940s and 1950s.
The Route 89 Multiple Property Nomination.
Classic roadside motels, service stations and early tourist services line the roadway in this district along East Apache Boulevard. Tourism-related businesses between Mesa and Tempe were born here in the 1940s and 1950s. You’ll get a sense of nostalgia here and will want to step back in time in your mind.