Tempe
Home to Arizona State University, Tempe contains the energy that you would expect from a college town and the attractions that you’d expect in the perfect vacation destination. Tempe is located in the heart of the Greater Phoenix area, just minutes away from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Visitors can easily experience the beauty of the Sonoran Desert, with Papago Park to the north and South Mountain Park to the south. The city attracts active sports fans and athletes, families looking for a reasonably priced getaway, travelers with ties to the university, fun-loving festival attendees and lovers of visual and performing arts.
For Visitors Information:
51 W. Third Street, Suite 105
Tempe, AZ 85018
(800) 283-6734
Visit the Official Tempe Website
- County: Maricopa
- Year of Incorporation: 1894
- Elevation: 1,164
- Population: 168,712
Tempe Attractions
Tempe is full of life. Tempe’s signature shopping destinations, Mill Avenue District, Tempe Marketplace, Arizona Mills and IKEA, are entertainment hubs offering theaters, nightlife and family-friendly activities. Tempe’s energetic atmosphere is perfect for events such as the Tempe Festivals of the Arts, the Circle K Tempe Music Festival, the New Year’s Eve Block Party and dozens more annually. Tempe is spirited, hosting major sporting events year-round, like ASU athletics, Ford Ironman Arizona, the P.F. Chang’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Arizona Marathon & ½ Marathon and Angels spring training. Outdoor recreation options such as hiking, biking and kayaking are always accessible.
Tempe is engaging, with Broadway shows at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed ASU Gammage and performances for all ages at the Tempe Center for the Arts, on the shore of Tempe Town Lake. There are also more than 20 free museums and galleries at Arizona State University, including the Antoine Predock-designed ASU Art Museum.
Tempe History & Culture
Tempe’s first settlers were Hispanic families from Southern Arizona. They farmed to the east and west of what is now known as “A” Mountain or Tempe Butte. In 1872, they founded a town called San Pablo. Another settlement, known as Hayden's Ferry, developed west of Tempe Butte. Charles Trumbull Hayden homesteaded here in 1870, building a store, flourmill, warehouses, blacksmith shops and a ferry. His original adobe home is now Monti’s La Casa Vieja, a popular family-owned steakhouse.
Both settlements soon formed one community. The town was named Tempe in 1879, a name inspired by the Vale of Tempe in ancient Greece. In 1885, Tempe became home to the Territorial Normal School, a teachers college.
Tempe was a small farming community through most of its history. After World War II, Tempe grew rapidly and the last of the local farms disappeared. The teachers college had also grown, and in 1958, the institution became Arizona State University. The city reached its current boundaries by 1974.
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