The city's estimated population as of 2006 was 1,512,986, making it the fifth largest city in the United States. At 515 square miles, its city proper is the 10th largest land area for a city in the United States, resulting in a lower population density. As of 2007, the Phoenix Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) was the 13th largest in the United States, with an estimated population of 4,179,427.
Phoenix has maintained a massive growth streak in recent years, growing by 24.2% since 2000. This makes it the second-fastest-growing metropolitan area in the United States following only Las Vegas, whose population has grown by 29.2% since 2000.
The street system in Phoenix is laid out in a traditional grid system, with most roads oriented either North-South or East-West. The zero point is the intersection of Central Avenue and Washington Street. Numbered Avenues run north-south west of Central; numbered Streets run north-south east of Central. Major arterial streets are spaced one mile apart. The one-mile blocks are divided into approximately 800 house numbers, although this varies. Scottsdale Road, being 7200 East, is approximately 7200 / 800 = 9 miles east of Central. The Valley Metro bus numbers are also based on this numbering system, with the Central Avenue bus being Route Zero, and Scottsdale Road being Route 72.
Many parks have been established to preserve the desert landscape in areas that would otherwise quickly be developed with commercial and residential zoning. The most noteworthy park is South Mountain Park, the world's largest municipal park with 16,500 acres; others include Camelback Mountain, Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park and Sunnyslope Mountain, also known as "S" Mountain. The Desert Botanical Garden displays desert plantlife from deserts all over the world. Encanto Park is the city's largest and primary urban park, and lies just northwest of downtown Phoenix. Papago Park in east Phoenix is home to both the Desert Botanical Garden and the Phoenix Zoo, as well as a few golf courses.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Phoenix".