The city is the home of Arizona State University, the Southwest's largest university, and is known for its bars, music scene and nightlife. With a population of 155,000 expected to double on game day, Tempe has fought being overshadowed by its giant neighbor, Phoenix. But there's only one place where Sun Devil stadium is, and that's Tempe. Mispronunciations aside, Tempeans are not looking to compete with Phoenix. Tempe has always known it wasn't Phoenix.
Nobody has any giant egos here, they just kind of get the job done.
Residents believe the city's small-town feel will set it apart from past Super Bowl venues, including major cities like Los Angeles, Miami and San Francisco. The smallest Super Bowl city, Pasadena, Calif., has played host to the championship game five times since 1977. The thing that's cool about Tempe is that it's a town. Other residents don't seem bothered by the confusion. Bennett said customers coming in for the Super Bowl sometimes don't know the difference between the two cities.