Query: Phoenix, Arizona is in the southwestern United States.

Relevant passages:
Phoenix, Arizona <=SEP=> Phoenix ( -LSB- ˈfiːnᵻks -RSB- ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona . With 1,615,017 people , Phoenix is the fifth most populous city nationwide , the most populous state capital in the United States , and the only state capital with a population of more than one million residents .   Phoenix is the anchor of the Phoenix metropolitan area , also known as the Valley of the Sun , which in turn is a part of the Salt River Valley . The metropolitan area is the 12th largest by population in the United States , with approximately 4.3 million people . In addition , Phoenix is the seat of Maricopa County and , at 517.9 square miles ( 1,341 km2 ) , it is the largest city in the state , more than twice the size of Tucson and one of the largest cities in the United States .   Settled in 1867 as an agricultural community near the confluence of the Salt and Gila Rivers , Phoenix incorporated as a city in 1881 . Located in the northeastern reaches of the Sonoran Desert , Phoenix has a subtropical desert climate . Despite this , its canal system led to a thriving farming community , many of the original crops remaining important parts of the Phoenix economy for decades , such as alfalfa , cotton , citrus , and hay ( which was important for the cattle industry ) . In fact , the `` Five C 's '' ( Cotton , Cattle , Citrus , Climate , and Copper ) , remained the driving forces of Phoenix 's economy until after World War II , when high-tech industries began to move into the valley and air conditioning made residences much more comfortable in the very hot summers .   The city averaged a four percent annual population growth rate over a 40-year period from the mid-1960s to the mid-2000s . This growth rate slowed during the Great Recession of 2007 -- 09 , and has rebounded slowly . Phoenix is the cultural center of the Valley of the Sun , as well as the entire state .

Arizona <=SEP=> Arizona ( -LSB- ɛərᵻˈzoʊnə , _ ærᵻ - -RSB- ) ( Hoozdo Hahoodzo -LSB- xòːztò xɑ̀xòːtsò -RSB- O'odham : Alĭ ṣonak -LSB- ˡaɺi ˡʃonak -RSB- ) is a state in the southwestern region of the United States . It is also part of the Western and the Mountain states . It is the sixth largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states . Its capital and largest city is Phoenix . Arizona is one of the Four Corners states . It has borders with New Mexico , Utah , Nevada , California , and Mexico , and one point in common with the southwestern corner of Colorado . Arizona 's border with Mexico is 389 miles ( 626 km ) long , on the northern border of the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California .   Arizona is the 48th state and last of the contiguous states to be admitted to the Union , achieving statehood on February 14 , 1912 . Historically part of the territory of Alta California in New Spain , it became part of independent Mexico in 1821 . After being defeated in the Mexican -- American War , Mexico ceded much of this territory to the United States in 1848 . The southernmost portion of the state was acquired in 1853 through the Gadsden Purchase .   Southern Arizona is known for its desert climate , with very hot summers and mild winters . Northern Arizona features forests of pine , Douglas fir , and spruce trees ; the Colorado Plateau ; some mountain ranges ( such as the San Francisco Mountains ) ; as well as large , deep canyons , with much more moderate summer temperatures and significant winter snowfalls . There are ski resorts in the areas of Flagstaff , Alpine , and Tucson . In addition to the Grand Canyon National Park , there are several national forests , national parks , and national monuments .   About one-quarter of the state is made up of Indian reservations that serve as the home of 27 federally recognized Native American tribes , including the Navajo Nation , the largest in the state and the United States , with more than 300,000 citizens . Although federal law gave all Native Americans the right to vote in 1924 , Arizona excluded those living on reservations from voting until its state Supreme Court ruled in 1948 in favor of Native American plaintiffs .