Query: Phoenix, Arizona is in southwestern Mexico.

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 .

Phoenix metropolitan area <=SEP=> The Phoenix Metropolitan Area -- often referred to as the Valley of the Sun , the Salt River Valley or Metro Phoenix -- is a metropolitan area , centered on the city of Phoenix , that includes much of the central part of the U.S. State of Arizona . The United States Census Bureau designates the area as the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area ( MSA ) , defining it as Maricopa and Pinal counties . As of the Census Bureau 's 2015 population estimates , the Valley had 4,574,351 residents , making it the 12th largest Metropolitan Area in the nation by population . The gross domestic product of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area was $ 215 billion in 2014 , 15th largest amongst metro areas in the United States .   It is also one of the fastest growing major metropolitan areas , gaining nearly 400,000 residents from 2010 to 2015 , and more than 1.3 million since 2000 . The population of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area increased by 45.3 % from 1990 through 2000 , compared to the average United States rate of 13.2 % , helping to make Arizona the second fastest growing state in the nation in the 1990s ( the fastest was Nevada ) . The 2000 Census reported the population of the metropolitan area to be 3,251,876 .   As for the 2010 Census , the two-county metropolitan area was reported to have a population of 4,192,887 . Metro Phoenix grew by 941,011 people from April 2000 to April 2010 , making it one of the fastest growing metro areas in the country . This also contributed to the entire state 's exceptional growth , as the area is home to just over two-thirds of Arizona 's population .