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Arizona, United States
A Romantic Getaway
Norman2004-08-11 17:16:00
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Driving from the airport to Phoenix, we knew we were experiencing a city that was very much unlike many of the major metropolises in the USA or Canada. Our first clue was that everything seemed new to us, even the expressways with their unique architecture paying tribute to the city's Native American heritage.
What was most impressive was its unique towering desert mountain skyline that was not hidden by huge skyscrapers. Yes, there were a few tall buildings around, but nothing to compare to those of New York, Boston, Atlanta, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Toronto or Montreal. And these were not obstructing the magnificent views of Squaw Peak, Camelback Mountain, the bulky South Mountains, or the McDowells.
Nicknamed the "Valley of the Sun," and blessed with over 300 days of sunshine, Phoenix is set within a flat valley at an elevation of roughly 1,100 feet. With its unusual cacti, desert colors of reds, tans and brown, pink bougainvillea vines and greens, brown grove date palms, spiky Yuccas, and glorious sunsets on its mountains, it can probably boast of being one of the finest natural settings of any in the USA.
History of Phoenix
For hundreds of years, prior to its incorporation as a city in 1881, a very well civilized and resourceful community known as the Hohokam, lived in the area between 700 A.D. and 1400 A.D. Their name means "the people who have gone." Apparently, they had disappeared without a trace. I say resourceful when referring to these Native Americans, as they tamed the Salt River and built an irrigation system that consisted of some 135 miles of canals, thus creating a fertile land where they would grow beans, corn, squash and cotton. They were in all likelihood the first to introduce cotton and weaving to the Southwest, and probably the most sophisticated ancient culture north of Mexico.
In the mid-1800s one of the first white settlers to arrive on the scene was
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See photographs from:
United States Gallery
