Metro Phoenix Relocation Guide 2008 - (Page 97) East Valley puts Tempe within ten to fifteen minutes from Sky Harbor International Airport. With such convenient access to surrounding freeways, Tempe commuters take twenty minutes or less to commute to work. More than 750 high-tech and manufacturing firms are located in Tempe employing more than 32,000 people. Three of the largest manufacturing employers in Tempe – Motorola, Honeywell and Medtronic Microelectronics–together employ more than 8,500 people. While Tempe represents less than 4% of the State’s population, over 15% of Arizona’s high-tech companies are located in Tempe. Tempe has the highest concentration of high-tech firms in the State: 85282 and 85281 zip codes have the first and second highest concentration of high technology firms in Arizona, respectively. Arizona State University was established in 1885 and today has four campuses - the Tempe Campus at University Drive and Mill Avenue, the West Campus 4701 West Thunderbird Road in Phoenix, the Polytechnic Campus at Power Road and Williams Field Road in Mesa and the Downtown Phoenix Campus at 411 N. Central. In the fall of 2007, these four campuses enrolled over 64,000 graduate, undergraduate, and professional students to its unique and diverse colleges and academic communities. ASU welcomes students from all fifty states and nations around the world. ASU had 188 National Merit Scholars in the 2006 freshman class, ranking third among public universities and eighth among all schools, ahead of Princeton, Yale and Stanford. and has placed in the top 20 universities in the country for National Merit Scholars for the past seven years. ASU is one of the premier research universities in the nation, committed to excellence in teaching, research and public service. Today research at ASU spans the studies of the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, visual and performing arts, and fields of technology, as well as professional programs in the fields of business, law, architecture and environmental design. Tempe is home to the Arizona State University Sun Devils. Sports fans can also watch the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in spring training at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Downtown Tempe is a cultural center in its own right and is pedestrian-oriented with pedestrian linkages to Arizona State University. As the city’s principle business district, it is also considered a premier entertainment center featuring a wide variety of restaurants, shopping, movie theaters, hotels, corporate offices and condominiums. The Spring and Fall Festival of the Arts draw nearly 250,000 people visiting over 500 exhibitors during a three-day period. More than two million people visit the 2.5 mile Tempe Town Lake each year for regular visits and special events such as fireworks over the Mill Avenue Bridge, 5K-runs, October Fest, the Ironman Triathlon and the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour. Neighborhoods throughout Tempe feature every style of home, from turn-of-the-century adobe houses to luxury compounds with acreage and horse privileges. Many housing developments are centered around Tempe’s extensive network of parks, which is anchored by Kiwanis Park. This 125acre recreational cornerstone includes softball and soccer fields, volleyball and tennis courts, playgrounds and picnic ramadas, a twelve-acre stocked lake with paddleboats and recreation center with an indoor, heated wave and swimming pool. Chandler P.T. Barnum may have been a more well-known master of marketing, but he had nothing on A.J. Chandler. As the Arizona Territory's first veterinary surgeon (circa 1887), Chandler parlayed the profits from his practice into a landholding known as the Chandler Ranch. In 1911, he divided the land into agricultural plots and advertised them for sale. Knowing that wherever celebrities went, others were sure to follow, Chandler built the San Marcos Hotel. This lavish golf course resort became a popular getaway for such early twentieth-century icons as Errol Flynn, Gloria Swanson, Fred Astaire, Al Capone and Herbert Hoover. Together, agriculture and tourism built Chandler into a thriving community. While both remain important contributors to its economic base, the open land that once drew farmers and ranchers is now a magnet for high-tech manufacturing companies, including Intel Corp, Motorola and Microchip Technology. Their arrival in Chandler fueled phenomenal population growth. In 1980, Chandler had close to 30,000 residents. That number skyrocketed to 235,500 by mid 2006. The median age in Chandler is 30.8, a figure that reflects the large number of families with young children. The median annual family income is $71,700. Because much of the city's infrastructure was built to accommodate its recent population explosion, there is a sense of newness in the air. The city's cultural crowning glory is the Chandler Center for the Arts. Many who move to Chandler count affordable housing and a small-town appeal among the city's assets. Every March the annual Ostrich Festival is traditionally celebrated as part of the rich history of Chandler. This annual event is one of the largest festivals west of the Mississippi and features live Ostrich races, hundreds of great exhibits, big name entertainment, and a downtown parade. Chandlers median resale home prices have remained relatively steady as of August, 2007. Real estate companies attribute this to its proximity to and easy access to AREA STATISTICS AREA: 39.8 SQUARE MILES. LIBRARIES: TEMPE LIBRARY MAIN BRANCH, 3500 S. RURAL ROAD, 480/350-5555; ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY, 480/965-6164. LOCATION: 7 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DOWNTOWN PHOENIX. POPULATION: APPROX: 166,000. SCHOOLS: ELEMENTARY/JUNIOR HIGH: TEMPE ELEMENTARY DISTRICT NO. 3; ELEMENTARY/MIDDLE: KYRENE ELEMENTARY DISTRICT NO. 28; HIGH SCHOOLS: TEMPE UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 213. UTILITIES: ELECTRIC – ARIZONA PUBLIC SERVICE COMPANY AND SALT RIVER PROJECT; GAS – SOUTHWEST GAS AND SALT RIVER PROJECT; WATER/SANITATION – CITY OF TEMPE; AND TELEPHONE – QWEST. TEMPE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 909 E. APACHE BOULEVARD P.O. BOX 28500 TEMPE 85285 480/967-7891 WWW.TEMPECHAMBER.ORG 97 Relocation Guide™ http://www.tempechamber.org
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