Tempe

Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, situated along the Salt River directly east of Phoenix. Pioneer settler Darrell Duppa proposed the civic name in the 19th century, drawing an evocative comparison with the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Hayden Butte rises above the riverfront with dark volcanic rock faces that preserve prehistoric Hohokam petroglyph carvings.

First Solar manufactures thin-film cadmium telluride photovoltaic solar modules and utility-scale renewable power assemblies. Insight Enterprises provides enterprise computer hardware configurations, mobile business devices, and cloud software architectures. Benchmark Electronics manufactures precision printed circuit board assemblies and electronic medical monitoring devices for diagnostic healthcare equipment. DriveTime markets inspected pre-owned passenger vehicles and provides computerized consumer auto financing through regional dealerships.

Arizona State University operates its original historic campus around University Drive with extensive research laboratories and academic colleges. Tempe Town Lake fills a 3.2 km (2 mi) stretch of the Salt River bed to support rowing regattas and recreation. Tempe Center for the Arts presents theater performances, dance recitals, and visual art exhibitions inside a lakeside complex. Mountain America Stadium stages Big 12 collegiate football games and outdoor athletic spectacles. Mill Avenue District provides a walkable corridor of retail boutiques, microbreweries, and dining venues.

Hohokam agriculturalists farmed the river valley between the 8th and 15th centuries by constructing canal irrigation networks. Charles Trumbull Hayden established a river crossing and flour milling operation known as Hayden's Ferry in 1871. The territorial legislature established the Arizona Territorial Normal School in the 1880s to train teachers for rural schools. Tempe incorporated as a town in 1894, formalizing its status as an agricultural trading market before expanding during the post-Second World War boom into an educational and technological center.