Phoenix is now the sixth-largest city in the United States. Phoenix's population increased by 21.2 percent between 2000 and 2010, from just under 1,350,000 to 1,601,587. Phoenix has become an increasingly Hispanic city. In 2000, 34.1 percent of Phoenix residents were of Hispanic or Latino origin; today, that number has increased to 43.2 percent of the population. According to City-Data.com, 257,325 of Phoenix residents are foreign born, and this represents over 16 percent of the population.
As a result of Phoenix's increasing diversity, it is a substantially younger city than Arizona as a whole, and the United States. Whereas the U.S.' median age is 36.9 and Arizona's median age is 34.2, Phoenix's median age is 30.7. This lower median age is mostly due to younger immigrants from Mexico and other Latin American countries moving to Phoenix and raising young families in the city. Phoenix has a higher-than-average poverty rate with 21.1 percent of the population affected, compared to 15.7 percent of the U.S. population. And 32.8 percent of Hispanics or Latinos in Phoenix live in poverty.
Phoenix is becoming an increasingly Hispanic city. Although Phoenix was hard-hit by the recession, the city continues to be home to one of the largest Hispanic communities in the country.
According to VisitPhoenix.com, there are approximately 310 days of sunshine a year in Phoenix, and over 200 golf courses in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Because of its sunny climate, golf courses, spas, parks, and shopping opportunities, Phoenix receives between 13 and 15 million visitors a year. You can find a comprehensive list of Phoenix area golf courses at phoenixgolfsource.com. The Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department offers information about Phoenix area parks, preserves, and open spaces. The upscale suburb of Scottsdale is known for its boutiques, outlets, and malls, and it attracts millions of visitors a year as a spa and shopping destination.
The abundance of leisure activities in Phoenix has been one of the factors that has led to Phoenix's growth over the last couple of decades. Phoenix and the Phoenix area have a thriving retired community, as well as "snowbirds," who leave colder climates in the winter to live in Phoenix, either in vacation or retirement communities or at local RV parks and campgrounds. Because of its flat, sunny and warm climate, Phoenix has become one of the premier golf destinations in the country, and a niche golf and spa tourism market has opened up in recent years. In fact, you can even book a golf vacation in Phoenix. Because Phoenix is seen as a "playground" of sorts, it attracted a growing community of retirees, families, snowbirds and visitors since the early 1990s.
