The heart of the Sonoran Desert is an unlikely place for the fifth largest urban population in the US, but there sits Greater Phoenix, with its maze of roadways, and over 200 golf courses and resorts. Saguaro (sa-war-oe) cacti stand like soldiers, jutting out of sandy, brush landscape much like its many shopping malls.

Native Americans frequented this arid land over 25,000 years ago. With construction of the largest canal system in the New World, the Hohokams (200 BC-1450 AD) made the area viable. Arizona is still home to three major tribal groups.

The mid-16th century brought horses, cattle and Spanish Conquistadors in search of the fabled Seven Cities. Settlers put down roots alongside the Salt River in 1860. They dubbed the area Phoenix, predicting that a great city would rise from the ashes of the Hohokam ruins. In 1937, the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright came here to found Taliesin West, the headquarters of his foundation and the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture.

Today Phoenix and neighbouring Scottsdale, both often called The Valley of the Sun, have become a mecca for snowbirds (those wanting to escape winter), retirees, golfers and spectator sports enthusiasts.

Metro Phoenix has professional hockey, baseball, basketball, football teams and is spring training host to nine major league baseball teams. TGEN, Motorola, INTEL and Honeywell make the metro area a big technology hub but being the ‘Spa Capital of the World,' it is also the place for scrubs and rubs.