Hooray for Phoenix! Phoenix won the 2008 National Planning Landmark Award for its "Open Space Plan for the Phoenix Mountains." The American Planning Association called the city's plan to preserve thousands of acres of open space "unprecedented" in the 1970s. The original 7,500 acre preserve cost approximately $70 million and includes the Shaw Butte, North Mountain, and Dreamy Draw Recreation Area. Phoenix also preserved land in the South Mountain range in South Phoenix, the McDowell Mountain range in Scottsdale, and the Papago Mountain range in Tempe. The open space gives Phoenix residents easy access to the desert for hiking, horseback riding, and other outdoor recreation. In other words, there is more to this city than just a gridlock of asphalt and cement! Move to Phoenix: live with the saguaro and ocotillo! Things to Do When You Visit Great Resort Hotels - on your first visit, or your home shopping visit, treat yourself to a few nights at a great resort hotel. Check out some of the best: click (toward the bottom of the page). Phoenix Mountain Preserves - Phoenix has the largest city parks in the country - enjoy hiking, picnic facilities, horseback riding, and beautiful city views. PhoenixMountains.org. Drive through historic home districts in Downtown Phoenix. The most striking mansions are in the Encanto-Palmcroft district click here for photos and maps. Visit Frank Lloyd Wright's school, Taliesin West, which offers guided tours - FrankLloydWright.org. Visit Arcosanti, the experimental urban village by one of Wright's students, Paolo Soleri - Arcosanti.org. Experience the Downtown art scene, including First Fridays, a tour of ninety art galleries and party places in the Downtown area: ArtLinkPhoenix.com (click on "First Fridays"). Read a review about the art tour: Phoenix.about.com Community Information Since the popularization of air conditioning in the 1930's, the Phoenix metropolitan area has been considered by many to be one of the best places to live in America. The city routinely makes top ten lists across the country, including Top Ten Most Populous Cities, Top Ten Business Hot Spots, Top Ten Metro Areas for Employment, Top Ten Best American Festivals (Chandler Ostrich Festival), Top Ten Largest State Universities (Arizona State University), and Top Ten Most Misspelled Cities in the Country. Phoenix and Scottsdale have more golf courses listed in the USA Top 100 than anywhere else. Most recently, Hershey Foods Corporation names Phoenix the Number 10 Sweet Spot in America. This compilation was determined based on acts of volunteerism, heroism, family orientation, community spirit, romantic settings, and "a lifestyle that enables residents to embrace all that is good and sweet in life." Undoubtedly, this is what caused the Hohokam people to settle here around 300 AD. Either that or they heard about all the great shopping. They build a complex irrigation system with 135 miles of canals, making the land suitable for farming. They left the area around 1400, most likely due to a drought. This gave them their name, Ho-Ho-Kam, or "the people who have gone." Rising from the proverbial ashes of this civilization like the ancient Egyptian legend, Phoenix began to see a resurgence of occupation in the late 19th century. Jack Swilling began to settle the land in 1867, starting an irrigation company. A small colony soon developed, which would eventually yield the sixth largest city in the United States. Diversity of culture, plentiful shopping, a wealth of professional sports and entertainment, and much more combine to make the Phoenix metropolitan an ideal place to live.