Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona. Founded in 1865 and incorporated as a city in 1894, Tempe was said to be named after the Vale of Tempe near Mount Olympus in Greece. Tempe was an amalgamation of two settlements 'Hayden's Ferry' and 'San Pablo' located west and east of Hayden Butte, respectively. The two settlements benefited from the Tempe Irrigating Canal Company which provided the water for alfalfa, wheat, barley, oats and cotton. In 1885, Arizona Territorial Legislature chose Tempe for the site of the Territorial Normal School, which became Arizona Normal School, Arizona State Teachers College, Arizona State College and finally Arizona State University.

Today Tempe is home to more than 161,000 residents and is the seventh largest city in Arizona. It is the most densely-populated city in the state and serves as a crossroads for its largest communities due to its location. The City of Tempe, Arizona has seen great changes during the past two decades: gorgeous industrial parks and planned communities have developed by the dozens in an effort to keep pace with the influx of high-tech industry, financial, insurance, athletic, academic, cultural, political and tourism operations.