Phoenix, Arizona is a popular senior travel destination and retirement area. Senior Travel Genie offers resources for hotels, restaurants and much more in Phoenix. The city is a major tourist area that has a unique history.

Phoenix, AZ History

The area where Phoenix lies was occupied by ancient Native Indians between 700 A.D. and 1400 A.D. They built an irrigation system consisting of some 135 miles of canals. The ultimate fate of this ancient society, however, is a mystery. The accepted belief is that it was destroyed by a prolonged drought.

In 1867, Jack Swilling organized the Swilling Irrigation Canal Company, and moved into the Valley and began digging a canal to divert some of the water of the Salt River onto the lands of the Valley. By March 1868, water flowed through the canal, and a few members of the company raised meager crops that summer. By 1868, a small colony had formed approximately four miles east of the present city. Swilling, having been a confederate soldier, wanted to name the new settlement Stonewall after Stonewall Jackson. It was Darrell Duppa who suggested the name Phoenix, as the new town would spring from the ruins of a former civilization.

On April 10, 1874, President Grant issued a patent to Judge Alsap for the present site of Phoenix. The total cost of the Phoenix Townsite of 320 acres was $550, including all expenses for services. Phoenix incorporated as a city in 1881.

Phoenix, Arizona - Vacation, Retirement and Tourist Area

Today, Phoenix, Arizona is a thriving commercial city, retirement and tourist area. Seniors are drawn to the city’s dry, warm weather and open spaces. Senior Travel Genie helps seniors find restaurants, resorts and much more in Phoenix.