The Phoenix metropolitan area, also known as the Valley of the Sun, the Salt River Valley, metro Phoenix, or The Valley, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the Southwestern United States, with its largest principal city being the city of Phoenix. It includes much of central Arizona. The United States Office of Management and Budget designates the area as the Phoenix–Mesa–Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), defining it as Maricopa and Pinal counties. It anchors the Arizona Sun Corridor megaregion along with the second-most populous metropolitan area in the state, the Tucson metropolitan area. The gross domestic product of the Phoenix metropolitan area was $255 billion in 2018, 16th highest amongst metro areas in the United States.
The Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority, more popularly known as Valley Metro, is the unified public brand of the regional transit system for the Phoenix metropolitan area. Within the system, it is divided between Valley Metro Bus, which runs all bus operations, Valley Metro Rail, which is responsible for light rail and streetcar operations in the Valley. In 2023, the combined bus and rail system had a ridership of 36,374,000, or about 122,600 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2024.
Phoenix Union Station is a former train station at 401 South 4th Avenue in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, United States. From 1971 to 1996 it was an Amtrak station. Until 1971, it was a railroad stop for the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific Railroads. Union Station was served by Amtrak's Los Angeles–New Orleans Sunset Limited and Los Angeles–Chicago Texas Eagle. The station is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Phoenix Street Railway provided streetcar service in Phoenix, Arizona, United States, from 1888 to 1948. The motto was "Ride a Mile and Smile the While."
Valley Metro Rail is a 29.8-mile (48 km) light rail system serving the cities of Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa in Arizona, USA. The network, which is part of the Valley Metro public transit system, began operations on December 27, 2008. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 10,797,600, or about 34,400 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2024.
Price-101 Freeway/Apache Blvd is a light rail station on Valley Metro Rail in Tempe, Arizona, United States. It is the first station of the westbound line within the city of Tempe, and is located a few hundred feet east of Loop 101/Price Freeway. This station is a park and ride station.
Mill Avenue/3rd Street is a station on the Valley Metro Rail light rail line in Tempe, Arizona, United States.
Veterans Way/College Ave, also known as the Tempe Transportation Center, is a regional transportation center on Valley Metro Rail in Tempe, Arizona, United States. As part of the regional transportation system, it is also the location of stops on multiple bus routes. A bike station is located here.
Dorsey/Apache Blvd is a station on the Metro light rail line in Tempe, Arizona, United States. A surface park and ride lot is available on the north side of Apache Boulevard.
Smith–Martin/Apache Boulevard is a station on the Metro light rail line in Tempe, Arizona, United States. The station is located on Apache Boulevard, between Smith Road and Martin Lane.
Transportation in Phoenix, Arizona is primarily via private cars. Public transport is run under the brand Valley Metro, and consists of buses, light rail, and a streetcar system.
Many arterial roads in the Phoenix metropolitan area have the same name in multiple cities or towns. Some roads change names or route numbers across town borders, resulting in occasional confusion. For example, the road known as Apache Boulevard in Tempe continues east as Main Street in neighboring Mesa and then as Apache Trail in Apache Junction. Although Broadway Road maintains the same name through Goodyear, Avondale, Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa, and Apache Junction, each town uses a different reference point for address numbers.
Valley Metro Bus is a transit bus system for public transport in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. In 2023, the system had a ridership of 24,215,700, or about 83,300 per weekday as of the first quarter of 2024. Buses are operated by private companies contracted by Valley Metro and the City of Phoenix. Service currently operates throughout the broader Phoenix Metropolitan Area. All buses have wheelchair ramps or lifts, and except for paratransit vehicles, all buses have bike racks.
The East Valley Institute of Technology (EVIT) is a public school district serving the eastern portion of the Phoenix, Arizona metro area. It is a joint technological education district with programs are available to students at the member high schools. EVIT serves 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students from the sending districts that meet class prerequisites.
Norie Sato is an artist living in Seattle, Washington. She works in the field of public art using sculpture and various media–including glass, terrazzo, plastic film, stone, and metal–and often incorporating lighting effects, landscaping, mosaics, prints, and video. She frequently collaborates with architects, city planners, and other artists and specializes in integrating artwork and site specific design.
The Tempe Streetcar, referred to as the Streetcar Line on regional transit maps, is a streetcar extension of Phoenix's Valley Metro Rail system. Construction began in 2017, and the line opened for service on May 20, 2022. It serves 14 stops across three miles of track serving various parts of the city's downtown, as well as the Tempe campus of Arizona State University, with the Valley Metro Rail main line.
There have been various proposals to bring commuter rail service to the Phoenix metropolitan area since at least the 1980s. A 2008 government plan, updated in 2018, proposes four lines running at 30-minute headways during peak hours and 2-hour headways during off-peak hours.
Gilbert Rd/Main Street is a light rail station in Mesa, Arizona, on the Valley Metro system serving Phoenix and surrounding areas. It opened to revenue service on May 18, 2019, becoming the new terminus of the light rail line. The station has a park-and-ride facility and a bus station that is served by local routes.
Valley Metro Bus: 30, 62, 72, Tempe Orbit Mars, Tempe Orbit Mercury, Tempe Flash [1] 
