Scottsdale's Statistics and Arizona Facts

City slogan - "The West's Most Western Town"

Population - 184,740 (July 1997)

Size - 184.5 square miles, stretching 32 miles from north to south

Elevation - Average is 1,248 feet above sea level (Scottsdale Airport field elevation is 1,508 feet MSL)

Longitude & latitude - 111.93 degrees W, 33.50 degrees N

Climate - Average median temperature is 70.3 F degrees, average precipitation is 7.05 inches per year, and average percentage of sunny days per year is 86 percent

Density - 909 people per square mile; 2.26 persons per household

Median age - 39.7 years

Median household income - $48,319

Size rank - Second in total area and fifth in population within Arizona

Education level - 42 percent of population are college graduates, 28 percent have some college, and 20 percent are high school graduates

Seasonal residents - 34 percent from the western states; 21 percent from the southern states; 18 percent from the northeastern states; 17 percent from the north central states; and 10 percent from overseas

Number of visitors annually - 6.7 million visited Scottsdale during 1996

Housing - There are 86,232 occupied living units in Scottsdale; 67 percent owned and 33 percent rented

Average cost of housing - Home prices range from $60,000 to $6 million with $180,000 as the average price.

Unemployment rate - 2.5 percent (June 1997)

Budget - Scottsdale's fiscal year (July 1 - June 30) 1997/98 operating budget was approved at $261.2 million.

Financial rating - Scottsdale's bond rating is one of the highest in Arizona, according to the Moody's Investor Services rating agency. It received the highest rating (Aa1) of the top 10 cities in the state for general obligation bonds.

Property tax rate - Among the lowest paid in Maricopa County, at $1.65 per $100 assessed valuation. Property taxes in Scottsdale were actually lowered in 1995 because of a strong economy!

County - Maricopa County, population 2,634,625 (1996)

Official food - Chili, by 1994 mayoral proclamation!

State population - 4,297,775 (1996)

Statehood date - February 14, 1912 (becoming the 48th state)