Arizona Sun Corridor
Encyclopedia
The Arizona Sun Corridor, shortened Sun Corridor, is a megaregion
, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of Arizona
. The Sun Corridor is equivalent to Indiana in size and population; unlike Indiana, it will add another Indiana's worth of residents by 2040. The largest metropolitan areas are the Phoenix metropolitan area
- Valley of the Sun - and the Tucson metropolitan area. The regions' populace is nestled in the valley of a desert environment. Like Southern California
, the urban area extends into Mexico.
Its population is composed of a total of four metropolitan areas: Phoenix
, Tucson
, Prescott
and Nogales
. Out of these, two are metropolitan areas with over 950,000 residents: the Phoenix metropolitan area
with 4,192,887 residents and the Tucson metropolitan area with 980,263 residents. The Arizona Sun Corridor is made up of all of Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties, along with parts of Yavapai, Santa Cruz
and Cochise counties. It is home to over 86 percent of Arizona's population.
To the west of the Arizona Sun Corridor lies the continued expanse of the Sonoran Desert
; to the south is the international border between the United States and Mexico; to the east is the Arizona transition zone
and the Mountains of Arizona.
Megaregions of the United States
A Megaregion, also known as a Megalopolis or Megapolitan Area, refers to a clustered network of American cities whose population ranges or is projected to range from about 7 to 63 million by the year 2025. America 2050, an organization sponsored by the Rockefeller and Ford Foundations, lists 11...
, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. The Sun Corridor is equivalent to Indiana in size and population; unlike Indiana, it will add another Indiana's worth of residents by 2040. The largest metropolitan areas are the Phoenix metropolitan area
Phoenix Metropolitan Area
The Phoenix metropolitan area, often referred to as The Valley of the Sun, is a metropolitan area, centered on the city of Phoenix, that includes much of the central part of the US state of Arizona...
- Valley of the Sun - and the Tucson metropolitan area. The regions' populace is nestled in the valley of a desert environment. Like Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
, the urban area extends into Mexico.
Its population is composed of a total of four metropolitan areas: Phoenix
Phoenix Metropolitan Area
The Phoenix metropolitan area, often referred to as The Valley of the Sun, is a metropolitan area, centered on the city of Phoenix, that includes much of the central part of the US state of Arizona...
, Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, Prescott
Prescott, Arizona
Prescott is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, USA. It was designated "Arizona's Christmas City" by Arizona Governor Rose Mofford in the late 1980s....
and Nogales
Nogales, Arizona
Nogales is a city in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 21,017 at the 2010 census. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 20,833. The city is the county seat of Santa Cruz County....
. Out of these, two are metropolitan areas with over 950,000 residents: the Phoenix metropolitan area
Phoenix Metropolitan Area
The Phoenix metropolitan area, often referred to as The Valley of the Sun, is a metropolitan area, centered on the city of Phoenix, that includes much of the central part of the US state of Arizona...
with 4,192,887 residents and the Tucson metropolitan area with 980,263 residents. The Arizona Sun Corridor is made up of all of Maricopa, Pinal and Pima counties, along with parts of Yavapai, Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*73.5% White*0.4% Black*0.7% Native American*0.5% Asian*0.0% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.0% Two or more races*22.9% Other races*82.8% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
and Cochise counties. It is home to over 86 percent of Arizona's population.
To the west of the Arizona Sun Corridor lies the continued expanse of the Sonoran Desert
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
; to the south is the international border between the United States and Mexico; to the east is the Arizona transition zone
Arizona transition zone
The Arizona transition zone, or Transition zone is a diagonal northwest-by-southeast region across central Arizona. The region is a transition from the higher elevation Colorado Plateau to the northeast in Northeast Arizona and the Basin and Range region of southwest and south regions of lower...
and the Mountains of Arizona.