Phoenix is the heart and soul of Arizona, serving as state capital, as well as its biggest city and the largest metropolitan area in the south-western US state.

The city is also the largest in the US by population, with around four million inhabitants, despite being the hottest place in the desert state. This has earned it the affectionate nickname of Hoozdo, which quite simply translates as "the place is hot" in the Navajo language.

Phoenix has a history that is deeply steeped in Indian heritage as the former home of the Hohokam Indian people who lived there from as early as 300 BC. This tribe were the first to farm in the area and built a good number of irrigation ditches, making up around 135 miles of canals, which brought in water from the Salt River.

Legend has it that the first white to cast his eye on what is now known as Phoenix, was Jack Swilling of Wickenburg, who in 1867 stopped awhile to rest his horse at the bottom of the north slopes of the White Tank Mountains.

He cast his eye over the Salt River Valley and saw that it was good, but that all it needed was water. A short while later, he and others from Wickenburg had created a short canal from the river and formed a farming colony around four miles east of where the city is now.

In 1868, the city was recognized when an election precinct was formed and just four years later, the first public school was opened in the courtroom of the county building.

Cut to modern day Arizona and you will find that Phoenix is one of the fastest growing cities in the whole of the United States.

Although people might wonder why on earth anyone would want to live in the middle of the desert, the warm and sunny winter weather that Phoenix experiences helps its tourism industry thrive and also encourages the relocation of many easterners and midwesterners to the city.

Those visiting the bustling city and looking for a bit of education could take advantage of the plethora of museums on offer there, including the Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park, the Heard Museum and the Phoenix Art Museum.

The art museum boasts over 16,000 works of art, centred around American, Asian, Latin American and modern art.

Alternatively, tourists could visit the Desert Botanical Garden to catch a glimpse of the different varieties of plant life of the Sonoran Desert and of other arid lands.

Those looking for some entertainment can jump on the Valley Metro to get to the various theatres in the city.

These include the Arizona Theatre Company – a professional theatre in the heart of the city's Herberger theatre complex.

To hear musical works by Verdi, Puccini or Mozart, music lovers can head to the Arizona Opera with its highly-esteemed grand opera productions.

Whatever you do in Arizona, whether it’s a historical education you're looking for or whether you just want to be entertained, Phoenix is the most vibrant and bustling location in the middle of the desert state.