The Phoenix metropolitan area, also known as the Valley of the Sun, is a metropolitan area that includes the City of Phoenix, much of the rest of Maricopa County, a large section of Pinal County, and small parts of southern Yavapai County. The Phoenix Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the US Census Bureau, includes Maricopa and Pinal counties.
The population of the Phoenix metropolitan area increased by 45% from 1990 through 2000, compared to the average United States rate of 15%, helping to make Arizona the second fastest growing state in the nation in the 1990s (the fastest was Nevada). The 2000 Census reported the population of the metro area to be 3,251,876. As of July 1, 2006 the MSA is estimated to be at 4,039,182.
