Home to 165000 residents within a 40 square mile radius the city of <strong>Tempe</strong>is surrounded by the booming cities of Mesa Phoenix Scottsdale and Cha... » 

Home to 165000 residents within a 40 square mile radius the city of Tempeis surrounded by the booming cities of Mesa Phoenix Scottsdale and Chandler.But the Salt River Valley area was once populated with just a few small farmswhen Charles Trumbull Hayden owner of a mercantile and freighting business inTucson homesteaded here in 1870. The community he establishedHaydens Ferrysoonbecame the trade center for the south side of the valley. Haydens Ferry becameTempe in 1879 at the suggestion of Englishman Darrell Duppa who commented thatthe area reminded him of the Vale of Tempe in Greece and it was not longbefore other developments promoted the growth of this new town. In 1885 theArizona legislature selected Tempe as the site for the Territorial NormalSchool the predecessor of Arizona State University. The Maricopa and PhoenixRailroad which crossed the Salt River at Tempe was built in 1887 and in1911 the Roosevelt Dam was completed. World War II the creation of Tempe TownLake and other 20thcentury events also influenced the growth and character ofTempe now Arizonas seventh largest city. «