Getting Around Tempe
Tempe is a city located in Maricopa County, AZ. With a population of more than 175,000 residents, it is the eighth largest city in the state of Arizona. Tempe lies at the heart of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area and is surrounded by Arizona's largest cities including Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, and Chandler. It's not surprising that this metropolitan region has an advanced and well-developed transportation system.
Tempe is literally located at the crossroads of Arizona's most populated area, and this is where a large network of roads and public transportation services intersect. The dominant form of transportation in Tempe is by vehicles, and there are plenty of roads to accommodate the large incoming and outbound traffic.
The major highway that runs through Tempe is Interstate 10, which covers southwestern, southern, and southeastern United States as it extends from Los Angeles, California to Jacksonville, Florida. Interstate 10 connects with Interstate 17 in Phoenix through exit 150A. I-17 is a much shorter highway that leads to northern parts of Arizona. Another major road running through Tempe is US Route 60, which runs through most of the United States in the east-west direction, starting at New Mexico and ending in Virginia. Additionally, Loop 101 and Loop 202 provide a convenient drive around the Phoenix Metropolitan Area.
On the local scale, Tempe has a very simple road system consisting of planned grids. Some notable local roads in the city include Broadway, Southern Avenue, Apache Boulevard, University Drive, and Baseline Road.
The buses of Valley Metro and trains of the Metro Light Rail provide public transportation in Tempe. There are local and intercity bus and rail routes, and travel times are relatively quick because of the close distance. Located on 200 East Fifth Street, Tempe Transportation Center is the city's major hub that has bus and rail service. There are multiple Metro Light Rail stops in Tempe such as 3rd Street at Mill, Veterans Way at College Avenue, University at Rural, and Apache at Dorsey.
Only minutes away from downtown Tempe is Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, which offers flights to hundreds of total destinations, in the United States and overseas. It is the busiest airport in Arizona, and one of the 10 busiest airports in the United States.