Downtown Phoenix

Changes in the Valley over the past two decades have meant the emergence of a real downtown in Phoenix, where people hang out: there are apartments and loft spaces, cultural and sports facilities—including Jefferson Street's Chase Field (formerly known as Bank One Ballpark and still affectionately referred to by many locals as BOB) and US Airways Center, and large areas for conventions and trade shows. It has retained a mix of past and present, too, as restored homes in Heritage Square, from the original townsite, give an idea of how far the city has come since its inception around the turn of the 20th century. Many locals refer to parts of downtown, particularly around the sports venues, as Copper Square.