Classes start at Arizona State University on Monday, so Phoenix hotels are full of families in town to drop off wide-eyed freshmen. ASU’s main campus is actually located in Tempe, a vibrant city of 170,000 on the east side of Greater Phoenix.
After dads finish hauling boxes and moms are done setting up the dorm rooms, families will be ready to explore their immediate environs. That’s important, because any new student arriving to ASU should at least be aware of the most iconic symbols of his or her new home town. In addition to Sparky, ASU’s pitchfork-wielding, push-up pumping Sun Devil mascot, here are some other significant Tempe symbols and landmarks:
Tempe Town Lake: This man-made lake just north of campus is actually a dammed portion of the Salt River. With a large, grassy park, walking and biking trails, and boat rentals, it is a favorite recreational spot for ASU students as well as members of the wider community. Fishing and crewing are other prevalent lake activities. Popular events like the New Year’s Eve Block Party, Oktoberfest, and the Tempe Music festival draw hundreds of revelers down to the water’s edge.
Hayden Butte/“A” Mountain: The city’s most recognizable topographical feature, Hayden Butte is a large hill located on the northern edge of ASU’s campus. It is home to numerous items of cultural significance, including petroglyphs and other archeological resources from the area’s first inhabitants, the Hohokam Indian tribe. Now a preserve park, it is a rite of passage to scale the Monti Trail to its peak.
Hayden Butte is also known as “A” Mountain because of the gold-painted, 60-foot, concrete letter A (for ASU of course) built in 1955 on its south face. Students from arch-rival University of Arizona often try to paint the A before the two teams face off in football, so ASU undergrads traditionally guard the A for the week leading up to the big game.
Sun Devil Stadium: Literally built into the east side of Hayden Butte, Sun Devil Stadium is an impressive sight on game nights. Home to ASU’s Pac-10 foot ball team, the stadium seats 71,000. Games are hot affairs during the early fall, but students and alumnae manage to come out in force to support their team, especially against the University of Arizona.
Gammage Auditorium: Designed by famous architect and one-time Valley resident Frank Lloyd Wright, Gammage is the university’s performing arts center. Hosting Broadway Across America, Gammage draws a number of popular theater acts each year, in addition to concerts, symphonies, and other plays. Originally designed by Wright to be the Baghdad, Iraq Opera House, he modified the plans for the Tempe site. Unfortunately, Wright died just days before they broke ground, so he never saw the project reach completion.
Mill Avenue: ASU’s main drag, Mill Avenue is really the heart of the university’s commercial district. With bars, restaurants, clothing stores, and other boutiques, Mill is happening all day and late into the night. There is even an art-house movie theater for those intellectual, bohemian types.
Ooooh – I love the Tempe Music Festival! I’ve lived in Tempe for three years and I’ve gone to that rad fest every spring. It’s awesome to enjoy the delicious spring weather with thousands of my neighbors … and the music they bring in is killer. I’ve seen The Fray, Gin Blossoms, O.A.R., Fergie, My Chemical Romance, All American Rejects Kid Rock and 3 Doors Down at Tempe Music Festival … makes me wonder what will be next! And as for Mill Ave., new residents should definitely check out Mojo Yogurt and Mill’s End Cafe on the north end of the Mill Ave District.
[...] be a relative newcomer, but that doesn’t mean it won’t pack a punch. Located on the shores of Tempe Town Lake near the campus of Arizona State University, the Fall Frenzy will have the streets of Great Phoenix [...]