Getting your questions ready
Getting your questions ready
Beat the crowd
10 questions No timer
50 free Phoenix, Arizona trivia questions with answers — geography quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
Phoenix is the fifth-most populous city in the United States and the biggest state capital by far, a grid of wide streets laid over canals the Hohokam dug two thousand years ago. It was named by an Englishman who saw a city rising from the ruins of an older civilisation, grew on cotton, cattle, citrus, climate and copper, and then exploded after the Second World War once air conditioning made the summers survivable. These 50 questions cover the whole story: Jack Swilling's irrigation company, the 1881 charter signed by John C. Fremont, the dam Theodore Roosevelt dedicated, the 1920 skyscraper, Motorola's arrival, Sandra Day O'Connor and the first female mayor. There are sports questions on the Diamondbacks' 2001 World Series, the Cardinals' move from St. Louis and the Mercury's three WNBA titles, plus geography on the Sonoran Desert, the Salt River, Piestewa Peak and the world's largest municipal park. Easy questions stick to Sky Harbor, Chase Field and the Valley of the Sun; the hardest ask about the first sheriff, the first newspaper and the pope who created the diocese. Every answer is cited to a page we checked, with a short explanation so you learn something even when you miss. Play it solo or print it for an Arizona trivia night.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Phoenix is the county seat of which Arizona county?
Maricopa
The county was carved out of Yavapai County in 1871, the sixth county formed in the territory.
Q 02Where did Phoenix rank among US cities by population at the 2020 census?
Fifth
It edged out Philadelphia by about 40,000 people and is the most populous state capital.
Q 03Phoenix lies in the northeastern reaches of which desert?
Sonoran
It is the largest city in the Americas with a hot desert climate.
Q 04In which year did Phoenix become the capital of Arizona Territory?
1889
The capital moved from Prescott, and the territorial offices were housed in the new City Hall.
Q 05In which year was Phoenix incorporated as a city?
1881
The population at the time was around 2,500.
Q 06Which member of the original settlers' party suggested the name Phoenix?
Lord Darrell Duppa
He chose it because the city was rising from the ruins of a former civilisation.
Q 07Which Confederate veteran founded an irrigation and canal company near Phoenix in 1867?
Jack Swilling
He was prospecting at Wickenburg and saw the valley could grow food for the mining town.
Q 08Which ancient people dug roughly 135 miles of irrigation canals in the Phoenix area?
Hohokam
Their canal paths were later reused for the Arizona Canal and the Central Arizona Project Canal.
Q 09Cotton, cattle, citrus and climate were four of the Five C's; what was the fifth?
Copper
The Five C's drove the economy until high-tech firms arrived after World War II.
Q 10What nickname for the Phoenix area began as a 1930s tourism slogan?
The Valley of the Sun
The metro area sits in the Salt River Valley.
Q 11Which waterway runs westward through Phoenix, though its bed is often dry?
Salt River
Large irrigation diversions leave it with little water most of the year.
Q 12Phoenix became a state capital when Arizona joined the Union in which year?
1912
Taft had vetoed statehood six months earlier over the state constitution's stance on recalling judges.
Q 13What is the name of Phoenix's main international airport?
Sky Harbor
It opened in 1929 under Scenic Airways and the city bought it in 1935.
What all-time record high did Phoenix reach on June 26, 1990?
Q 21Into how many urban villages is the city of Phoenix divided?
15
The Phoenix Concept 2000 plan started with nine villages in 1979, each with its own planning committee.
Q 22Greater Phoenix has the only thriving US feral population of which pet bird?
Rosy-faced lovebird
Escaped pets were first seen in 1987; they nest under untrimmed dead palm fronds in older neighbourhoods.
Q 23The Arizona Diamondbacks play at which downtown ballpark, famous for its outfield pool?
Chase Field
It is the second-highest stadium in the US after Coors Field in Denver.
122 °F
On average the city tops 110 °F on 21 days a year.
Q 15In which month did Phoenix become the first major US city to average over 100 °F?
July 2023
The mean was 102.7 °F, during a streak of 31 straight days at 110 °F or more.
Q 16Which company brought high-tech industry to Phoenix in 1948 with a military electronics centre?
Motorola
Intel and McDonnell Douglas followed, drawn by the same labour pool.
Q 17What was Phoenix's first skyscraper, built in 1920?
Heard Building
It stayed the tallest building in Arizona until the Luhrs Building went up in 1924.
Q 18What was the city's second-tallest mountain called before it was renamed for Lori Piestewa in 2008?
Squaw Peak
It honours Lori Ann Piestewa, the first Native American woman to die in combat for the US military.
Q 19Which Phoenix resident became the first woman on the US Supreme Court in 1981?
Sandra Day O'Connor
ASU's law school in downtown Phoenix now carries her name.
Q 20Like most of Arizona, Phoenix does not observe what?
Daylight saving time
Governor Jack Williams told Congress in 1973 it would send children to school in the dark.
Q 24Which team did the Diamondbacks beat in the 2001 World Series?
New York Yankees
At four seasons old they were the fastest expansion team ever to win the title.
Q 25The Arizona Cardinals moved to Phoenix in 1988 from which city?
St. Louis
Founded in Chicago in 1898, they are the oldest continuously run pro football franchise in the nation.
Q 26Which Tempe venue hosted Super Bowl XXX in 1996?
Sun Devil Stadium
The Cardinals played there until their move to Glendale in 2006.
Q 27How many WNBA titles had the Phoenix Mercury won by the end of the 2025 season?
Three
They won in 2007, 2009 and 2014 and are one of the league's eight founding franchises.
Q 28The Arizona Coyotes arrived in 1996 as the relocated version of which NHL team?
Winnipeg Jets
After losing their Glendale lease they played at ASU's Mullett Arena before the franchise was deactivated.
Q 29Which Phoenix park is the world's largest municipal park at 16,500 acres?
South Mountain
The city's 182 parks together form the largest municipal park system in the country.
Q 30Papago Park is home to the Phoenix Zoo and which attraction opened in 1939?
Desert Botanical Garden
It is one of the few public gardens in the country devoted to desert plants.