The Tempe campus of Arizona State University is the city's reason for being. Founded in 1885 as a normal school for teacher training, it now enrolls more than 70,000 students on this campus alone. The campus is open to the public and worth a slow walk through.
Old Main, the oldest building on campus, dates to 1898 and stands at the heart of a palm-lined quad. The ASU Art Museum holds a respected collection of contemporary American work and prints. The Hayden Library, the Memorial Union, and the Goldwater Center for Science and Engineering are all distinctive examples of mid-century and contemporary university architecture. Sun Devil Stadium (now Mountain America Stadium) sits between the campus and Tempe Butte.