"To see the Grand Canyon full of purple smoke at dawn or sublimely fired at sunset, is to be elevated in soul. To see the red rocks; the alkali flats like snow; the sand dunes so graceful and curved; the long cedar slopes, speckled green and gray, leading up to the bold peaks; the vast black belts of timber; the Navajo facing the sunrise with his silent prayer; the Hopi in his alfalfa fields, or the Apache along the historical Apache Trail; the coyote sneaking through the arroyos; the lonely cliff dwellings with their monuments of a vanished race; the endless slopes of sage, green and gray and purple on the heights; the natural stone bridges and petrified forests - - and a thousand more beautiful sights - - that is to see Arizona."

- Zane Grey, "An Appreciation of the Grand Canyon"

ARIZONA

ARIZONA
STATE PARKS

"Arizona! A magic word. Arizona! What visions of grandeur those seven letters conjure. Arizona! A symphony in mad extravagant colors, shaded with the soft light of the desert in the evening, the purple mountains at twilight, the mauve sky of a rising sun... To all men and all women there is a different Arizona. But to all men as to all women there is one overwhelming Arizona - - that is Arizona, the land of great beauty, and Arizona, the land of rich magnificent color.  Arizona!"

- Raymond Carlson, "Arizona's Scenic Seasons"

"We have an unknown distance yet to run, an unknown river to explore. What falls there are, we know not; what rocks beset the channel, we know not; what walls rise over the river, we know not. Ah, well! We may conjecture many things."

- John Wesly Powell, "The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons"

GRAND CANYON

GHOST TOWNS

"Here lies Lester Moore
    Shot with a .44
       No Les, No more."

- Tombstone epitaph Boot Hill Graveyard

"Oh yes, I have heard of that country - - it is just like hell. All it lacks is water and a good society."

- An Ohio Senator during a congressional discussion of territorial status
for Arizona, 1862

PHOENIX

TUCSON

"Low foothills ring the city and jagged peaks float in the distance. At every hour of the day they appear to change color as brown turns to lavender and then to deep blue at twilight."

"Arizona Memories" regarding Tucson

"Arizona is famous for her beautiful deserts, the haven of winter visitors... But there is another Arizona beyond the deserts that many casual travelers often fail to see - - the forests. Arizona's vast forest lands are a rich natural asset."

- Joseph Garrison Pearce, "Arizona's FIRST Forest Ranger"

FLAGSTAFF

  BARRY M. GOLDWATER   1909  -  1998

"Barry Goldwater was the rare politician who managed to be both, an outspoken, truth-telling patriot who took his obligations as a lawmaker seriously and who helped shape the destiny of a great nation. His uncommon honesty and ability made him an American legend in his own time." - May 30, 1998 Senator John McCain to the Washington Post

"ARIZONA" (Alternative State Song)

I love you Arizona ...your mountains, your deserts and your streams ... the rise of Dos Cabezas, and the outlaws I see in my dreams. I love you Arizona - - superstitions and all ... the warmth you give at sunrise, your sunsets put music in a song. Oh Arizona, you're the magic in me... oh Arizona, you're the life blood of me. I love you Arizona - - desert dust on the wind; the sage and cactus are bloomin', and the smell of the rain on your skin. Oh Arizona, you're in magic in me... oh Arizona, you're the life blood of me.

"Arizona" comes from the Spanish interpretation of "arizuma," an Aztec Indian word meaning "silver bearing". The name is also based on a Pima Indian word "arizonac" for "little spring place."

Arizona has 114,006 square miles of pure beauty.

The state motto is Ditat Deus... meaning "God Enriches".

Arizona was the 48th state admitted to the USA; it became a state on February 14, 1912.

The state colors are federal blue and old gold.

The capital and largest city, near the center of the state, is Phoenix with the 2008 MSA population estimated for the metro Phoenix area at 4,281,899.

Elevation in Phoenix is 1117 feet with a "hot" average of 86% sunny days!

Tucson, which is southeast of Phoenix, is the next largest city.

There are 15 counties in the state of Arizona:
  • Apache - Far Northeast. County seat is St. Johns
  • Cochise - Far Southeast. County seat is Bisbee
  • Coconino - Far North Central. County seat is Flagstaff
  • Gila - Central. County seat is Globe
  • Graham - Eastern Central. County seat is Safford
  • Greenlee - Far Eastern Central. County seat is Clifton
  • La Paz - Far Western Central. County seat is Parker
  • Maricopa - Central. County seat is Phoenix
  • Mohave - Far Northwest. County seat is Kingman
  • Navajo - Northeast. County seat is Holbrook
  • Pima - South Central. County seat is Tucson
  • Pinal - Central. County seat is Florence
  • Santa Cruz - Far South Central. County seat is Santa Cruz
  • Yavapai - North Central. County seat is Prescott
  • Yuma - Far Southwest. County seat is Yuma

The 13 rays of red and gold on the top half of the flag represent both the 13 original colonies of the Union, and the rays of the Western setting sun.

Red and gold were also the colors carried by Coronado's expedition in search of the Seven Cities of Cibola in 1540. The bottom half of the flag has the same Liberty blue as the United States flag. Since Arizona was the largest producer of copper in the nation, a copper star was placed in the flag's center.

The Cactus Wren is the State Bird. This noisy creature lives within the protection of the cacti of the Arizona deserts.

Click on the image to learn more about the wren of the spines.

The State Flower, is the Saguaro Cactus.

Click on the image to learn more about this majestic plant.

ADDITIONAL STATE SYMBOLS:

State Tree: Palo Verde
State Neck Wear: Bola Tie
State Gemstone: Turquoise
State Fish: Apache Trout
State Mammal: Ringtail

State Reptile: Arizona Ridgenose Rattlesnake
State Amphibian: Arizona Treefrog
State Fossil: Petrified Wood
State Butterfly: Two Tailed Swallowtail

The Anasazi, Hohokam, Mogollon and Salado were the first peoples of Arizona and their ancestors are the present Native Americans who live in the Southwest.

There are 21 Tribes of Indians throughout Arizona (click on the tribe name to learn more):

  • Ak-Chin Indian Community - located south of Phoenix. Established in 1912 with 21,480 acres in AZ. These are the Tohona O'Odham and Pima peoples.
  • Cocopah Tribe - located south of Yuma along the Colorado River. Established in 1917 with 7,772 acres in AZ. These are the Cocopah people.
  • Colorado River Indian Tribes - located southwest, along the Colorado River. Established in 1865 with 225,995 acres in AZ. These are the Mojave, Chemehuevi, Hopi and Navajo peoples.
  • Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation - located just east of Phoenix. Established in 1886 with 26,400 acres in AZ. These are the Yavapai-Apache peoples.
  • Fort Mojave Indian Tribe - located northwest, along the Colorado River. Established in 1859 with 22,820 acres in AZ. These are the Mojave people.
  • Fort Yuma/Quechan Tribe - located west along the Colorado River. Established in 1884 with 2,381 acres in AZ. These are the Quechan people.
  • Gila River Indian Community - located south of metro Phoenix. Established in 1859 with 373,365 acres in AZ. These are the Pima-Maricopa peoples.
  • Havasupai Tribe - located southwest of the Grand Canyon National Park (and live in the Grand Canyon). Established in 1880 with 185,516 acres in AZ. These are the Havasupai people.
  • Hopi Tribe - located in northeast Arizona. Established in 1882 with 1,561,213 acres in AZ. These are the Hopi-Tewa peoples.
  • Hualapai Tribe - located west along the Colorado River. Established in 1883 with 992,463 in AZ. These are the Hualapai people.
  • Kaibab Paiute Tribe - located north along the Utah border. Established in 1934 with 120,413 acres in AZ. These are the Paiute people.
  • Navajo Nation - located in northeast Arizona. The entire reservation is approximately the size of West Virginia and was established in 1868 with 11,601,856 acres in AZ. These are the Navajo people.
  • Pascua Yaqui Tribe - located just southeast of Phoenix and in Tucson. Established in 1964 with 892 acres. These are the Pascua Yaqui people.
  • Salt River Pima/Maricopa Indian Community - located northeast of Phoenix. Established in 1879 with 53,000 acres. These are the Pima-Maricopa peoples.
  • San Carlos Apache Tribe - located east of Phoenix and throughout southeastern Arizona. Established in 1871 with 1,826,541 acres in AZ. These are the Apache people.
  • San Juan South Paiute Tribe - these tribal members reside throughout the Navajo Reservation, east of the Grand Canyon. These are the Paiute-Navajo peoples.
  • Tohono O'odham Nation - located in south central Arizona and entire reservation is approximately the size of Connecticut. Established in 1874 with 2,854,881 acres. These are the Tohono O'odham (formerly Papago) and Pima peoples.
  • Tonto Apache Tribe - located on the Mogollon Rim area northeast of Phoenix. Established in 1972 with 85 acres in AZ. These are the Tonto Apache people.
  • White Mountain Apache Tribe - located in eastern central Arizona. Established in 1891 with 1,664,984 acres in AZ. These are the White Mountain Apache people.
  • Yavapai-Apache Nation - located in central Arizona. Established in 1871 with 644 acres in AZ. These are the Yavapai-Apache people.
  • Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe - located near Prescott in central Arizona. Established in 1935 with 1390 acres in AZ. These are the Yavapai people.

LINKS:

State of Arizona
Arizona.com
Arizona Highways Online
Southwest Picture Atlas

Arizona State University
University of Arizona
Northern Arizona University

Sky Harbor Airport
Phoenix Zoo
Desert Botanical Gardens
Maps Around Arizona

Arizona Cardinals
Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Rattlers
Phoenix Coyotes
Phoenix Mercury
Phoenix Suns
Tucson Sidewinders

The Heard Museum
Arizona Science Center
Sonoran Desert Museum
Boyce-Thompson Arboretum
More About Flagstaff