Arizona

The State of Arizona is a  located in the  of the. The capital and largest city is. The three next largest cities are, and. Arizona was the 48th and last of the admitted to the Union on,. Arizona is noted for its climate, exceptionally hot summers and mild winters, but the high country in the north features pine forests and mountain ranges which contrast with the lower deserts.

Arizona is one of the states. It borders, , , , touches , and has a 389 (626 )  with the states of  and  in. Aside from the, many other s, , , and s are located in the state.

Geography

 * ''See also lists of, , , , and.

Arizona is located in the as one of the  states. Arizona is the sixth largest state in area, after and before. Of the state's 118000 sqmi, approximately 15% is privately owned. The remaining area is government forest and park land, recreation areas and Native American reservations.

Arizona is best known for its, which is rich in  plants such as. It is also known for its climate, which presents exceptionally hot summers and mild winters. Less well known is the pine-covered high country of the in the north-central portion of the state, which contrasts with the desertic  region in the southern portions of the state.

Like other states of the, Arizona has an abundance of topographical characteristics in addition to its climate. More than half of the state features and  and contains the largest stand of  in the. The, a 2000-foot (600 m) , cuts across the central section of the state and marks the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau, where the state experienced its in 2002. Arizona belongs firmly within the Basin and Range region of North America. The region was shaped by prehistoric, followed by a cooling-off and related. The entire region is slowly sinking.

The is a colorful, steep-sided, carved by the , in northern Arizona. The canyon is one of the and is largely contained in the &mdash;one of the first  in the. President was a major proponent of designating the Grand Canyon area, visiting on numerous occasions to hunt  and enjoy the scenery.

The Canyon was created by the cutting a channel over millions of years, and is about 277 miles (446 km) long, ranges in width from 4 to 18 miles (6 to 29 kilometers) and attains a depth of more than 1 mile (1.6 km). Nearly 2 billion years of the 's history has been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut through layer after layer of as the s have uplifted.

Arizona is home to one of the largest and most well-preserved meteorite impact sites in the world. The Barringer Meteorite Crater (better known simply as "") is a gigantic hole in the middle of the high plains of the Colorado Plateau, about 25 mi west of. A rim of smashed and jumbled boulders, some of them the size of small houses, rises 150 ft above the level of the surrounding plain. The crater itself is nearly a mile wide, and 570 ft deep.

Arizona does not observe, except in the , located in the northeastern region of the state.

Climate
Due to its large area and variations in elevation, the state has a wide variety of localized climate conditions. In the lower elevations, the climate is primarily desert, with mild winters and hot summers. Typically, from late fall to early spring, the weather is mild, averaging a minimum of 60 degrees (15 ). November through February are the coldest months with temperatures typically ranging from 40–75 °F (4–24 °C), although occasional s are not uncommon. About midway through February, the temperatures start to rise again with warm days, and cool breezy nights. The summer months of May through August bring a dry heat ranging from 90–120 °F (32–48 °C), with occasional high temperatures exceeding 125 °F (52 °C) having been observed in the desert area. Due to the primarily dry climate, large temperature swings often occur between day and night, with some as large as 50 °F (28 °C) in the summer months.

However, the northern third of Arizona is a at significantly higher altitudes than the lower desert, and has an appreciably cooler climate, with cold winters and mild summers. Extreme cold temperatures are not unknown; cold air systems from the northern states and occasionally push into the state, bringing temperatures below 0 °F (–18 °C) to the higher parts of the state.

Arizona has an average annual rainfall of 12.7 es (322 ), which comes during two rainy seasons, with s coming from the during the winter and a  in the summer. The monsoon season occurs from the middle of July through August and brings, s, wind, and torrential, if usually brief, downpours. It is rare for es and to occur in Arizona, but there are records of both occurring.

Indicative of the variation in climate, Arizona is the state which has both the metropolitan area with the most days over 100 °F (37.8 °C), and the metropolitan area in the lower 48 states with nearly the most days with a low temperature below freezing.

History
There is some disagreement over the proper of the name "Arizona." The two most likely explanations are that it derives from a phrase aritz onak, "good oaks,"  or that it comes from an  phrase , "small spring". The former etymology is the one preferred by Arizona state historian Marshall Trimble, among other specialists. The name Arizonac was initially applied to the silver mining camp, and later (shortened to Arizona) to the entire territory.

Meeting its original inhabitants, probably the, , a Spanish , explored the area in 1539. The expedition of Spanish explorer entered the area in 1540–42 during its search for. developed a chain of missions and taught the Indians in  (now southern Arizona and northern ) in the 1690s and early 1700s. founded fortified towns (presidios) at Tubac in 1752 and Tucson in 1775. When Mexico achieved its independence from in 1821, what is now Arizona became part of the Mexican State Nueva California, also known as Alta California. In the (1847), the U.S. occupied Mexico City and forced the newly founded Mexican Republic to give up its northern territories, including the later Arizona. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) specified that the U.S. pay Mexico the sum of $15 Million US in compensation. In 1853 the land below the was acquired from Mexico in the. Arizona was administered as part of the until southern New Mexico seceded from the Union as the  on,. This is the first official use of the name. A new, consisting of the western half of New Mexico Territory was declared in Washington, D.C. on ,. The new boundaries would later form the basis of the state.

Other names including "Gadsonia", "Pimeria", "Montezuma", "Arizuma", and "Arizonia" had been considered for the territory, however when signed the final bill, it read "Arizona", and the name became permanent. ( was not the Mexican Emperor, but the sacred name of a divine hero to the of the  valley, and was probably considered &mdash; and rejected &mdash; for its sentimental value, before the name "Arizona" was settled upon.)

sent s to Arizona in the mid-to-late 19th century. They founded, , , and other towns. They also settled in the (or "Valley of the Sun"),, , among other areas. The Mormons settled what became known as and northern New Mexico, but these areas were located in a part of the former. The largest ancestry of these settlers is.

Arizona became a U.S. state on,. Arizona was the 48th state admitted into the U.S. and the last of the admitted.

Cotton farming and copper mining, two of Arizona's most important statewide industries, suffered heavily during the, but it was during the 1920s and 1930s that began to be the important Arizona industry it is today. Dude ranches such as the K L Bar and Remuda in Wickenburg, along with the Flying V and Tanque Verde in Tucson, gave tourists the chance to experience the flavor and life of the "old West." Several upscale hotels and resorts opened during this period, some of which are still top tourist draws to this day; they include the in central Phoenix (opened 1929) and the  on the west side of the Phoenix area (opened 1936).

Arizona was the site of and   camps during  and  US-resident internment camps (for national security during the time of martial law). The Phoenix area site was purchased after the war by the family (of major home  fame), and is currently utilized as the. A camp was located on, just outside of the state's southeastern city of Tucson. Another was located near the  in eastern. Because of 's proximity to Japan, a line was drawn somewhat parallel to the California border, and all Japanese residents west of that line were required to reside in the war camps. Grand Avenue, (perhaps because of its similarity to the California border) was chosen as part of that boundary, which resulted in many extended Japanese families being separated; some interned, some free--and some free families, in and odd bid for family values, requested to be interrned to stay with their families at a camp built by the original Co., a modern manufacturer of large housing developments).

Arizona's population grew tremendously after World War II, in part because of the development of, which made the intense summers more comfortable. According to the (published by the 's office each year), the state population in 1910 was 294,353. By 1970, it was 1,752,122. The percentage growth each decade averaged about 20% in the earlier decades and about 60% each decade thereafter.

The 1960s saw the establishment of, special age-restricted subdivisions catering exclusively to the needs of senior citizens who wanted to escape the harsh winters of the and the. , established by developer and opened in 1960 was one of the first such communities. , south of Tucson, was another such community designed to be a retirement subdivision for Arizona's teachers. (Many of these senior citizens arrive in Arizona each winter and stay only during the winter months; they are referred to as snowbirds.)

Three ships named have been named in honor of the state, although only  was so named after statehood was achieved.

Demographics
As of 2006, Arizona had an estimated population of 6,166,318, which is an increase of 213,311, or 3.6%, from the prior year and an increase of 1,035,686, or 20.2%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 297,928 people (that is 564,062 births minus 266,134 deaths) and an increase due to net of 745,944 people into the state. from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 204,661 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 541,283 people. New population figures for the year ending, , indicate that Arizona is the fastest growing state in the United States, with 3.6% population growth since 2005, exceeding the growth of the previous leader,.

The of Arizona is located in, in the town of.

According to 2003 estimates, Arizona has the third highest number (and the sixth highest percentage) of  of any state in the Union. 286,680 were estimated to live in Arizona, representing more than 10% of the country's total Native American population of 2,752,158. Only and  have more Native Americans. The perimeters of Phoenix, Tucson, Prescott, and Yuma abut Native American reservations.

The largest ancestry groups in Arizona are (21%),, , , and. The southern and central parts of the state are heavily, especially in and  near the Mexican border. The north-central and northwestern counties are largely inhabited by residents of ancestry. The northeastern part of Arizona has many American Indians. s have had a relatively small presence in Arizona, but their numbers are increasing due to in-migration from other states, especially California, the and the. The African American population of the Phoenix metropolitan area doubled between 1990 and 2005.

Arizona is projected to become a state by the year 2035, if current population growth trends continue. In 2003, for the first time, there were more births in the state than  (non-Hispanic) births.

As of 2000, 74.16% of Arizona residents age 5 and older speak only at home and 19.52% speak. is the third most spoken language at 1.89%.

49.9% of the population is male, 50.1% is female.

''See also the list of. ''

Religion
A 2000 survey by the found that 45.3% of Arizonans were active adherents to a particular religion. Those adherents break down as follows:


 * - 41.9%
 * - 20.9%
 * - 10.8%
 * - 9.6%
 * - 3.5%
 * Others (less than 1% each) - 13.3%

Economy
The 2004 total was $187 billion. If Arizona (and each of the other US states) were an independent country along with all existing countries (2005), it would have the 61st largest economy in the world (CIA - The World Factbook). This figure gives Arizona a larger economy than such countries as, , and. Arizona currently has the 21st largest economy among states in the.

The state's is $27,232, 39th in the U.S. Early in its history, Arizona's economy relied on the "Five C's":  (see ),, , , and. At one point Arizona was the largest producer of cotton in the country. Copper is still extensively mined from many expansive open-pit and underground mines, accounting for two-thirds of the nation's output.

Employment
The state government is Arizona's largest employer, while is the state's largest private employer, with 17,343 employees (2003).

In 2001, 161,166 Arizonans were employed in the high-tech sector, accounting for about 8.3% of total private-sector employment of more than 1.9 million. High-tech payroll in 2001 was $2.2 billion, or 14.7% of the private-sector total. High-tech employment was led by and, with 34,314;  components manufacturing, 30,358;  manufacturing, 25,641; architectural and engineering services, 21,378; telecommunications, 21,224; and instruments manufacturing, 13,056.

Taxation
Arizona collects personal es in five brackets: 2.87%, 3.20%, 3.74%, 4.72% and 5.04%.

Arizona Transaction Privilege Tax (sales) and Use tax rates generally are 6.3%.

The state rate on transient lodging (/) is 7.27%. The state of Arizona does not levy a state tax on food for home consumption or on drugs prescribed by a licensed or. However, some cities in Arizona do levy a tax on food for home consumption.

All fifteen Arizona counties levy a tax.

Incorporated municipalities also levy transaction privilege taxes which, with the exception of their hotel/motel tax, are generally in the range of 1-to-3%. These added assessments could push the combined sales to as high as 10.7%.

Highways
Main interstate routes include, and running north-south, , , and  running east-west, and a short stretch of  running northeast/southwest through the extreme northwestern corner of the state. In addition, the various urban areas are served by complex networks of and highways, such as the.

Public transportation and intercity bus
The Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas are served by public bus transit systems. Yuma and Flagstaff also have public bus systems. serves Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff, Yuma, and several smaller communities statewide.

A light rail system called is currently being built in Phoenix. When completed, it will connect Central Phoenix with the nearby cities of Mesa and Tempe. The system is projected to be operational by December of 2008.

In May 2006, voters in Tucson approved a Regional Transportation Plan (a comprehensive bus transit/streetcar/roadway improvement program), and its funding via a new half-cent sales tax increment. The centerpiece of the plan is a light rail streetcar system (possibly similar to the in Oregon) that will travel through the downtown area, connecting the main  campus with the Rio Nuevo master plan area on the western edge of downtown.

Aviation
Airports with regularly scheduled commercial flights include: (IATA: PHX, ICAO: KPHX) in Phoenix (the largest airport and the major international airport in the state);  (IATA: TUS, ICAO: KTUS) in Tucson;  (IATA: AZA, ICAO: KIWA) in Mesa;  (IATA: YUM, ICAO: KYUM) in Yuma;   (PRC) in Prescott;  (IATA: FLG, ICAO: KFLG) in Flagstaff, and  (GCP), a small, but busy, single-runway facility providing tourist flights, mostly from Las Vegas. Phoenix Sky Harbor is the 7th busiest airport in the world in terms of aircraft movements, and regularly in the top 15 for passengers.

Other significant airports without regularly scheduled commercial flights include (IATA: SCF, ICAO: KSDL) in Scottsdale.

Law and government
See also, and 

Capitol complex
The state capital of Arizona is. The original Capitol building, with its distinctive copper dome, was dedicated in 1901 (construction was completed for $136,000 in 1900), when the area was still a territory. Phoenix became the official state capital with Arizona's admission to the union in 1912.

The and  were dedicated in 1960, and an Executive Office Building was dedicated in 1974 (the ninth floor of this building is where the Office of the Governor is located). The original Capitol building was converted into a museum.

The Capitol complex is fronted and highlighted by the richly landscaped, named after , a governor who died in office in the 1970s. Numerous monuments and memorials are on the site, including the anchor and signal mast from the (one of the U.S. Navy ships ), a granite version of the, and the.

State legislature
The is  (like the legislature of every other state except ) and consists of a thirty-member  and a 60-member. Legislators are elected for two-year terms.

Each Legislature covers a two-year period. The first session following the general election is known as the first regular session, and the session convening in the second year is known as the second regular session. Each regular session begins on the second Monday in January and adjourns sine die (terminates for the year) no later than Saturday of the week in which the 100th day from the beginning of the regular session falls. The President of the Senate and Speaker of the House, by rule, may extend the session up to seven additional days. Thereafter, the session can only be extended by a majority vote of members present of each house.

The current majority party is the, which has held power since 1950.

Arizona state senators and representatives are elected for two year terms and are limited to four consecutive terms in a chamber, though there is no limit on the total number of terms. When a lawmaker is term-limited from office, it is not uncommon for him or her to run for election in the other chamber.

The fiscal year 2006-07 general fund budget, approved by the Arizona Legislature in June 2006, is slightly less than $10 billion. Besides the money spent on state agencies, it also includes more than $500 million in income- and property tax cuts, pay raises for government employees, and additional funding for the K-12 education system.

State executive branch
Arizona's is headed by a governor elected for a four-year term. The governor may serve any number of terms, though no more than two in a row. The current governor of Arizona is, a. She was first elected in 2002 and again in 2006 (she was officially sworn in on her second term on January 4, 2007).

Due to the state of Arizona not having a governor's mansion, the governors reside within their private places of residence during their terms in office.

Federal representation
The two U.S. Senators from Arizona are Senator (Republican) and Senator  (Republican).

Arizona's representatives in the are  (R-1),  (R-2),  (R-3),  (D-4),  (D-5),  (R-6),  (D-7), and  (D-8). announced his retirement from Congress in 2006, creating one of the few open seats in the nation in Arizona's Congressional District 8. Arizona gained two seats in the House of Representatives due to based on.

Political culture
In more recent years, the Republican Party has generally dominated Arizona politics. Arizona narrowly voted for in 1996, who was the first Democrat to take the state since  in 1948. In 2004, won the state's ten s by a margin of 10 percentage points with 54.87% of the vote.

The state's concentration of Democrats is strongest in the city of (excluding Tucson's historically Republican-dominated suburbs) and the counties of  and.

, home of and the fourth-most populous in the country, has voted Republican in every presidential election since at least 1952. However, the current mayor of Phoenix,, is a Democrat. The current state attorney general and governor are also both Democrats.

Arizona became the first U.S. state to reject an anti-gay amendment in the 2006 midterm elections. Gay marriage was already illegal in Arizona, but this amendment would have denied any legal or financial benefits to unmarried homosexual or heterosexual couples.

Despite the dominance of the Republican party in the state many political insiders describe the overall additude in the state as being that of a viewpoint.(Conservative on fiscal matters but more moderate or  on social issues.)

''See also :

Important cities and towns


, the largest city in the state, is the capital. The metro area includes  (the third largest city in Arizona and the most populous suburban city in the United States),, , , , , , , , , ,  and , with a total population of nearly 3.9 million.

is the state's second largest city, located 110 miles (180 km) of the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Tucson metropolitan area crossed the one-million-resident threshold in early 2007. It is home to the, one of only three public universities in Arizona.

is center of the third largest metropolitan area in Arizona. It is located near the borders of and. It is one of the hottest cities in the with the average July high of 107 degrees. (The same month's average in is 115 degrees.)  The city also features sunny days about 90% of the year. The Yuma has a population of 160,000.

is the largest city in northern Arizona, and at nearly 7000ft elevation, is a stark contrast to the desert regions typically associated with Arizona. Flagstaff is home to 57,391 residents and the main campus of.

Elementary and secondary education
Public schools in Arizona are separated into about 220 local school districts which operate independently, but are governed in most cases by elected county school superintendents; these are in turn overseen by the (a division of the ) and the state Superintendent of Public Instruction (elected in partisan elections every even-numbered year when there is not a presidential election, for a four-year term). In 2005, a School District Redistricting Commission was established with the goal of combining and consolidating many of these districts.

Colleges and universities
Higher education in Arizona is governed at the university level by the or the ABOR, a 12-member body. According to information published by the ABOR office and available on their Web site, eight volunteer members are appointed by the Governor to staggered eight-year terms; two students serve on the Board for two-year appointments, with the first year being a nonvoting apprentice year. The Governor and the Superintendent of Public Instruction serve as voting ex-officio members. The ABOR provides "policy guidance" and oversight to the three major degree-granting universities, as provided for by Title 15 of the.

Community colleges in Arizona were governed historically by a separate statewide Board of Directors, but a bill passed in the 2002 regular session of the Legislature (HB 2710, which later became ARS 15-1444) transferred almost all oversight authority to individual community college districts. The Maricopa County Community College District includes 11 community colleges throughout Maricopa County and is one of the largest in the nation. The community college systems in Arizona are among the best in the United States.

Professional sports teams
Due to its numerous golf courses, Arizona is home to several stops on the, most notably at the , more commonly known as the Phoenix Open.

With three universitites and several community colleges, college sports are also prevalent in Arizona. Arizona is home to the oldelst rivalry in the. The is given to the winner of the Duel in the Desert, an annual game between intense rivals the  and the. Arizona also hosts several s in the. The, originally held at , will now be held at the in. The University of Phoenix Stadium was also home to the. The is also held at.

Besides being home to spring training, Arizona is also home to two other baseball leagues, and. The Fall League was founded in 1992 and is a baseball league designed for players to refine their skills and perform in game settings in front of major and minor league baseball scouts and team executives, who are in attendance at almost every game. The league got exposure when started his time in baseball with the. The Winter League, founded in 2007, is a professional baseball league for the independent. The games are played in at the.


 * Note: The Arizona Heat is currently suspended from the NPF, with a possible return for the 2008 season.

Spring training
Arizona is a popular location for, as it is the site of the. The only other location for spring training is in with the. Spring training has been somewhat of a tradition in Arizona since 1947 despite the fact that the state did not have its own major league team until the state was awarded the Diamondbacks as an expansion team. The state hosts the following teams:
 * in
 * in
 * in
 * in an unnamed stadium in beginning in 2009
 * in
 * in
 * in
 * in
 * in
 * in
 * in
 * in
 * in
 * Bears

Art and pop culture
Arizona has featured a continuous string of dancing and performing groups of many. The state is a recognized center of art, with a number of galleries such as the  showcasing historical and contemporary works. ,, and are known as budding artist colonies, and small arts scenes exist in the larger cities and near the state universities.

Many tourist souvenirs produced in Arizona or by its residents display characteristic images, such as sunsets, coyotes, and desert plants. Several major Hollywood films, such as ', ', ', ', ', ', ', ', ', and ' have been made there (as indeed have many ). The 1993 science fiction movie , which was actually based on a reported alien abduction in Arizona, was set and filmed in the town of. The climax of the 1977 film  takes place in downtown Phoenix. The final segments of the 1984 film  take place at outside. The comedy documentary movie Blue Collar Comedy Tour was filmed almost entirely at the. Arguably one of the most famous examples could be 's classic film . Not only was some of the film shot in Phoenix, but the main character is from there as well. Some of the television shows filmed or set in Arizona include ', ', ', ', ', and '. The 1974 film ', for which won the, and also starred , was set in Phoenix, as was the TV sitcom ', which was based on the movie.

See also 

Arizona is prominently featured in the lyrics of many songs. 's hit ballad "There is No Arizona" uses Arizona's popularity as a vacation spot to illustrate high hopes that can be dashed by disillusionment. 's "Oceanfront Property" uses the offer of "ocean front property in Arizona" as a metaphor for a sucker proposition that is obviously false. The line "see you down in Arizona Bay" is used in a song in reference to a  quote. The line refers to the hope that will one day fall into the ocean due to a major earthquake.

"Arizona" was the title of a popular song recorded by (formerly of ) that was a hit during the winter of 1969-1970.

Arizona's budding music scene is helped by emerging bands, as well as some well-known artists. The, , , and others began their careers in Arizona. Also, a number of bands got their start in Arizona, including, , , , and more recently. There is also an scene with artists such as, , , , ,.

Arizona also has its share of singers and other musicians. , and   is from. , the lead vocalist of, and artist  are both from. One of Arizona's more infamous musicians would be er, who helped define the genre. Other notable singers include singer,  singer , 's , , , 2007  winner , and.

See also 

Notable people
Some famous Arizonans involved in politics and government are:
 * former Justice
 * founder of NTV
 * former U.S. Senator
 * Maricopa County Sheriff
 * Junior Republican Senator, current chairman of the , and the No.3 Republican in the.
 * Presidential candidate (2000), (2008) and Senior Republican Senator
 * Presidential candidate (1964) and former U.S. Senator
 * former Governor, Secretary of the Interior, and Presidential candidate (1988)
 * Presidential candidate (1976) and former Arizona congressman and his brother Secretary of the Interior
 * former U.S. Senator
 * and former.

Arizona notables in culture and the arts include:
 * Musicians and  of  band
 * author
 * architect
 * musicians of,  and  of , of Phoenix
 * of Tucson, of Sedona,  and  of Mesa  of scottsdale
 * poet of Flagstaff
 * film director grew up in Scottsdale, as did  and  star.
 * labor leader and civil rights pioneer was from San Luis, near Yuma
 * an artist/photographer moved to Tucson in 1931 and lived in Prescott from 1935-1999

For a complete list, see .

Official State Government website

 * Official Website of the State of Arizona

Other references

 * Arizona Regional Accounts Data
 * Arizona Demographic Data from FedStats
 * Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records
 * USGS real-time, geographic, and other scientific resources of Arizona
 * Arizona State Facts

Tourism information

 * Official Arizona Office of Tourism
 * Arizona Game & Fish Department (Hunting, Boating & Fishing)
 * Arizona State Parks