Interesting Facts about Arizona

These interesting facts about Arizona will showcase what a unique and fascinating state it is to visit. For more information and videos on Arizona, see the links at the bottom of this post.

Arizona is located in the Southwestern part of the United States. It’s a place with dramatic landscapes, unique vegetation and fantastic weather.

Arizona has many nicknames, most notably the Grand Canyon State, however it’s also known as the Valentine State as it gained statehood on February 14th, 1912.

Arizona is also know for its 5Cs, Copper, Cotton, Cattle, Citrus and Climate.

Arizona in not just a desert, it can often have the highest and lowest temperatures in the country on the same day due to its varied landscape—with its lowest elevation just above sea level near Yuma, to well over 12,000 feet atop Humphreys Peak, which is surrounded by a lush forest in Flagstaff.

Arizona is also one of only 4 states that touch each other, known as the 4 Corners. The state also boasts 22 national parks and monuments, which may become 23 soon if the Superstition Mountains get Monument distinction.

Here are 10 of the most interesting facts about Arizona

• 10) One of the world’s tallest water fountains in the world is located in Fountain Hills, Arizona, just east of Scottsdale.

• 9) Prescott, Arizona is home to the World’s Oldest rodeo, which started back in 1888 and has continuously continued that tradition for over 130 years.

• 8) Phoenix has not always been the capital of Arizona, before it was a state, Prescott had the honor, twice. Prescott was founded in 1864 as the Territorial Capital of Arizona, but temporarily moved to Tucson from 1867 to 1877, the Capital returned to Prescott at the end of 1877 and remained until it was permanently moved to Phoenix in 1889.

• 7) Believe it or not, the London Bridge is located in Lake Havasu City, Arizona. It was purchased and dismantled in London and rebuilt in the 1960s in Arizona.

• 6) Two of the largest Manmade Lakes in the country are in Arizona, Lake Mead which was created by the Hoover Dam in 1935, and Lake Powell, which was created by the Glen Canyon Dam in 1963.

• 5) The Gila Monster, the largest lizards native to the United States are from Arizona. The Gila Monster gets its name from the Arizona’s Gila River basin, where they were first discovered. Speaking of reptiles, Arizona is home to 13 different rattlesnakes, The western diamondback is the most popular and is responsible for more snake bites in the United States than any other species.

• 4) Most historians agree that the westernmost Civil War battle took place in 1862 near Picacho Peak, northwest of Tucson.

• 3) Arizona is home to the world’s best-preserved meteorite impact site on Earth. Meteor Crater is located near Winslow in Northern Arizona. This massive depression is the spectacular result of a collision that rocked the American Southwest approximately 50,000 years ago with the energy of more than 20 million tons of TNT. This is also a place where NASA astronauts have often trained.

• 2) Arizona is home to the Sonoran Desert, which is the only place on earth where the giant Saguaro cactus lives. The saguaro blossom is the official flower of Arizona, which blooms in the summer months of May and June. There is also a National Park dedicated to the hearty but fragile tree-like cacti and it has become the iconic symbol of the Southwest.

• 1) The Grand Canyon is not only one of the largest and deepest canyons in the world, it’s actually older than Dinosaurs! The canyon is over 1 billion years old and there has never been a dinosaur fossils found at the canyon. It’s also the 2nd most popular national park in the country with over 6 million visitors a year.

Interesting Facts About Arizona BONUS:

• The roof of the Arizona Capitol building is made of copper and uses the equivalent of nearly 5 million pennies.
• The sun shines in Phoenix and Tucson 85 percent of the year, even more than Florida and Hawaii.
• In 1956, two planes detoured over the Grand Canyon airspace for a better view and ended up colliding directly over the canyon. The FAA was created in 1958 as a result of this accident.

Well that’s a look at 10 of the most interesting facts about Arizona (with a few bonus facts added by readers/viewers). If you have some interesting Arizona facts you’d like to share, please leave a comment below.

More Content on Arizona

• Southern Arizona Road Trip Guide
• Arizona Wildflowers Road Trip Guide
• The Perfect 5-Day Northern Arizona Road Trip
• Top-25 Arizona Road Trip Destinations
• Visiting Canyon De Chelly – Where wind, water and time have etched a masterpiece
• Grand Falls – The Willy Wanka of Waterfalls
• Top-5 Things to do in Bisbee, Arizona
• Antelope Canyon – Nature-inspired Wonderment
• Top Places to visit in Arizona
• Phoenix to Sedona Road Trip Guide
• Visiting Monument Valley – Nature’s Masterpiece

Until next time, we’ll se ya on the road…