About Arizona

Arizona Facts

As Arizona travels across the United States to deliver the Capitol Christmas Tree, many Americans will get to meet our great state. Here are a few fast facts about Arizona, the home of the Capitol Christmas Tree 2009.

1. Arizona became the 48th state in the Union on February 14, 1912.
2. Known as the Grand Canyon State, Arizona will celebrate its centennial during 2012.
3. Arizona covers 13,909 square miles and is the 6th largest state in the Union.
4. Phoenix is the capital of Arizona and is the nation’s 5th largest city. 6.5+ million people live in Arizona.
5. Five C’s of Arizona commerce: Cotton, Citrus, Cattle, Copper and Climate.
6. Rising to a height of 12,643 feet, Mount Humphreys north of Flagstaff is the state’s highest mountain.
7. Arizona has an official state reptile: the Arizona Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake.
8. The saguaro cactus blossom is the official state flower. The saguaro is the largest American cactus.
9. Oraibi is the oldest Indian settlement in the United States. The Hopi Indians founded it.
10. César Chávez, the historic labor leader, was born in Yuma.
11. Petrified wood is the official state fossil found in the Petrified Forest in northeastern Arizona.
12. The bola tie is the official state neckwear and worn even to formal black-tie events.
13. The Palo Verde, which means “green stick,” is the official state tree and is found in the deserts of Arizona.
14. The cactus wren is the official state bird. Only 7 to 8 inches long, it often nests in giant saguaro cactus.
15. Turquoise is the official state gemstone. It is the favored stone of most Native American jewelers.
16. Arizona is home of Grand Canyon National Park—1 of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World.
17. The amount of copper on the roof of the Arizona Capitol building is equivalent to 4,800,000 pennies.
18. Arizona observes Mountain Standard Time on a year-round basis. One exception is the Navajo Nation.
19. The battleship USS Arizona was commissioned in 1913 and launched in 1915. It rests in Pearl Harbor.
20. The Navajo Nation is the largest reservation at 180,462 acres and the largest tribe in the United States.
21. Arizona’s most abundant mineral is copper. Arizona leads the nation in copper production.
22. NASA astronauts trained for lunar missions in Meteor Crater near Winslow, Arizona.
23. Copper boomtown Bisbee was once the largest city between St. Louis and San Francisco.
24. Picacho Peak is the only location in Arizona where a Civil War battle was fought.
25. The original London Bridge was shipped stone by stone and reconstructed in Lake Havasu City.
26. Arizona land use is diverse: 2% farming, 57% pastureland, 24% forests and 17% urban centers.
27. Fountain Hills is home to the tallest fountain in the world.
28. Four Corners is the only spot in the United States where a person can stand in four states at one time.
29. In 1939, architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s studio, Taliesin West, was built near Scottsdale.
30. Arizona, among all the states, has the largest percentage of its land designated as Indian land.
31. The world’s largest solar telescope is located at Kitt Peak National Observatory in the city of Sells.

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