Fun Facts About Arizona
The USA Today currently ranks Phoenix’s Sky Harbor Airport as the “Best Airport” in the United States of America.
About one-quarter of the state is made up of Indian Reservations.
The first European documented exploration of the area that comprises the state occurred in 1539 by Marcos de Niza.
Yuma, Arizona is the sunniest city in the United States with an annual % average possible sunshine of 90%.
A monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation.
The pop song “Arizona”, written by Kenny Young and performed by former Paul Revere and the Raiders member
Mark Lindsay, peaked at Number 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on February 14, 1970.
Arizona’s state motto is Ditat Deus (“God enriches”).
Arizona became our 48th state on February 14, 1912, the last of the contiguous states to be admitted to the Union.
Arizona is home to three of the top four, and four of the top nine, sunniest cities in the United States – Yuma (90%), Phoenix (85%), Tucson (85%) and Flagstaff (78%).
The state is home to over 110 wineries, vineyards and cellars. The Willcox wine region produces 74% of the wine grapes grown in the state of Arizona.
Arizona is nick named “The Grand Canyon State” and is home to the Grand Canyon National Park.
The Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) grew by 941,011 people (45.3%) from April 2000 to April 2010 and gained another 382,000 people (estimated) from 2010 to 2015.
Humphreys Peak, located about 11 miles north of Flagstaff, is the highest natural point in the state at 12,633 feet.
Flagstaff averages 103.6 inches of snow a year, making it the snowiest city in the state.
Yuma County produces 90% of the U.S.’s winter supply of lettuce and is the nation’s third largest vegetable producer.
Casa Grande soil, the official soil of the state, consists of very deep, well drained soils that formed in old mixed alluvium.
Arizona is home to two of the most famous roads in American forklore history – U.S. Route 66 (known as the Will Rogers Highway, the Main Street of America or the Mother Road) and U.S. 80 (“Broadway of America”, Dixie Overland Highway, Ocean to Ocean Highway).
Arizona is a right-to-work state.
The battleship USS Arizona was named in honor of the state. It was commissioned in 1913 and now rests at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii.
State colors are blue and old gold.