 
Route 66 in Arizona:
Route 66's path through Arizona followed roughly what is now
Interstate 40, and entered the state from the east near the
town of Lupton. There is an extensive stretch of
uninterrupted "Mother Road" pavement in the western portion
of the state which was cut off so drastically by the
construction of I-40 that it has remained much as it was in
the Route 66 era. That stretch begins just east of Seligman
and passes through such towns as Peach Springs, Hackberry,
and Oatman en route to the California border (Colorado
River). East of Holbrook, Route 66 passed through a
portion of the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. While no
longer accessible from what remains of 66, these famous
attractions are of course convenient to I-40 and are
definitely worth a stop. Further west, the towns of
Flagstaff and Williams are known as launching points to the
Grand Canyon, which is to the north.
Arizona is a right-to-work state. The law states no person
shall be denied the opportunity to obtain or retain
employment because of non-membership in a labor
organization.
The Arizona trout is found only in the Arizona.
The saguaro cactus blossom is the official state flower. The
white flower blooms on the tips of the saguaro cactus during
May and June. It is the largest American cactus.
Arizona leads the nation in copper production.
Petrified wood is the official state fossil. Most petrified
wood comes from the Petrified Forest in northeastern
Arizona.
The bola tie is the official state neckwear.
The Palo verde is the official state tree. Its name means
green stick and it blooms a brilliant yellow-gold in April
or May.
The cactus wren is the official state bird. It grows seven
to eight inches long and likes to build nests in the
protection of thorny desert plants like the arms of the
giant saguaro cactus.
Turquoise is the official state gemstone. The blue-green
stone has a somewhat waxy surface and can be found
throughout the state.
Arizona is home of the Grand Canyon National Park.
The ringtail is the official state mammal. The ringtail is a
small fox-like animal about two and one-half feet long and
is a shy, nocturnal creature.
The amount of copper on the roof of the Capitol building is
equivalent to 4,800,000 pennies.
Arizona observes Mountain Standard Time on a year round
basis. The one exception is the Navajo Nation, located in
the northeast corner of the state, which observes the
daylight savings time change.
The battleship USS Arizona was named in honor of the state.
It was commissioned in 1913 and launched in 1915 from the
Brooklyn Navy Yard.
World War II brought many military personnel to train at
Luke and Thunderbird fields in Glendale.
The Castilian and Burgundian flags of Spain, the Mexican
flag, the Confederate flag, and the flag of the United
States have all flown over the land area that has become
Arizona.
In 1926, the Southern Pacific Railroad connected Arizona
with the eastern states.
The geographic center of Arizona is 55 miles southeast of
the town of Prescott.
Arizona's most abundant mineral is copper.
Bisbee, located in Tombstone Canyon, is known as the Queen
of the Copper Mines. During its mining history the town was
the largest city between Saint Louis and San Francisco.
The state's most popular natural wonders include the Grand
Canyon, Havasu Canyon, Grand Canyon Caves, Lake
Powell/Rainbow Bridge, Petrified Forest/Painted Desert,
Monument Valley, Sunset Crater, Meteor Crater, Sedona Oak
Creek Canyon, Salt River Canyon, Superstition Mountains,
Picacho Peak State Park, Saguaro National Park, Chiricahua
National Monument, and the Colorado River.
The Arizona tree frog is the state official amphibian. The
frog is actually between three-quarter to two inches long.
Once a rowdy copper mining town, Jerome's population
dwindled to as few as 50 people after the mines closed in
1953.
The original London Bridge was shipped stone-by-stone and
reconstructed in Lake Havasu City.
The capital of the Navajo Reservation is Window Rock.
The state's precipitation varies. At Flagstaff the annual
average is 18.31 inches; Phoenix averages 7.64 inches; and
Yuma's annual average is 3.27 inches.
Crops include 2%; pastureland 57%; forests 24%; and other
uses are 17% in land-use designation.
The Arizona ridge-nosed rattlesnake is perhaps the most
beautiful of all eleven species of rattlesnakes found in
Arizona.
The colors blue and gold are the official state colors.
Located in Fountain Hills is a fountain believed to be the
tallest in the world.
Four Corners is noted as the spot in the United States where
a person can stand in four states at the same time.
The age of a saguaro cactus is determined by its height.
The Apache trout is considered a threatened species under
the federal Endangered Species Act.
Arizona, among all the states, has the largest percentage of
its land set aside and designated as Indian lands.
Rising to a height of 12,643 feet, Mount Humphreys (north of
Flagstaff) is the state's highest mountain.
The Hopi Indians of Arizona are noted for growing their
multicolored corn.
Barry Goldwater, a famous public official, senator, and
presidential candidate was born in Phoenix.
In 1939 architect Frank Lloyd Wright's studio, Taliesin
West, was built near Phoenix.
Oraibi is the oldest Indian settlement in the United States.
The Hopis Indians founded it.
Grand Canyon's Flaming Gorge got its name for its blazing
red and orange colored, twelve-hundred-foot-high walls.
Grand Canyon's Disaster Falls was named to commemorate the
site of a previous explorer's wreck.
Grand Canyon's Marble Canyon got its name from its
thousand-foot-thick seam of marble and for its walls eroded
to a polished glass finish.
Arizona became the 48th state on February 14, 1912.
The world's largest solar telescope is located at Kitts Peak
National Observatory in the city of Sells.
At one time camels were used to transport goods across
Arizona.
Between the years 1692 and 1711 Father Eusebio Kino focused
on area missionary work. During the time many grain and
stock farms began.
A person from Arizona is called an Arizonan.
Phoenix originated in 1866 as a hay camp to supply Camp
McDowell.
The famous labor leader, Ceasar Estrada Chavez, was born in
Yuma.
Tombstone, Ruby, Gillette, and Gunsight are among the ghost
towns scattered throughout the state.
 
48th state in the USA; it became a state on February
14, 1912 (it had been part of Mexico before the Mexican
War).
State Abbreviation
- AZ
State Capital - Phoenix
Largest City - Phoenix
Area - 114,006 square miles [Arizona is the 6th
biggest state in the USA]
Population - 5,130,632 (as of 2000) [Arizona is
the 20th most populous state in the USA]
Name for Residents - Arizonans
Major Industries - mining (copper, molybdenum, gold,
and silver), manufacturing, and tourism.
Major Rivers - Colorado River, Little Colorado River,
Gila River, Bill Williams River
Major Lakes - Lake Mead, Lake Havasu, Lake Mohave,
Theodore Roosevelt Lake, San Carlos Lake, Lake Powell.
Highest Point - Humphreys Peak - 12,633 feet (3,581
m) above sea level
Bordering States - California, Colorado, Nevada, New
Mexico, Utah
Bordering Country - Mexico
Origin of the Name Arizona - The word Arizona comes
from one of the following (its origin is not certain):
the Aztec Indian word "arizuma," that means
"silver-bearing," from the Tohono O'odham Indian word "Aleh-zone"
which means "small spring," or the Pima Indian word "Ali
shonak" which also means "small spring."
State Nickname - Grand Canyon State
State Motto - "Ditat Deus," God Enriches
State Song - Arizona March Song
State Flag:
The official state flag of Arizona was officially adopted on
February 17, 1917. It was designed by Colonel Charles W.
Harris (adjutant general and chief administrative officer
of Arizona) and was first sewn by Nan D. Hayden. The 13
yellow and red rays represent both the Sun's rays and the
original 13 colonies of the United States of America. The
colors red and yellow are used because they were the colors
of the flag of the Spanish conquistadors led by Francisco
Vasquez de Coronado, who entered Arizona in 1540 (looking
for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola). The
copper-colored star in the middle represents copper mining,
since Arizona produces more copper than any other state in
the USA.
State Bird:
Cactus wren
State Mammal:
Ringtail
State Reptile:
Arizona Ridgenose Rattlesnake
State Amphibian:
Arizona Tree Frog
State Fish:
Arizona Trout
State Insect:
Two-tailed Swallowtail (Papilio multicaudatus)
State Flower:
Saguaro Cactus Blossom
State Tree:
Palo Verde
State Fossil:
Petrified wood
State Gemstone:
Turquoise
State Soil:
Arizona Casa - Grande (unofficial)
State Neckwear: Bolo Tie
State Colors:
Blue and Old Gold
  
Information From 50states.com and EnchantedLearning.com
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