During our first cross country road trip from Atlanta to LA, we planned a few stops in Arizona. Since then, we’ve been back many times. These just happen to be my first set of photographs when I saw the state with my freshest set of eyes.
Before we get into the weird and unbelievable Arizona facts, here are the state symbols. They make interesting photography subjects if you plan on photographing all 50 states.
ARIZONA STATE SYMBOLS
- Capital: Phoenix
- State Nickname: The Grand Canyon State or The Copper State
- Motto: Ditat Deus meaning “God Enriches”
- State Colors: Blue and Gold
- Song: Arizona March Song
- Arizona State Flower: Saguaro Cactus Blossom (it blooms in May and June)
- Tree: Palo Verde
- Bird: Cactus Wren
- Mammal: Ringtail Cat
- Amphibian: Arizona Tree Frog
- Reptile: Arizona Ridge-Nosed Rattlesnake
- Fish: Apache Trout (only found in Arizona)
- Butterfly: Two-tailed Swallowtail
- Fossil: Petrified Wood
- State Gem: Turquoise
- Metal: Copper
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BASIC ARIZONA FACTS
- Abbreviation: AZ
- Region of the US: Southwest
- Industries: Manufacturing, mining, tourism, agriculture
- Key Cities: Phoenix, Tucson, Scottsdale, Mesa, Glendale
- Arizona State Population: ~7 Million in 2018
- Size: It’s the 6th largest state at 113,990 sq mi (295,234 sq km)
- Counties: 15 (Apache, Cochise, Coconino, Gila, Graham, Greenlee, La Paz, Maricopa, Mohave, Navajo, Pima, Pinal, Santa Cruz, Yavapai, Yuma)
- Highest Point: Mount Humphreys (12,633 ft)
- Lowest Point: Colorado River (70 ft)
- It’s the 48th State. Arizona became a state on Feb 14, 1912.
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POPULAR DESTINATIONS IN ARIZONA
- Chiricahua National Monument
- Grand Canyon National Park
- Havasu Falls
- Lake Powell / Rainbow Bridge
- Meteor Crater
- Monument Valley
- Petrified Forest / Painted Desert
- Picacho Peak State Park
- Saguaro National Park
- Salt River Canyon
- Sedona – Oak Creek Canyon
- Sunset Crater
- Superstition Mountains
15 ARIZONA FACTS YOU WON’T BELIEVE
- The original London Bridge was shipped stone-by-stone and reconstructed in Lake Havasu City.
- In this state, it is unlawful to refuse a person a glass of water.
- There are 13 species of rattlesnakes. That’s more than any other state. On average, 150 people are bitten by rattlesnakes each year. Watch out for the most common rattlesnake in the Grand Canyon that is an unusual pink color. It blends in perfectly with the rocks. They also have the gila monster, the only venomous lizard in the US.
- The Saguaro cactus, the largest cactus in the US, only grows in the Arizona Sonoran desert. You can determine the age of the cactus by its height. It takes up to 100 years to grow a single arm.
- Cutting down a saguaro cactus is illegal. If you cut down an endangered cactus, you can face up to 25 years in prison.
- You can also be fined for harassing cottontails or bullfrogs.
- Arizona is the sunniest state in the country. Florida, the sunshine state, comes in at 5th sunniest.
- It’s the only state where you can stand in 4 states at once at the Four Corners Monument.
- The Grand Canyon is older than the dinosaurs.
- Arizona has the largest percentage of land designated as American Indian reservations.
- Tequila as invented here.
- Arizona is the only state in the continental US that does not observe Daylight Savings. Hawaii also doesn’t. The one exception is the Navajo Nation in the northeast corner. Traveling here can be confusing.
- The Chimichanga was invented here.
- It’s illegal to wear suspenders in the town of Nogales.
- Arizona has more mountains than any other mountain state with 3,928 peaks and summits. The mountain states also include Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.
