Arizona Facts and Trivia

Things Arizona is famous for:

  • Arizona is home of the Grand Canyon National Park.
  • A person from Arizona is called an Arizonan. Find out the interesting facts about the famous people born in Arizona
  • The Arizona trout is found only in the Arizona.
  • 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 Arizona tree frog is the state official amphibian. The frog is actually between three-quarter to two inches long.
  • 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.

Fun Facts about Arizona State’s Geography

  • Arizona map outline
  • City Guide: Visit Arizona City Guide for a look at geography, local history, architecture, and culture.
  • The geographic center of Arizona is 55 miles (89 kilometers) southeast of Prescott.
  • Arizona’s most abundant mineral is copper.
  • 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.
  • Camelback Mountain as part of Rocky Mountain Range (among others) exist in the state of Arizona

Arizona State Symbols Trivia

  • On Feb. 14, 1912, Arizona officially became a state of The United States.
  • The saguaro cactus blossom is the official state flower. The white flower blooms on the tips of the saguaro cactus during May and June. The saguaro is the largest American cactus.
  • Arizona leads the nation in copper production.
  • The official song of the state of Arizona is called ‘Arizona’
  • Yellow Palo Verde is the official state tree of Arizona
  • The bola tie is the official state neckwear.
  • The official state motto of Arizona is ‘Ditat Deus’ which translates to ‘God enriches’
  • 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.
  • “The Great Seal of the State of Arizona” was designed by E.E Motter. The outer circle of the seal mentions the title and the date on which Arizona became a state in 1912.
  • Turquoise is the official state gemstone. The blue-green stone has a somewhat waxy surface and can be found throughout the state.
  • The official US state flag of Arizona was officially adopted on February 27, 1917
  • Arizona’s official nickname is “The Grand Canyon State.” It celebrates its most famous natural feature, the Grand Canyon.

Historical Facts about the State of Arizona

  • 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.
  • Arizona quarter was issued on June 2, 2008.
  • AZ is the Two-letter or Postal Abbreviation and Ariz. is the Traditional or Standard Abbreviation for the State of Arizona.
  • Petrified wood is the official state fossil. Most petrified wood comes from the Petrified Forest in northeastern Arizona.
  • 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.
  • Just as a cactus is gorgeous to look at but painful to touch and possibly poisonous, Organ Pipe Cactus monument also has two sides to it – “a paradise for the tourists but a death trap for migrants”.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.