About Arizona

Some fun facts about 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. The saguaro 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.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • The Arizona tree frog is the state official amphibian. The frog is actually between three-quarter to two inches long.
  • The original London Bridge was shipped stone-by-stone and reconstructed in Lake Havasu City.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Arizona, among all the states, has the largest percentage of its land set aside and designated as Indian lands.
  • 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.
  • Tombstone, Ruby, Gillette, and Gunsight are among the ghost towns scattered throughout the state. •