State of Arizona
The “Grand Canyon State”, Arizona, was the 48th
state to join the U.S. on February 14th, 1912.
Making it the last of the contiguous states to join
the Union.
The 13 rays of and gold on the top half of the flag represent both the 13 original colonies of the Union, and the rays of the Western setting sun. Red and gold were also the colors carried by the Coronado’s Spanish expedition in search of the Seven Cities of Cibola in 1540. The bottom half of the flag has the same Liberty blue as the United States flag. Since Arizona was the largest producer of copper in the nation, a copper star was placed in the flag’s center.
The Arizona State Flag was adopted in 1917.
The official state flower is the Saguaro Cactus
Bloom.
The white flower blooms on the tips of the saguaro
cactus during May and June.
The saguaro is the largest of the American cactus.
The official state bird is the Cactus Wren.
The official state tree is the Palo verde.
Its name means stick and it blooms a brilliant
yellow-gold in April or May.
The official state fossil is petrified wood.
Most petrified wood comes from the Petrified Forest
in northeastern Arizona.
The bola tie is the official state neckwear.
The official state gemstone is turquoise.
The blue-green stone has a somewhat waxy surface and
can be found throughout the State.
The official state mammal is the ringtail.
The ringtail is a small fox-like animal about two and
one-half feet long
and is a shy, nocturnal creature.
The official state amphibian is the Arizona tree
frog.
The frog is actually between three-quarter to two
inches long.
The official colors are blue and gold.
The Arizona trout are found only in Arizona.
The Apache trout is considered a threatened species
under the federal Endangered Species Act.
Arizona leads the nation in copper production.
The amount of copper on the roof of the Capital
building is equivalent to 4,800,000 pennies.
The state’s most popular 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 USS Arizona was named in honor of the state.
It was commissioned in 1913 and launched in 1915 from
the Brooklyn Navy Yard.
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 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 day-light savings time change.
World War II brought military personnel to train at
Luke and Thunderbird Fields in Glendale.
In 1926, Arizona was connected with the eastern
states by the Southern Pacific railroad.
Phoenix is the State Capital.
The original London Bridge was shipped stone-by-stone
and reconstructed in Lake Havasu City.
Window Rock is the Capital of the Navajo Reservation.
Mount Humphreys north of Flagstaff is the state’s
highest mountain rising to 12.643 feet.
Fountain Hills has a fountain believed to be the
tallest in the world.
Camels were used at one time to transport goods
across Arizona.
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