Have you thought about buying property in Arizona? Here are 10 Fun Facts that might convince you that Arizona is the place for you.
1. In 1968 Robert P. McCulloch Sr. purchased the original London Bridge after it had been replaced in its home city. The bridge was dismantled into 10,246 stone blocks, which were shipped to Arizona and re-assembled in Lake Havasu City. The bridge opened in 1971.
2. Arizona leads the nation in copper production. More copper is mined in Arizona than all other states combined, and the Morenci Mine in Greenlee County is the largest copper producer in North America. The Arizona State Capitol building has copper on its roof equal to 4.8 million pennies.
3. The Saguaro cactus, found all across the Sonoran Desert in southern Arizona, is the largest cactus in the United States. It can grow as high as a five-story building and its arms can take 5 to 10 years to grow to their full size. The cactus blooms in May and June, with white flowers opening in the middle of the night and closing the next day. The Saguaro cactus blossom is the official state flower of Arizona.
4. Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time all year round; the state does not observe daylight savings time. The only exception to this is the Navajo Nation, located in the Northeast corner of the state, which does honor the daylight savings time change.
5. The longest remaining intact section of Route 66 can be found in Arizona. It runs from Seligman to Topock, about 157 unbroken miles. There are a number of tourist stops along the old 2-lane highway, including the Quality Inn in Kingman which is dedicated to Route 66 and has more memorabilia that the Route 66 Hall of Fame in Illinois.
6. Arizona was the last of the contiguous states to join the Union. It became the 48th state on February 14, 1912. Because of this, one of Arizona’s nicknames is “The Valentine State.” President Taft was ready to sign Arizona into statehood on February 12th, but he delayed because it was Abraham Lincoln’s birthday. The 13th was considered unlucky, so he waited until the following day.
7. Although many people think of desert when they picture Arizona, there are 11.2 million acres of National Forest in the state, and about one-fourth of the state is forested. The largest forest in Arizona is made up of Ponderosa Pine.
8. Tombstone, Arizona is home to the largest flowering rose bush in the world. It spreads over 8,000 square feet and its trunk is about 12 feet around. The bush was planted in 1885 and is located on a property which is now a museum, a few blocks from the OK Corral.
9. Arizona is a land of extreme contrasts. Elevation in Arizona ranges from 70 feet on the Colorado River to over 12,000 feet on Humphrey’s Peak, Arizona’s tallest mountain. The hottest day in Arizona reached 128 degrees, recorded in Lake Havasu City on June 29, 1994. The coldest day in Arizona was -40 degrees, recorded in Hawley Lake on January 7, 1971.
10. Arizona’s Monument Valley has been featured in more than 30 movies and TV shows. Some famous titles include Stagecoach, 2001: a Space Odyssey, Once Upon a Time in the West, Forrest Gump, and Mission Impossible II. Monument Valley is also the inspiration for most of the scenery in the Coyote and Road Runner cartoons.
Now that you have a better feel for Arizona, head over to our Arizona State page and pick up your very own piece of the The Grand Canyon State