Wayne Wheelwright - 50 Quick Facts about Arizona

Title Page

50 QUICK FACTS ABOUT ARIZONA

By

Wayne Wheelwright

Publisher Information

50 Quick Facts about Arizona

Published in 2013 by Andrews UK Limited

www.andrewsuk.com

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published, and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Copyright 2013 Wayne Wheelwright

The right of Wayne Wheelwright to be identified as author of this book has been asserted in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyrights Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Facts

1. It is believed the name Arizona originates from its earlier Spanish name of Arizonac which means small spring. In the Oodham language which is the 10 th most popular indigenous language in the united States and Mexico, the area is still known as al sonak. Another suggested origin for the states name is from the Basque phrase for good oak which is haritz ona.
2. Arizona is a landlocked state which is located in the southwest of the United States. Arizona is bordered to the north by the state of Utah, on its east it is bordered by New Mexico, on the west it is bordered by Nevada and its south shares a border with Mexico. The state of Arizona shares a water border with California. Also Arizona is one of the Four Corners states where it meets Colorado.
3. Arizona is the sixth largest state in the country. It has an area of 113,998 square miles. Only a third of a percent of Arizonas total area consists of water which makes is the state with the second lowest water to land ratio behind the state of New Mexico. At its widest point Arizona is 335 miles and at its longest Arizona is 390 miles.
4. Arizona is split into 15 counties. Apache County, Cochise County, Coconino County, Gila County, Graham County, Greenlee County, La Paz County, Maricopa County, Mohave County, Navajo County, Pima County, Pinal County, Santa Cruz County, Yavapai County and Yuma County. Around 65% of the population of the state of Arizona resides in Maricopa County which by population is the fourth largest county in the United States and even has a higher population than 24 of the states.
5. With it being such a large state Arizona experiences a large variety of localised climate conditions. In general Arizona receives very little rainfall and has an arid climate. The mountainous areas in the north of the state tend to have Arizonas cooler temperatures whilst the south in general is warm all through the year. Despite its warm climate and large desert areas snow isnt wholly uncommon in Arizona with snow happening as far south as Nogales.
6. Arizonas has two main rivers. The first is the Colorado River which is 1450 miles long and travels through parts of seven U.S. and two Mexican states. At the lower end of the Grand Canyon the Colorado River widens into Lake Mead which is the largest reservoir in the United States. Lake Mead formed by the Hoover Dam on the border of Arizona and Nevada. The other main river of Arizona is the Gila River which is a 649 mile long tributary of the Colorado River which flows through New Mexico and Arizona.
7. The southwest area of Arizona is covered by the Sonoran Desert. The Sonoran Desert covers parts of California and northwest Mexico as well as Arizona. With an area of 120,000 square miles it is one of the largest deserts in the United States. The largest city in the Sonoran Desert is Phoenix with a population of over 4 million people. With parts of the Sonoran Desert containing the U.S.-Mexicon border it is a popular route for people attempting to gain illegal entry into the United States but with its dangerous conditions and a journey that can take days many attempts end in death.
8. The northwest of Arizona contains the Mojave Desert. The Mojave Desert occupies parts of California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona. The boundaries of the Mojave desert are loosely defined by the presence of Joshua Trees. The Mojave Desert receives less than 13 inches of rain annually and is home to a few Arizona cities including Bullhead City, Kingman and Lake Havasu City.
9. Despite being a landlocked site Arizona does contain islands. Most of these Islands are located in Lake Mead although Lake Roosevelt which is a reservoir formed by the Theodore Roosevelt Dam is also home to some. Roosevelt Lake is named for U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt who himself dedicated the dam in 1911. Some of the islands of Arizona are Antelope island, Plane Crash Island, Heron Point, Rabbit Island, Hog Island and Panick Rock.
10. The highest point in the state of Arizona is Humphreys Peak which has an elevation of 12,637 feet. Humphreys Peak is located within the Kachina peaks Wilderness in the Coconino National Forest. Humphreys Peak is named for General Andrew A. Humphreys who was a Union general during the American Civil War. The summit of Humphreys Peak is most easily reached via the 4.8 mile long Humphreys Trail that begins at the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort.
11. The United States took possession of the majority of Arizona following the Mexican American War in the 1840s with the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. the Tucson area was secured by the American diplomat James Gadsden in 1853 with it being fully ratified in 1854. The Gadsden purchase was the last major acquisition of territory in the contiguous United States.
12. In the mid 19 th century Arizonas population boomed with the California gold rush leading as many as 50,000 miners to travel across the state. During the Civil War citizens were hopeful of takeover by the Confederacy but in March 1962 Union troops captured the Confederate Territory of Arizona and returned it to the New Mexico Territory. In 1863 the united States split up New Mexico creating the Arizona Territory.
13. Following the Civil War large scale ranching came to Arizona. Brought by Texans who introduced their proven ranching methods to the region. Along with ranching however came Texas rustlers which brought a lawlessness to the region. The Territory experienced a cattle boom in the late 19 th century but the drought of 1891-1893 killed over half of the cattle of the region.
14. Arizona earned its reputation as part of the wild west. The mining town of Tombstone in Cochise County was a notable mining town that flourished long after other mining towns started to experience a downturn. Arizona was the venue of the famous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and also the madam Jennie Bauters in the town of Jerome who was major owner of brothels with a keen eye for real estate.
15. The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral occurred on October 26, 1881. In Tombstone, Arizona between the outlaws Billy Claiborne, Ike and Billy Clanton and Tom and Frank McLaury and the opposing town Marshal Virgil Earp, his temporary lawman brother Wyatt Earp, Assistant Town Marshal Morgan Earp and Doc Holliday who had been named a temporary Marshal by Virgil. Of the lawmen only Wyatt Earp emerged from the gunfight unarmed. Despite its world-wide fame and the many movies and TV shows that have dramatised it the fight is believed to have only lasted around 30 seconds.
16. Following World War II the population of Arizona grew very quickly. The population grew from around 700,00 in 1950 to over 5 million in the year 2000. The Phoenix area saw most of this growth followed by Tucson a long way behind. This growth in population decimated the citrus groves of Arizona which were torn down to make way for housing developments. The rising cost of water meant the growth of cotton gradually became less and less profitable and the employment of the state moved towards manufacturing and by 1985 half of the workers of Arizona were working for high technology firms.
17. The state capital and largest city of the state of Arizona is the city of Phoenix. Phoenix is the sixth largest city in the United States by population with it being home to around 1.5 million people. Residents of Phoenix are known as Phoenicians. After its founding in 1861 Phoenix was incorporated as a city in 1881. Phoenix is the county seat of Maricopa County and serves as the anchor of the Phoenix metropolitan area which is also known as the Valley of the Sun.