Portal:Arizona

Portal topics: Activities; Culture; Geography; Health; History; Mathematics; Nature; People; Philosophy; Religion; Society; Technology; Random portal

The Arizona portal

Flag of Arizona

Arizona (/ˌærɪˈzoʊnə/ (listen); Navajo: Hoozdo Hahoodzo Navajo pronunciation: [xòːztò xɑ̀xòːtsò]; O'odham: Alĭ ṣonak Uto-Aztecan pronunciation: [ˡaɺi ˡʂonak]) is a state in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the Western and the Mountain states. It is the sixth largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona shares the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico; its other neighboring states are Nevada and California to the west and the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California to the south and southwest.

Arizona is the 48th state and last of the contiguous states to be admitted to the Union, achieving statehood on February 14, 1912, coinciding with Valentine's Day. Historically part of the territory of Alta California in New Spain, it became part of independent Mexico in 1821. After being defeated in the Mexican–American War, Mexico ceded much of this territory to the United States in 1848. The southernmost portion of the state was acquired in 1853 through the Gadsden Purchase.

Southern Arizona is known for its desert climate, with very hot summers and mild winters. Northern Arizona features forests of pine, Douglas fir, and spruce trees; the Colorado Plateau; mountain ranges (such as the San Francisco Mountains); as well as large, deep canyons, with much more moderate summer temperatures and significant winter snowfalls. There are ski resorts in the areas of Flagstaff, Alpine, and Tucson. In addition to the Grand Canyon National Park, there are several national forests, national parks, and national monuments.

About one-quarter of the state is made up of Indian reservations that serve as the home of 27 federally recognized Native American tribes, including the Navajo Nation, the largest in the state and the United States, with more than 300,000 citizens. Although federal law gave all Native Americans the right to vote in 1924, Arizona excluded those living on reservations in the state from voting until the state Supreme Court ruled in favor of Native American plaintiffs in Trujillo v. Garley (1948). Read more...

View new selections below (purge)

edit

Selected article

The Phoenix Zoo, opened in 1962, is the largest non-profit zoo in the United States. Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the zoo operates on 125 acres (0.51 km²) of land in the Papago Park area of Phoenix. It has been designated as a Phoenix Point of Pride.The zoo has approximately 1,200 animals on display, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) of walking trails, and other attractions. It was founded by Robert Maytag, a member of the famous Maytag family.The Phoenix Zoo began as a personal project of Maytag's, who formed the Arizona Zoological Society with the intention of opening a zoo in Phoenix. Although Maytag died a few months before the opening, the zoo opened on schedule in November of 1962. It was originally named the "Maytag Zoo", but was renamed the following year to its current name to give it a heightened sense of community. The zoo has been a privately owned, non-profit venture since it opened. While the zoo initially has some financial struggles in the 1960s, it grew substantially during the 1970s as it added numerous new exhibits, landscaping features, and visitor amenities.

...More selections/Nominations

Read more...

edit

Selected picture

Credit: Moondigger

Havasu Falls, one of the four waterfalls of the Havasupai Indian Reservation, is located near the village of Supai, Arizona. It is the second of four falls on Havasu Creek, which empties into the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River. The water of Havasu Creek has a bluish green tint due to the heavy lime content of the water. The fall is forked and looks like two falls when the river is flowing heavily.

More selected pictures

Read more...

edit

Did you know...

...that only 6% of Pacific hurricanes make landfall on the United States, and that the state of Arizona is affected by a tropical cyclone only about once every five years?

...that after their success with the Detroit Copper Mining Company of Arizona, William E. Dodge, Jr. and his partners founded the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad?

...that although the epicenter of the 1887 Sonora earthquake was in Mexico, it was the only historical earthquake to cause considerable damage in Arizona?

...that holiday mail seeking a Christmas postmark continued to be sent to Christmas, Arizona, two decades after the town's post office had closed?

... that Arizona Territorial Chief Justice Edmund Francis Dunne was made a count by Pope Leo XIII?

... that Dwight B. Heard is credited with making Arizona's cotton industry more competitive after becoming president of the Arizona Cotton Association?

More did you know entries

edit

WikiProjects

You are invited to participate in WikiProject Arizona, a WikiProject dedicated to developing and improving articles about Arizona.

Parent project

WikiProject United States

Main project

WikiProject Arizona

Related projects

edit

Selected biography

Edward G. Hochuli is an attorney for the firm of Jones, Skelton & Hochuli, P.L.C. since 1983 and better known as an American football official in the National Football League (NFL) since the 1990 NFL season. Prior to his officiating career, he played college football for four seasons at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).Hochuli is regarded as one of the most respected officials in the NFL for working numerous playoff games, two Super Bowls, as well as for his athletic physique and explanations on the football field. Beginning his sixteenth year as referee with the 2007 NFL season, Hochuli's officiating crew consists of Chad Brown, Mark Hittner, Tom Symonette, Tom Sifferman, Don Carlsen, and Scott Helverson.Hochuli was born on December 25, 1950 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but was raised in Tucson, Arizona as a child. During his childhood, he attended and later graduated from Canyon del Oro High School in the Tucson suburb of Oro Valley, Arizona in 1969.During his high school years, he had in interest in sports as he participated in football (earning all-state honors twice), basketball, wrestling, and track.

...More selections/Nominations

Read more...

edit

News

Wikinews Arizona portal

edit

State facts

Nickname: The Grand Canyon State
Capital and largest city: Phoenix
Governor: Doug Ducey (R)
Total area: 295,254 km² (113,998 sq mi)
Population (2009 estimate): 6,595,778
Date admitted to the Union: February 14, 1912
Senators: Kyrsten Sinema (D), Martha McSally (R)
Representatives: Tom O'Halleran (D), Ann Kirkpatrick (D), Raúl Grijalva (D), Paul Gosar (R), Andy Biggs (R), David Schweikert (R), Ruben Gallego (D), Debbie Lesko (R), Greg Stanton (D)