History UsefulNotes / Arizona

Geographically, Arizona sits on the Four Corners region, sharing its border with UsefulNotes/{{Colorado}}, UsefulNotes/{{NewMexico}}, and UsefulNotes/{{Utah}}; the state also borders UsefulNotes/{{California}} to the west and UsefulNotes/{{Nevada}} to the northwest. Additionally, Arizona, is also one of four states to share a land border with UsefulNotes/{{Mexico}}, bordering the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California.

* '''Phoenix:''' The capital and principal city of the state. The home court of the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]] Phoenix Suns (now known as the Footprint Center, its ''[[IHaveManyNames sixth name]]'') and the home field of the [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball MLB]] Arizona Diamondbacks (Chase Field[[note]]Although many locals still call it "Bob" after Bank One Ballpark, its original name[[/note]]) are both located downtown. The Sky Harbor International Airport is east-southeast of downtown. With over 1.6 million people, Phoenix is the fifth largest city proper in the United States, the most populous capital city, and the tenth largest metro area. It takes its name from the several hundred miles of canals that had been dug by the Hohokam culture, which disappeared around 400 years before the first Euro-American settlers arrived in the valley; after restarting the canals, the new settlers named their town "Phoenix" as it had "risen from the ashes" of an ancient civilization.

* '''Phoenix:''' The capital and principal city of the state. The home court of the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]] Phoenix Suns (now known as the Footprint Center, its ''[[IHaveManyNames sixth name]]'') and the home field of the [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball MLB]] Arizona Diamondbacks (Chase Field[[note]]Although many locals still call it "Bob" after Bank One Ballpark, its original name[[/note]]) are both located downtown. The Sky Harbor International Airport is east-southeast of downtown. With over 1.6 million people, Phoenix is the fifth largest city proper in the United States, the most populous capital city, and the tenth largest metro area.

* Music/WaylonJennings

Despite its stereotypical image as a big empty desert, Arizona is one of the fastest growing states in the Union. Its capital, Phoenix, is already the fifth-largest city in the United States, the tenth largest metro area, and is the biggest capital overall.[[note]]For folks not from America, it's sort of an American tradition for the state capital to be a dinky small-to-mid-sized city that nobody's ever heard of. Of 50 states, only 14 have capitals that are also the largest city--and of those, there are only eight or nine (Phoenix; UsefulNotes/{{Boston}}, UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}}, UsefulNotes/{{Denver}}, UsefulNotes/{{Indianapolis}}, UsefulNotes/{{Oklahoma|USA}} City, [[UsefulNotes/{{Utah}} Salt Lake City]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Hawaii}} Honolulu]], and arguably [[UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} Columbus]]) that anyone out-of-state has really heard of--and the last one happened by accident (both Cleveland and Cincinnati ''used'' to be larger).[[/note]] The mining industry fuels commercial growth throughout the state, where the predominant mineral extracted is copper, earning the state the nickname "the Copper State". However, as copper has declined, the real economic powerhouse has increasingly become real estate. Arizona is also known as a major state for retirees to move to so they can avoid winters in the Midwest or Northeast of the United States and also the hurricanes and humidity of UsefulNotes/{{Florida}}, and much of Arizona's tourism industry caters to them.

* '''Prescott:''' Former capital of Arizona, this city's downtown is very historic, having some buildings dating from the 19th century. The locals call it"Press-kitt."

* '''Prescott:''' Former capital of Arizona, this city's downtown is very historic, having some buildings dating from the 19th century. The locals call it [[ItIsPronouncedTroPAY "Press-kitt."]]

* '''Gila Bend:''' A town located southwest of Phoenix and east of Yuma.

* '''Phoenix:''' The capital and principal city of the state. The home court of the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]] Phoenix Suns (now known as Phoenix Suns Arena, its ''[[IHaveManyNames fifth name]]'') and the home field of the [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball MLB]] Arizona Diamondbacks (Chase Field[[note]]Although many locals still call it "Bob" after Bank One Ballpark, its original name[[/note]]) are both located downtown. The Sky Harbor International Airport is east-southeast of downtown. With over 1.6 million people, Phoenix is the fifth largest city proper in the United States, the most populous capital city, and the tenth largest metro area.

Despite its stereotypical image as a big empty desert, Arizona is one of the fastest growing states in the Union. Its capital, Phoenix, is already the fifth-largest city in the United States, the tenth largest metro area, and is the biggest capital overall.[[note]]For folks not from America, it's sort of an American tradition for the state capital to be a dinky small-to-mid-sized city that nobody's ever heard of. Of 50 states, only 14 have capitals that are also the largest city--and of those, there are only eight or nine (Phoenix; UsefulNotes/{{Boston}}, UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}}, UsefulNotes/{{Denver}}, UsefulNotes/{{Indianapolis}}, UsefulNotes/{{Oklahoma|USA}} City, [[UsefulNotes/{{Utah}} Salt Lake City]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Hawaii}} Honolulu]], and arguably [[UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} Columbus]]) that anyone out-of-state has really heard of--and the last one happened by accident (both Cleveland and Cincinnati ''used'' to be larger).[[/note]] The mining industry fuels commercial growth throughout the state, where the predominant mineral extracted is copper, earning the state the nickname "the Copper State". However, as copper has declined, the real economic powerhouse has increasingly become real estate. Arizona is also known as a major state for retirees to move to so they can avoid winters in the Midwest or Northeast of the United States, and much of Arizona's tourism industry caters to them.

Despite its stereotypical image as a big empty desert, Arizona is one of the fastest growing states in the Union. Its capital, Phoenix, is already the fifth-largest city in the United States, the tenth largest metro area, and is the biggest capital overall.[[note]]For folks not from America, it's sort of an American tradition for the state capital to be a dinky small-to-mid-sized city that nobody's ever heard of. Of 50 states, only 14 have capitals that are also the largest city--and of those, there are only eight or nine (Phoenix; UsefulNotes/{{Boston}}, UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}}, UsefulNotes/{{Denver}}, UsefulNotes/{{Indianapolis}}, UsefulNotes/{{Oklahoma|USA}} City, [[UsefulNotes/{{Utah}} Salt Lake City]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Hawaii}} Honolulu]], and arguably [[UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} Columbus]]) that anyone out-of-state has really heard of.[[/note]] The mining industry fuels commercial growth throughout the state, where the predominant mineral extracted is copper, earning the state the nickname "the Copper State". However, as copper has declined, the real economic powerhouse has increasingly become real estate. Arizona is also known as a major state for retirees to move to so they can avoid winters in the Midwest or Northeast of the United States, and much of Arizona's tourism industry caters to them.

Despite its stereotypical image as a big empty desert, Arizona is one of the fastest growing states in the Union. Its capital, Phoenix, is already the fifth-largest city in the United States, the tenth largest metro area, and is the biggest capital overall.[[note]]For folks not from America, it's sort of an American tradition for the state capital to be a dinky small-to-mid-sized city that nobody's ever heard of. Of 50 states, only 14 have capitals that are also the largest city--and of those, there are only eight or nine (Phoenix; UsefulNotes/{{Boston}}, UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}}, UsefulNotes/{{Denver}}, UsefulNotes/{{Indianapolis}}, UsefulNotes/{{Oklahoma|USA}} City, [[UsefulNotes/{{Utah}} Salt Lake City]], [[UsefulNotes/{{Hawaii}} Honolulu]], and arguably [[UsefulNotes/Ohio Columbus]]) that anyone out-of-state has really heard of.[[/note]] The mining industry fuels commercial growth throughout the state, where the predominant mineral extracted is copper, earning the state the nickname "the Copper State". However, as copper has declined, the real economic powerhouse has increasingly become real estate. Arizona is also known as a major state for retirees to move to so they can avoid winters in the Midwest or Northeast of the United States, and much of Arizona's tourism industry caters to them.

Despite its stereotypical image as a big empty desert, Arizona is one of the fastest growing states in the Union. Its capital, Phoenix, is already the fifth-largest city in the United States, the tenth largest metro area, and is the biggest capital overall.[[note]]For folks not from America, it's sort of an American tradition for the state capital to be a dinky small-to-mid-sized city that nobody's ever heard of. Of 50 states, only 14 have capitals that are also the largest city--and of those, there are only eight (Phoenix; UsefulNotes/{{Boston}}, UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}}, UsefulNotes/{{Denver}}, UsefulNotes/{{Indianapolis}}, UsefulNotes/{{Oklahoma|USA}} City, [[UsefulNotes/{{Utah}} Salt Lake City]], and [[UsefulNotes/{{Hawaii}} Honolulu]]) that anyone out-of-state has really heard of.[[/note]] The mining industry fuels commercial growth throughout the state, where the predominant mineral extracted is copper, earning the state the nickname "the Copper State". However, as copper has declined, the real economic powerhouse has increasingly become real estate. Arizona is also known as a major state for retirees to move to so they can avoid winters in the Midwest or Northeast of the United States, and much of Arizona's tourism industry caters to them.

* [[Creator/ChelseaStaub Chelsea Kane]]

* '''Flagstaff:''' Largest city in northern Arizona. Known both for its many days of sunshine and its many days of snow, thanks mainly to its elevation of over 6,900 feet (2,100 m), lifting it above the desert climate that prevails in the region. The location of Northern Arizona University. Route 66 crosses the city. For some reason it doesn't have the state hockey team.[[note]]OK, it's ''much'' smaller than Phoenix. Flagstaff itself has only about 70,000 people, and its home of Coconino County has about 140K. Phoenix proper has over 1.6 million, and Maricopa County has over 4 million.[[/note]] Home of the historic and classic Hollywood favorite Hotel Monte Vista.

* '''Kingman:''' County seat of the northwestern Mohave County. Also had Route 66.

* '''Seligman:''' A town located at what is called the heart of Route 66 used as a reference for Radiator Springs from the ''{{WesternAnimation/Cars}}'' films.

* '''Winslow:''' Another one of the Route 66 towns, it has a majestic railroad station hotel (plus fame from Music/TheEagles' song "Take it Easy"). Gateway to Meteor Crater, its most famous attraction.

* '''Payson:''' This town is close to the geographical center of Arizona and the Mogollon Rim, hence the use of "Rim Country" in some businesses.
* '''Prescott:''' Former capital of Arizona, this city's downtown is very historic, having some buildings dating from the 19th century. Creator/AlanDeanFoster lives here. The locals call it [[ItIsPronouncedTroPAY "Press-kitt."]]

* '''Tempe:''' Home of Arizona State University's primary campus, as well as US Airways, [=McFarlane=] Toys, and the aforementioned university's Sun Devils sports teams.[[note]]Its football stadium, Sun Devil Stadium, was also home of the Arizona Cardinals for 18 seasons before they built their own in Glendale. It also hosted the UsefulNotes/SuperBowl in 1996, and Pope John Paul II held mass there in 1987, though he asked that all devil references be obscured before he entered the building, meaning it was "Sun Stadium" for a day.[[/note]] Birthplace of the nationwide ice cream chain Cold Stone Creamery. Acknowledged as one of the central axes of the Valley's music scene and politically the farthest-left of any city in the Phoenix area.

* '''Yuma:''' A small city along the Colorado River near the state's southwest corner. Mostly sunny all year as well. There is an agriculture industry that produces winter vegetables for the U.S., but it couldn't save the city from one of the highest rates of metro unemployment in the country.

* '''Douglas:''' A town that's also located close to the southeast corner. Situated next to the Mexican border, it was used to be a smelting town with ore from Bisbee. One of the state's most famous hotels, the Gadsden Hotel, is in Douglas.

* '''Tombstone:''' Town that's best known for the quick gunfight in 1881 when Film/WyattEarp and lawmen fought several outlaws at the O.K. Corral.

* '''Bullhead City:''' Located by the Colorado River, this small city hosts the annual River Regatta event, and is across the river from the casino strip of Laughlin, Nevada.
* '''Lake Havasu City:''' City in western Arizona on the Colorado River. Best known for the Lake Havasu boating scene, and the London Bridge, which was transported piece-by-piece from UsefulNotes/{{London}}.
* '''Parker:''' A town on the Colorado River. Home of one of the deepest dams in the world, which is front of Lake Havasu. No one is sure to pick who is the namesake of the town, since there's either Ely Parker, first Native American commissioner for the nation's government, or Earl Parker, a railroad surveyor and engineer.
* '''Poston:''' A tiny town 15 miles south of Parker, known for having one of the largest Japanese American internment camps that operated during World War 2.
* '''Quartzsite:''' A town along Interstate 10 notable for having a huge number of winter residents between November and Spring in every year. These residents are usually from the northern states or Canada. This period is when Quartzsite hosts flea markets and gem shows from its winter residents.
* '''San Luis:''' The town containing a border entrance to Mexico from the Yuma Valley, and the most geographically southwest community of the state.
* '''Yuma:''' A small city along the Colorado River near the state's southwest corner. Mostly sunny all year as well. There is an agriculture industry that produces winter vegetables for the U.S., but it couldn't save the city from one of the highest rates of metro unemployment in the country, unfortunately.

* '''Tucson:''' Largest city in southern Arizona and the oldest incorporated city in the state, which is 100 miles southeast of Phoenix. Home to the University of Arizona's campus. It has a aircraft boneyard in the Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, and many companies that develop optics here. A bit more left in politics than the Phoenix area.

* '''Bisbee:''' A town located near the southeast corner of the state. It has well preserved mining scenes from the past, and is built largely on the walls of a canyon, making for many winding roads and a ''lot'' of stairs. Come for the scenic vistas, stay for the cardio.

* '''Eagar:''' A smallish town, but still the largest in Apache County (though not the county seat). Notable for a few historic sites, including a ranch once owned and often visited by Creator/JohnWayne; being the closest town of any real size to the state's largest ski area, Sunrise Park; and for its domed ''high school football'' stadium.[[labelnote:*]]The dome also hosts said school's basketball teams. The local school district chose to build a dome because of the town's very snowy winters; Eagar sits at a bit over 7,000 feet.[[/labelnote]]

* '''Snowflake:''' One of the few remaining towns that has a logging business in the state. The town's paper mill shut down in 2012, causing a potential economic decline in the town and its railroad, the Apache Railway.

Arizona, the 48th and last state admitted in the contiguous UsefulNotes/UnitedStates, celebrated its centennial in 2012. It's best known for having the Grand Canyon, the Saguaro cactus and the Sonoran desert, and plenty of other noteworthy attractions. And for being really hot. Really, really, ''really'' hot. The Grand Canyon state offers unique interesting subjects seen nowhere else in the United States or the rest of the Earth.

First, let's start off by explaining the significance of this state. Arizona, given its stereotypical desert image, may not for some be very fascinating like the neighboring state of UsefulNotes/{{California}}. But Arizona is not a place with nothing at all. Its capital, Phoenix, is already the fifth-largest city in the United States, and it's the biggest capital overall.[[note]]For folks not from America, it's sort of an American tradition for the state capital to be a dinky small-to-mid-sized city that nobody's ever heard of. Of 50 states, only 14 have capitals that are also the largest city--and of those, there are only eight (Phoenix, Arizona; UsefulNotes/{{Boston}}, Massachusetts; UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}}, Georgia; UsefulNotes/{{Denver}}, Colorado; UsefulNotes/{{Indianapolis}}, Indiana; Oklahoma City, UsefulNotes/{{Oklahoma|USA}}; Salt Lake City, UsefulNotes/{{Utah}}; and Honolulu, UsefulNotes/{{Hawaii}}) that anyone out-of-state has really heard of.[[/note]] The mining industry fuels commercial growth throughout the state, where the predominant mineral extracted is copper, earning the state the nickname "the Copper state". Although as copper has declined, the real economic powerhouse has increasingly become real estate. Arizona is also known as a major state for retirees to move to so they can avoid winters in the Midwest or Northeast of the United States and much of Arizona's tourism industry caters to them.

Speaking of the natural features, the Grand Canyon is among the biggest canyons in the world, being 277 miles long and up to 18 miles wide.

Also of note, the state of Arizona has had one ship of the United States Navy named in its honor, the battleship USS ''Arizona'' ([=BB-39=]). If you've ever seen footage of the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor]], you have [[StockFootage likely seen footage]] of the ''Arizona's'' forward magazine exploding, resulting in the loss of the ship and 1,177 of her crew. The ship itself has a ''Series/GreysAnatomy'' [[Characters/GreysAnatomy character]] (Dr. Arizona Robbins) named for her.

And so here are some towns and cities:

* '''Colorado City (formerly Short Creek):''' On the Utah border and north of the Grand Canyon, synonymous with the fundamentalist/polygamist Mormon sects there. Where the Warren Jeffs clan was based before the move to Texas. Also in 1953 the Governor set a armed raid to break up the polygamists but ended up in a PR disaster.
* '''Flagstaff:''' Largest city in northern Arizona. Best known as one of the cities in the country with the most days of sunshine, despite not being in a desert. Also known as one of the country's snowiest cities, thanks mainly to its elevation of over 6,900 feet (2,100 m), lifting it above the desert climate that prevails in the region. The location of Northern Arizona University. Route 66 crosses the city. For some reason it doesn't have the state hockey team.[[note]]OK, it's ''much'' smaller than Phoenix. Flagstaff itself has only about 70,000 people, and its home of Coconino County has about 140K. Phoenix proper has over 1.6 million, and Maricopa County has over 4 million.[[/note]] Does have the historic and classic Hollywood favorite Hotel Monte Vista.

* '''Kingman:''' County seat of Mohave County, which is the county in the northwestern section of Arizona. Also had Route 66.

* '''Seligman:''' A town located at what is called the heart of Route 66. Has been used as a reference for Radiator Springs from the {{WesternAnimation/Cars}} films.

* '''Winslow:''' Another one of the Route 66 towns, it has a majestic railroad station hotel, and fame from Music/TheEagles' song "Take it Easy". Gateway to Meteor Crater, its most famous attraction.

* '''Prescott:''' Former capital of Arizona, this city's downtown is very historical, having some buildings dating from the 19th century. Creator/AlanDeanFoster lives here. The locals call it [[ItIsPronouncedTroPAY "Press-kitt."]]

* '''Wickenburg:''' A large town which touts itself as the Dude Ranch capital of the world. Still strives today as an Old West themed town.

There's a reason this area of the state is called the Valley of the Sun: It experiences most of the high temperatures in the state, particularly during summer (the highest temperature ever recorded in Phoenix was something like ''128º Fahrenheit'' --just over 53° Celsius). Contrary to time-worn assertions of out-of-state retirees who come to avoid harsh winters that "at least it's a ''dry'' heat", Phoenix and its surrounding cities usually experience a few weeks of humidity during the annual monsoon season.

* '''Phoenix:''' The capital and principal city of the state. The home court of the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]] Phoenix Suns (now known as Phoenix Suns Arena, its ''[[IHaveManyNames fifth name]]'') and the home field of the [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball MLB]] Arizona Diamondbacks (Chase Field[[note]]Although many locals still call it "Bob" after Bank One Ballpark, its original name[[/note]]) are both located downtown. The Sky Harbor International Airport is east-southeast of downtown. With over 1.6 million people, Phoenix is the fifth largest city proper in the United States, having passed Philadelphia. It is the most populous capital city in the United States, and is currently the only capital with over 1 million people, though Austin will likely pass 1 million residents before long.

* '''Buckeye:''' Westernmost city in the Phoenix metropolitan area, which currently sees the fastest growth rates in the area. Upton Sinclair of ''Literature/TheJungle'' fame lived here in one of his last years.

* '''Glendale:''' The city that's currently home to the [[UsefulNotes/NationalFootballLeague NFL]] Cardinals and [[UsefulNotes/NationalHockeyLeague NHL]] Coyotes. The Cardinals' stadium hosted the 2015 UsefulNotes/SuperBowl, 2016 [[UsefulNotes/CollegiateAmericanFootball College Football Playoff National Championship]], and 2017 UsefulNotes/{{NCAA}} men's Final Four (UsefulNotes/{{basketball}}). Don't ask why a desert city has a hockey team.

* '''Maricopa:''' The southernmost city in the area, about fifteen miles away from the "body" of the metro area. Sometimes known for having the only UsefulNotes/{{Amtrak}} station in the area. To the east for several miles is the site of a former Japanese American internment camp.
* '''Mesa:''' Founded by [[UsefulNotes/{{Mormonism}} Latter-Day Saints]] in the 19th century, this city contains most of the Valley's LDS population, including a Mormon temple (renowned for its outdoor Easter pageant and its Christmas-season display of lights). It's famous for serving as the spring-training base of both the Chicago Cubs and the Oakland Athletics. Has its own small but vibrant music scene (thanks largely to being Tempe's next-door neighbor), having produced two nationally known bands in recent years, Music/JimmyEatWorld and Music/AuthorityZero.
* '''Paradise Valley:''' A small community located in rocky hill territory between Phoenix and Scottsdale. Site of some of the most envied views and expensive real estate in the Valley (most of the famous people with homes in the Valley live here, making it a sort of Beverly Hills of Arizona), and home to no less than ''eight'' resort hotels.

* '''Surprise:''' A city in the northwest corner of the Phoenix area. It's a winter training place for two Major League Baseball teams.
* '''Tempe:''' Home of Arizona State University's primary campus, as well as US Airways, [=McFarlane=] Toys, and the aforementioned university's Sun Devils sports teams.[[note]]Its football stadium, Sun Devil Stadium, was also home of the Arizona Cardinals for 18 seasons before they built their own in Glendale. It also hosted the UsefulNotes/SuperBowl in 1996, and Pope John Paul II held mass there in 1987, though he asked that all devil references be obscured before he entered the building, meaning it was "Sun Stadium" for a day.[[/note]] Birthplace of the nationwide ice cream chain Cold Stone Creamery. Acknowledged as one of the central axes of the Valley's music scene, and politically the farthest-left of any city in the Phoenix area.

* '''Eagar:''' A smallish town, but still the largest in Apache County (though not the county seat). Notable for a few historic sites, including a ranch once owned and often visited by Creator/JohnWayne; being the closest town of any real size to the state's largest ski area, Sunrise Park; and for its domed ''high school football'' stadium.[[labelnote:*]]The dome also hosts said school's basketball teams. The local school district chose to build a dome because of the town's very snowy winters; Eagar sits at a bit over 7,000 feet.[[/labelnote]]

* HeatWave: To reiterate once more, it gets '''''really''''' hot in the summer, with triple-digit (or close to) temperatures being a daily thing from late spring to early autumn.

* ThirstyDesert: The state's not named the "Arid Zone" for nothing. Unlike other deserts like the Sahara, there are no sand dunes, but there's a large amount of volcanic rock formations. The Greater Phoenix Area (located in the aptly named Valley of the Sun) and everything south of it is mostly rocky, dry, and arid. Subverted in some parts of the North and the East, where pine forests dominate. The Mogollon Rim and San Francisco Peaks can even have snow on them.

* '''Flagstaff:''' Largest city in northern Arizona. Best known as one of the cities in the country with the most days of sunshine, despite not being in a desert. Also known as one of the country's snowiest cities, thanks mainly to its elevation of over 6,900 feet (2,100 m), lifting it above the desert climate that prevails in the region. The location of Northern Arizona University. Route 66 crosses the city. For some reason it doesn't have the state hockey team.[[note]]OK, it's much smaller than Phoenix. Flagstaff itself has only about 70,000 people, and its home of Coconino County has about 140K. Phoenix proper has over 1.5 million, and Maricopa County has over 4 million.[[/note]] Does have the historic and classic Hollywood favorite Hotel Monte Vista.

* '''Phoenix:''' The capital and principle city of the state. The home court of the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]] Phoenix Suns (Talking Stick Resort Arena) and the home field of the [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball MLB]] Arizona Diamondbacks (Chase Field[[note]]Although many locals still call it "Bob" after Bank One Ballpark, its original name[[/note]]) are both located downtown. The Sky Harbor International Airport is east-southeast of downtown. With over 1.6 million people, Phoenix is the fifth largest city proper in the United States, having passed Philadelphia. It is the most populous capital city in the United States, and is currently the only capital with over 1 million people, though Austin will likely pass 1 million residents before long.

* '''Sierra Vista:''' Another town in the southeast corner of the state and one of the largest there, it primarily serves Fort Huachuca to the northwest, and thus combined with its proximity to the border is largely populated by military families, border patrol agents and their families, and [[TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers retirees]]. Also a popular bird-watching destination, bearing the nickname "the Hummingbird Capital of the United States."
* '''Tombstone:''' Town that's best known for the quick gunfight in 1881 when WyattEarp and lawmen fought several outlaws at the O.K. Corral.

* Creator/PaulMcCartney and his first wife, Linda owned a 150-acre ranch near Tucson and spent a great deal of time there with their children. Linda died in Tucson in 1998. Paul remains the owner of the ranch.

* '''Phoenix:''' The capital and principle city of the state. The home court of the [[UsefulNotes/NationalBasketballAssociation NBA]] Phoenix Suns (Talking Stick Resort Arena) and the home field of the [[UsefulNotes/MajorLeagueBaseball MLB]] Arizona Diamondbacks (Chase Field[[note]]Although many locals still call it "Bob" after Bank One Ballpark, its original name[[/note]]) are both located downtown. The Sky Harbor International Airport is east-southeast of downtown.

* '''Tempe:''' Home of Arizona State University's primary campus, as well as US Airways, [=McFarlane=] Toys, and the aforementioned university's Sun Devils sports teams.[[note]]Its football stadium, Sun Devil Stadium, was also home of the Arizona Cardinals for 18 seasons before they built their own in Glendale. It also hosted the Super Bowl in 1996, and Pope John Paul II held mass there in 1987, though he asked that all devil references be obscured before he entered the building, meaning it was "Sun Stadium" for a day.[[/note]] Birthplace of the nationwide ice cream chain Cold Stone Creamery. Acknowledged as one of the central axes of the Valley's music scene, and politically the farthest-left of any city in the Phoenix area.

* '''Tempe:''' Home of Arizona State University's primary campus, as well as US Airways and the aforementioned university's Sun Devils sports teams.[[note]]Its football stadium, Sun Devil Stadium, was also home of the Arizona Cardinals for 18 seasons before they built their own in Glendale. It also hosted the Super Bowl in 1996, and Pope John Paul II held mass there in 1987, though he asked that all devil references be obscured before he entered the building, meaning it was "Sun Stadium" for a day.[[/note]] Birthplace of the nationwide ice cream chain Cold Stone Creamery. Acknowledged as one of the central axes of the Valley's music scene, and politically the farthest-left of any city in the Phoenix area.

-->--''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill''

->'''Bobby:''' 111 degrees?! Phoenix really can't be that hot, can it? *steps outside the truck* Oh my God, it's like standing on the sun!

First, let's start off by explaining the significance of this state. Arizona, given its stereotypical desert image, may not for some be very fascinating like the neighboring state of UsefulNotes/{{California}}. But Arizona is not a place with nothing at all. Its capital, Phoenix, is already the fifth-largest city in the United States, and it's the biggest capital overall.[[note]]For folks not from America, it's sort of an American tradition for the state capital to be a dinky small-to-mid-sized city that nobody's ever heard of. Of 50 states, only 14 have capitals that are also the largest city--and of those, there are only eight (Phoenix, Arizona; UsefulNotes/{{Boston}}, Massachusetts; UsefulNotes/{{Atlanta}}, Georgia; UsefulNotes/{{Denver}}, Colorado; UsefulNotes/{{Indianapolis}}, Indiana; Oklahoma City, UsefulNotes/{{Oklahoma}}; Salt Lake City, UsefulNotes/{{Utah}}; and Honolulu, UsefulNotes/{{Hawaii}}) that anyone out-of-state has really heard of.[[/note]] The mining industry fuels commercial growth throughout the state, where the predominant mineral extracted is copper, earning the state the nickname "the Copper state". Although as copper has declined, the real economic powerhouse has increasingly become real estate. Arizona is also known as a major state for retirees to move to so they can avoid winters in the Midwest or Northeast of the United States and much of Arizona's tourism industry caters to them.

* Creator/AdamDevine

Also of note, the state of Arizona has had one ship of the United States Navy named in its honor, the battleship USS ''Arizona'' ([=BB-39=]). If you've ever seen footage of the [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor]], you have [[StockFootage likely seen footage]] of the ''Arizona's'' forward magazine exploding, resulting in the loss of the ship and 1,177 of her crew. The ship itself has a ''Series/GreysAnatomy'' [[Characters/GreysAnatomy character]] (Dr Arizona Robbins) named for her.

* ItsAlwaysSpring: Winters are fairly mild in the state, although the northern parts can get a decent amount of snow. However, there are sometimes cold spells as south as Tucson, assisted by wind chill. There has also been some cases of frost and fog in the early morning. Averted when it gets hotter, in which case it gets far too hot to be considered Spring.
* NativeAmericanCasino: Likely to be run by the Navajo or Pasqua Yaqui tribes. The most notable is the Gila River Casino chain.
* {{Profiling}}: The state has had a controversial history of this regarding Mexican immigrants, especially under the notoriously hardline Sheriff Joe Arpaio. As it is a border state, the issues of immigration is prevalent.

* ThirstyDesert: The state's not named the "Arid Zone" for nothing. Unlike deserts like the Sahara, there are no sand dunes, but there’s a large amount of volcanic rock formations. The Greater Phoenix Area (located in the aptly names Valley of the Sun) and everything south of it is mostly rocky, dry, and arid. Subverted in some parts of the North and the East, where pine forests dominate. The Mogollon Rim and San Fransisco Peaks can even have snow on them.

* AllDesertsHaveCacti: The trope likely comes from here, as Arizona is home to most cactus species, particularly the iconic saguaro.

* GhostTown: The state has many of these dotted around the landscape, mainly old communities in the Wild West days.

* ItsAlwaysSpring: Winters are fairly mild in the state, although the northern parts can get a decent amount of snow.
* NativeAmericanCasino: Likely to be run by the Navajo or Pasqua Yaqui tribes.
* {{Profiling}}: The state has had a controversial history of this regarding Mexican immigrants, especially under the notoriously hardline Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

* ThirstyDesert: The state's not named the "Arid Zone" for nothing.