Arizona

Arizona Portal

This article is about the U.S. State. For other uses, see Arizona (disambiguation).

State of Arizona
Flag of Arizona Seal Nickname(s): The Grand Canyon State, The Copper State Motto(s): Ditat Deus
Official language(s)	English
Spoken language(s)	English 74.1%, Spanish 19.5%, Navajo 1.9%
Demonym	Arizonan
Capital	Phoenix
Largest city	Phoenix
Largest metro area	Phoenix Metropolitan Area
Area	Ranked 6th in the US
- Total	113,998 sq mi (295,254 km²)
- Width	310 miles (500 km)
- Length	400 miles (645 km)
- % water	0.32
- Latitude	31° 20′ N to 37° N
- Longitude	109° 3′ W to 114° 49′ W
Population	Ranked 16th in the US
- Total	6,338,755
- Density	45.2/sq mi  17.43/km² (36th in the US)
Elevation
- Highest point	Humphreys PeakElevations and Distances in the United States. U.S Geological Survey (29 April 2005). Retrieved on November 3, 2006. 12,633 ft  (3,851 m)
- Mean	4,100 ft  (1,250 m)
- Lowest point	Colorado River 70 ft  (22 m)
Admission to Union	February 14, 1912 (48th)
Governor	Janet Napolitano (D)
Lieutenant Governor	NoneIn the event of a vacancy in the office of Governor, the Secretary of State is first in line for succession.
U.S. Senators	John McCain (R) Jon Kyl (R)
Congressional Delegation	List
Time zones
- Most of State	Mountain: UTC-7/
- Navajo Nation	Mountain: UTC-7/-6
Abbreviations	AZ US-AZ
Website	www.az.gov

Arizona State Symbols

Living Symbols
-Animal	Ringtail Cat
-Bird	Cactus Wren
-Butterfly	Two-Tailed Swallowtail
-Fish	Apache Trout
-Flower	Saguaro Blossom
-Furbearer	Ringtail Cat
-Grass	None
-Insect	Two-Tailed Swallowtail
-Reptile	Ridgenose Rattlesnake
-Tree	Palo verde
-Wildflower	None
Beverage	None
Capital	Phoenix
Colors	Blue, Old Gold
Dance	Unknown
Fossil	Petrified wood
Gemstone	Turquoise
Mineral	Fire Agate
Motto	Ditat Deus (God Enriches)
Musical Instrument	Guitar
Neckwear	Bolo Tie
Nickname	Grand Canyon State
Rock	Petrified wood
Game	Unknown
Ship(s)	(3) Navy ships named USS Arizona
Song	"Arizona March Song" "Arizona"
Soil	Arizona Casa-Grande
Tartan	None
Waltz	none

The State of Arizona (IPA: /ˌærɪˈzoʊnə/) is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States of America. The capital and largest city is Phoenix. The four next largest cities are Tucson, Flagstaff, Mesa and Glendale. Arizona was the 48th and last of the contiguous states admitted to the Union on February 14, 1912.Arizona Arizona is noted for its desert climate, exceptionally hot summers and mild winters, but the high country in the north features pine forests and mountain ranges with cooler weather than the lower deserts. New population figures for the year ending July 1, 2006, indicate that Arizona is the fastest growing state in the United States, exceeding the growth of the previous leader, Nevada.

Arizona is one of the Four Corners states. It borders New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California, touches Colorado, and has a 389 mi (626 km) international border with the states of Sonora and Baja California in Mexico. In addition to the Grand Canyon, many other national forests, parks, monuments, and Indian reservations are located in the state.

Contents 1 Geography 1.1 Climate 2 History 3 Demographics 3.1 Religion 4 Economy 4.1 Employment 4.2 Taxation 5 Transportation 5.1 Highways 5.2 Public transportation and intercity bus 5.3 Aviation 6 Law and government 6.1 Capitol complex 6.2 State legislature 6.3 State executive branch 6.4 Federal representation 6.5 Political culture 7 Important cities and towns 8 Education 8.1 Elementary and secondary education 8.2 Colleges and universities 8.2.1 Public colleges and universities 8.2.2 Private four-year colleges and universities (non-profit) 8.2.3 Professional Schools, Trade Schools, and For-Profit Private Colleges 8.2.4 Public two-year colleges 9 Professional sports teams 9.1 Spring training 10 Miscellaneous topics 10.1 Art and pop culture 10.2 Notable people 11 See also 12 References 13 Further reading 14 External links 14.1 Official State Government website 14.2 Other references 14.3 Tourism information

Geography

See also lists of counties, rivers, lakes, state parks, National Parks and National Forests.

Arizona is located in the Western United States as one of the Four Corners states. Arizona is the sixth largest state in area, after New Mexico and before Nevada. Of the state\'s 118,000 square miles (306,000 km²), approximately 15% is privately owned. The remaining area is public forest and park land, recreation areas and Native American reservations.

Arizona is best known for its desert landscape, which is rich in xerophyte plants such as cactus. It is also known for its climate, which presents exceptionally hot summers and mild winters. Less well known is the pine-covered high country of the Colorado Plateau in the north-central portion of the state, which contrasts with the desert Basin and Range region in the southern portions of the state.

Like other states of the Southwest, Arizona has an abundance of topographical characteristics in addition to its desert climate. More than half of the state features mountains and plateaus and contains the largest stand of Ponderosa pine in the world.^{[citation needed]} The Mogollon Rim, a 2000-foot (600 m) escarpment, cuts across the central section of the state and marks the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau, where the state experienced its worst forest fire ever in 2002. Arizona belongs firmly within the Basin and Range region of North America. The region was shaped by prehistoric volcanism, followed by a cooling-off and related subsidence. The entire region is slowly sinking.

The Grand Canyon is a colorful, steep-sided gorge, carved by the Colorado River, in northern Arizona. The canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world and is largely contained in the Grand Canyon National Park—one of the first national parks in the United States. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of designating the Grand Canyon area, visiting on numerous occasions to hunt mountain lion and enjoy the scenery.

The Canyon was created by the Colorado River cutting a channel over millions of years, and is about 277 miles (446 km) long, ranges in width from 4 to 18 miles (6 to 29 kilometers) and attains a depth of more than 1 mile (1.6 km). Nearly 2 billion years of the Earth\'s history has been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut through layer after layer of sediment as the Colorado Plateaus have uplifted.

Arizona is home to one of the largest and most well-preserved meteorite impact sites in the world. The Barringer Meteorite Crater (better known simply as "Meteor Crater") is a gigantic hole in the middle of the high plains of the Colorado Plateau, about 25 miles (40 km) west of Winslow. A rim of smashed and jumbled boulders, some of them the size of small houses, rises 150 feet (46 m) above the level of the surrounding plain. The crater itself is nearly a mile wide, and 570 feet (174 m) deep.

Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time, except in the Navajo Nation, located in the northeastern region of the state.

Climate

A view of an Arizona sunset looking over a lake.

Horsethief Lake near Crown King, Arizona.

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Due to its large area and variations in elevation, the state has a wide variety of localized climate conditions. In the lower elevations, the climate is primarily desert, with mild winters and hot summers. Typically, from late fall to early spring, the weather is mild, averaging a minimum of 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15 °C). November through February are the coldest months with temperatures typically ranging from 40–75 °F (4–24 °C), although occasional frosts are not uncommon. About midway through February, the temperatures start to rise again with warm days, and cool breezy nights. The summer months of May through August bring a dry heat ranging from 90–120 °F (32–48 °C), with occasional high temperatures exceeding 125 °F (52 °C) having been observed in the desert area. Due to the primarily dry climate, large temperature swings often occur between day and night, with some as large as 50 °F (28 °C) in the summer months.

However, the northern third of Arizona is a plateau at significantly higher altitudes than the lower desert, and has an appreciably cooler climate, with cold winters and mild summers. Extreme cold temperatures are not unknown; cold air systems from the northern states and Canada occasionally push into the state, bringing temperatures below 0 °F (–18 °C) to the higher parts of the state.

Arizona has an average annual rainfall of 12.7 inches (322 mm),Climate Assessment for the Southwest (December 1999). The Climate of the Southwest. University of Arizona. Retrieved on 2006-03-21. which comes during two rainy seasons, with cold fronts coming from the Pacific Ocean during the winter and a monsoon in the summer.United States Geological Survey (September 2005). Hydrologic Conditions in Arizona During 1999–2004: A Historical Perspective. Retrieved on 2006-03-20. The monsoon season occurs from the middle of July through August and brings lightning, thunderstorms, wind, and torrential, if usually brief, downpours. It is rare for tornadoes and hurricanes to occur in Arizona, but there are records of both occurring.

Indicative of the variation in climate, Arizona is the state which has both the metropolitan area with the most days over 100 °F (37.8 °C) (Phoenix), and the metropolitan area in the lower 48 states with nearly the most days with a low temperature below freezing (Flagstaff).Mean number of Days with Minimum Temperature Below 32F National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Retrieved March 24, 2007

Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various Arizona Cities
City	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Flagstaff	43/17	46/19	50/23	58/27	68/34	79/41	82/50	80/49	74/42	63/31	51/22	44/17
Phoenix	65/43	69/47	74/51	83/58	92/66	102/75	104/81	102/80	97/75	86/63	73/50	65/44
Tucson	65/39	68/42	73/45	82/51	90/59	100/68	100/73	97/72	94/68	84/57	72/45	65/39
Winslow	47/21	54/26	62/31	70/37	79/45	90/54	93/62	90/61	84/53	72/40	58/29	47/21
Yuma	69/43	74/47	79/51	86/57	94/64	103/72	107/80	105/80	101/73	90/62	77/49	68/42
Source: US National Climatic Data Center[1]

History

Main article: History of Arizona

There is some disagreement over the proper etymology of the name "Arizona." The two most likely explanations are that it derives from a Basque phrase aritz onak, "good oaks,"Thompson, Clay (2007-02-25). A sorry state of affairs when views change. Arizona Republic. Retrieved on 2007-03-03.Jim Turner. How Arizona did NOT Get its Name. Arizona Historical Society. Retrieved on 2007-03-03. or that it comes from an O\'odham phrase alĭ ṣonak, "small spring".Bright, William (2004). Native American Place Names of the United States. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, pg. 47 The former etymology is the one preferred by Arizona state historian Marshall Trimble, among other specialists. The name Arizonac was initially applied to the silver mining camp, and later (shortened to Arizona) to the entire territory.

Meeting its original native inhabitants, probably the Sobaipuri, Marcos de Niza, a Spanish Franciscan, explored the area in 1539. The expedition of Spanish explorer Coronado entered the area in 1540–42 during its search for Cíbola. Father Kino developed a chain of missions and taught the Indians Christianity in Pimería Alta (now southern Arizona and northern Sonora) in the 1690s and early 1700s. Spain founded fortified towns (presidios) at Tubac in 1752 and Tucson in 1775. When Mexico achieved its independence from Spain in 1821, what is now Arizona became part of the Mexican State Nueva California, also known as Alta California.Timothy Anna et al., Historia de México. Barcelona: Critica, 2001, p. 10. In the Mexican–American War (1847), the U.S. occupied Mexico City and forced the newly founded Mexican Republic to give up its northern territories, including the later Arizona. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) specified that the U.S. pay Mexico the sum of $15 Million US in compensation.Mexican-American War as accessed on March 16th, 2007 at 7:33 MST AM In 1853 the land below the Gila River was acquired from Mexico in the Gadsden Purchase. Arizona was administered as part of the Territory of New Mexico until southern New Mexico secededARIZONA ORDINANCE OF SECESSION presented by the Col. Sherod Hunter Camp 1525, SCV, Phoenix, Arizona from the Union as the Confederate Territory of Arizona on March 16, 1861. Arizona was recognized as a Confederate Territory by presidential proclamation by Jefferson Davis on February 12, 1862. This is the first official use of the name. A new Arizona Territory, consisting of the western half of New Mexico Territory was declared in Washington, D.C. on February 24, 1863. The new boundaries would later form the basis of the state.

Other names including "Gadsonia", "Pimeria", "Montezuma", "Arizuma", and "Arizonia" had been considered for the territory,http://www.pima.gov/cmo/sdcp/Archives/reports/Cult.html however when President Lincoln signed the final bill, it read "Arizona", and the name became permanent. (Montezuma was not the Mexican Emperor, but the sacred name of a divine hero to the Pueblo people of the Gila valley, and was probably considered — and rejected — for its sentimental value, before the name "Arizona" was settled upon.)

Brigham Young sent Mormons to Arizona in the mid-to-late 19th century. They founded Mesa, Snowflake, Heber, Safford and other towns. They also settled in the Phoenix Valley (or "Valley of the Sun"), Tempe, Prescott, among other areas. The Mormons settled what became known as Northern Arizona and northern New Mexico, but these areas were located in a part of the former New Mexico Territory. The largest ancestry of these settlers is German American.

Arizona became a U.S. state on February 14, 1912, the 50th anniversary of its recognization as a Confederate Territory. Arizona was the 48th state admitted into the U.S. and the last of the contiguous states admitted.

A sunset in the Arizona desert near Scottsdale. The climate and imagery are two factors behind Arizona\'s tourism industry.

Cotton farming and copper mining, two of Arizona\'s most important statewide industries, suffered heavily during the Great Depression, but it was during the 1920s and 1930s that tourism began to be the important Arizona industry it is today. Dude ranches such as the K L Bar and Remuda in Wickenburg, along with the Flying V and Tanque Verde in Tucson, gave tourists the chance to experience the flavor and life of the "old West." Several upscale hotels and resorts opened during this period, some of which are still top tourist draws to this day; they include the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in central Phoenix (opened 1929) and the Wigwam Resort on the west side of the Phoenix area (opened 1936).

Arizona was the site of German and Italian POW camps during World War II and Japanese US-resident internment camps (for national security during the time of martial law). The Phoenix area site was purchased after the war by the Maytag family (of major home appliance fame), and is currently utilized as the Phoenix Zoo. A Japanese American internment camp was located on Mount Lemmon, just outside of the state\'s southeastern city of Tucson. Another POW camp was located near the Gila River in eastern Yuma County. Because of California\'s proximity to Japan, a line was drawn somewhat parallel to the California border, and all Japanese residents west of that line were required to reside in the war camps. Grand Avenue, (perhaps because of its similarity to the California border) was chosen as part of that boundary, which resulted in many extended Japanese families being separated; some interned, some free--and some free families, in an odd bid for family values, requested to be interned to stay with their families at a camp built by the original Del Webb Co., a modern manufacturer of large housing developments).

Arizona\'s population grew tremendously after World War II, in part because of the development of air conditioning, which made the intense summers more comfortable. According to the Arizona Blue Book (published by the Secretary of State\'s office each year), the state population in 1910 was 294,353. By 1970, it was 1,752,122. The percentage growth each decade averaged about 20% in the earlier decades and about 60% each decade thereafter.

The 1960s saw the establishment of retirement communities, special age-restricted subdivisions catering exclusively to the needs of senior citizens who wanted to escape the harsh winters of the Midwest and the Northeast. Sun City, established by developer Del Webb and opened in 1960 was one of the first such communities. Green Valley, south of Tucson, was another such community designed to be a retirement subdivision for Arizona\'s teachers. (Many of these senior citizens arrive in Arizona each winter and stay only during the winter months; they are referred to as snowbirds.)

Three ships named USS Arizona have been named in honor of the state, although only USS Arizona (BB-39) was so named after statehood was achieved.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1860	6,482		—
1870	9,658		49.0%
1880	40,440		318.7%
1890	88,243		118.2%
1900	122,931		39.3%
1910	204,354		66.2%
1920	334,162		63.5%
1930	435,573		30.3%
1940	499,261		14.6%
1950	749,587		50.1%
1960	1,302,161		73.7%
1970	1,770,900		36.0%
1980	2,718,215		53.5%
1990	3,665,228		34.8%
2000	5,130,632		40.0%
Est. 2007	6,338,755		23.5%

As of 2006, Arizona had an estimated population of 6,166,318,Table 1: Estimates of Population Change for the United States and States, and for Puerto Rico and State Rankings: July 1, 2005 to July 1, 2006. 2006 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division (December 22 2006). Retrieved on December 22, 2006. which is an increase of 213,311, or 3.6%, from the prior year and an increase of 1,035,686, or 20.2%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 297,928 people (that is 564,062 births minus 266,134 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 745,944 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 204,661 people, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 541,283 people. New population figures for the year ending July 1, 2006, indicate that Arizona is the fastest growing state in the United States, with 3.6% population growth since 2005, exceeding the growth of the previous leader, Nevada. More than half (around 58%) of the population of Arizona live in cities of 100,000 or more inhabitants, the highest proportion of any of the 50 states. The center of population of Arizona is located in Maricopa County, in the town of Gilbert.http://www.census.gov/geo/www/cenpop/statecenters.txt

 

Arizona Population Density Map

According to 2006 U.S. Census estimates, Arizona\'s population is: 59.7% White American, 3.8% African American, 2.4% Asian American, 1.7% mixed, and 29.2% are Hispanics or latino (of any race). The state has the third highest number (and the sixth highest percentage) of Native Americans of any state in the Union. 286,680 were estimated to live in Arizona, representing more than 10% of the country\'s total Native American population of 2,752,158. Only California and Oklahomahttp://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/04000.html have more Native Americans. The perimeters of Phoenix, Tucson, Prescott, and Yuma border on Native American reservations.

The largest ancestry groups in Arizona are Mexican (21%), German, English, Irish, and Native American. The southern and central parts of the state are heavily Mexican American, especially in Santa Cruz County and Yuma County near the Mexican border. The north-central and northwestern counties are largely inhabited by residents of English ancestry. The northeastern part of Arizona has many American Indians. African Americans have had a relatively small presence in Arizona, but their numbers are increasing due to in-migration from other states, especially California, the Midwest and the Northeast. The African American population of the Phoenix metropolitan area doubled between 1990 and 2005.Being Black in the Valley

Arizona is projected to become a minority-majority state by the year 2035, if current population growth trends continue. In 2003, for the first time, there were more Hispanic births in the state than white (non-Hispanic) births.

As of 2000, 74.16% of Arizona residents age 5 and older speak only English at home and 19.52% speak Spanish. Navajo is the third most spoken language at 1.89%.http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=4& county_id=&mode=state_tops&zip=&place_id=&cty_id=&ll=&a=&ea=&order=r

49.9% of the population is male, 50.1% is female.

See also the list of native peoples.

Religion

According to a 2008 survey by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, the most common self-reported religious affiliation of Arizona residents are:Pew Forum on Religion and Life Religious composition of Arizona residents, 2008. Margin of Error +/-4.5%

• Roman Catholic - 25%
• Evangelical Christian - 23%
• Non-Religious / Unaffiliated - 22%
• Mainline Protestant - 15%
• Latter-Day Saint / Mormon - 4%
• Others - 12%

Economy

The 2006 total gross state product was $232 billion. If Arizona (and each of the other US states) were an independent country along with all existing countries (2005), it would have the 61^st largest economy in the world (CIA - The World Factbook). This figure gives Arizona a larger economy than such countries as Ireland, Finland, and New Zealand. Arizona currently has the 21^st largest economy among states in the United States. As a percentage of its overall budget, Arizona\'s projected 1.7 billion deficit for \'09 is the largest in the country.Arizona budget deficit labeled country\'s worst, The Business Journal of Phoenix

The state\'s per capita income is $27,232, 39^th in the U.S. Early in its history, Arizona\'s economy relied on the "Five C\'s": copper (see Copper mining in Arizona), cotton, cattle, citrus, and climate (tourism). At one point Arizona was the largest producer of cotton in the country. Copper is still extensively mined from many expansive open-pit and underground mines, accounting for two-thirds of the nation\'s output.

Employment

The state government is Arizona\'s largest employer, while Wal-Mart is the state\'s largest private employer, with 17,343 employees (2003).

In 2001, 161,166 Arizonans were employed in the high-tech sector, accounting for about 8.3% of total private-sector employment of more than 1.9 million. High-tech payroll in 2001 was $2.2 billion, or 14.7% of the private-sector total. High-tech employment was led by software and computers, with 34,314; electronics components manufacturing, 30,358; aerospace manufacturing, 25,641; architectural and engineering services, 21,378; telecommunications, 21,224; and instruments manufacturing, 13,056.

Taxation

Arizona collects personal income taxes in five brackets: 2.87%, 3.20%, 3.74%, 4.72% and 5.04%.

Single	Tax Rate	Joint	Tax Rate
0 - $10,000	2.870%	0 - $20,000	2.870%
$10,000 - $25,000	3.200%	$20,001 - $50,000	3.200%
$25,000 - $50,000	3.740%	$50,001 - $100,000	3.740%
$50,000 - $150,001	4.720%	$100,000 - $300,001	4.720%
$150,001 +	5.040%	$300,001 +	5.040%

Arizona Transaction Privilege Tax (sales) and Use tax rates generally are 6.3%.

The state rate on transient lodging (hotel/motel) is 7.27%. The state of Arizona does not levy a state tax on food for home consumption or on drugs prescribed by a licensed physician or dentist. However, some cities in Arizona do levy a tax on food for home consumption.

All fifteen Arizona counties levy a tax.

Incorporated municipalities also levy transaction privilege taxes which, with the exception of their hotel/motel tax, are generally in the range of 1-to-3%. These added assessments could push the combined sales tax rate to as high as 10.7%.

Transportation

Main article: Transportation in Arizona

Entering Arizona on I-10 from New Mexico

Highways

Main interstate routes include Interstate 17, and Interstate 19 running north-south, Interstate 40, Interstate 8, and Interstate 10 running east-west, and a short stretch of Interstate 15 running northeast/southwest through the extreme northwestern corner of the state. In addition, the various urban areas are served by complex networks of state routes and highways, such as the Loop 101, which is part of Phoenix\'s vast freeway system.

Public transportation and intercity bus

The Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas are served by public bus transit systems. Yuma and Flagstaff also have public bus systems. Greyhound Lines serves Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff, Yuma, and several smaller communities statewide.

A light rail system called Valley Metro Rail is currently being built in Phoenix. When completed, it will connect Central Phoenix with the nearby cities of Mesa and Tempe. The system is projected to be operational by December of 2008.

In May 2006, voters in Tucson approved a Regional Transportation Plan (a comprehensive bus transit/streetcar/roadway improvement program), and its funding via a new half-cent sales tax increment. The centerpiece of the plan is a light rail streetcar system (possibly similar to the Portland Streetcar in Oregon) that will travel through the downtown area, connecting the main University of Arizona campus with the Rio Nuevo master plan area on the western edge of downtown.Tucson: Streetcar Plan Wins With 60% of Vote

Aviation

See also: List of airports in Arizona

Airports with regularly scheduled commercial flights include: Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (IATA: PHX, ICAO: KPHX) in Phoenix (the largest airport and the major international airport in the state); Tucson International Airport (IATA: TUS, ICAO: KTUS) in Tucson; Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (IATA: AZA, ICAO: KIWA) in Mesa; Yuma International Airport (IATA: YUM, ICAO: KYUM) in Yuma; Prescott Municipal Airport (PRC) in Prescott; Flagstaff Pulliam Airport (IATA: FLG, ICAO: KFLG) in Flagstaff, and Grand Canyon National Park Airport (GCP), a small, but busy, single-runway facility providing tourist flights, mostly from Las Vegas. Phoenix Sky Harbor is the 7th busiest airport in the world in terms of aircraft movements, and regularly in the top 15 for passengers.

Other significant airports without regularly scheduled commercial flights include Scottsdale Municipal Airport (IATA: SCF, ICAO: KSDL) in Scottsdale.

Law and government

See also: Arizona Constitution, United States congressional delegations from Arizona, and List of Arizona Governors

Arizona State Capitol, Phoenix

Capitol complex

The state capital of Arizona is Phoenix. The original Capitol building, with its distinctive copper dome, was dedicated in 1901 (construction was completed for $136,000 in 1900), when the area was still a territory. Phoenix became the official state capital with Arizona\'s admission to the union in 1912.

The House of Representatives and Senate were dedicated in 1960, and an Executive Office Building was dedicated in 1974 (the ninth floor of this building is where the Office of the Governor is located). The original Capitol building was converted into a museum.

The Capitol complex is fronted and highlighted by the richly landscaped Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza, named after Wesley Bolin, a governor who died in office in the 1970s. Numerous monuments and memorials are on the site, including the anchor and signal mast from the USS Arizona (one of the U.S. Navy ships sunk in Pearl Harbor), a granite version of the Ten Commandments, and the Arizona Vietnam Veterans\' Memorial.

State legislature

The Arizona Legislature is bicameral (like the legislature of every other state except Nebraska) and consists of a thirty-member Senate and a 60-member House of Representatives. Each of the thirty legislative districts has one senator and two representatives. Legislators are elected for two-year terms.

Each Legislature covers a two-year period. The first session following the general election is known as the first regular session, and the session convening in the second year is known as the second regular session. Each regular session begins on the second Monday in January and adjourns sine die (terminates for the year) no later than Saturday of the week in which the 100th day from the beginning of the regular session falls. The President of the Senate and Speaker of the House, by rule, may extend the session up to seven additional days. Thereafter, the session can only be extended by a majority vote of members present of each house.

The current majority party is the Republican Party, which has held power in both houses since 1993.

Arizona state senators and representatives are elected for two year terms and are limited to four consecutive terms in a chamber, though there is no limit on the total number of terms. When a lawmaker is term-limited from office, it is not uncommon for him or her to run for election in the other chamber.

The fiscal year 2006-07 general fund budget, approved by the Arizona Legislature in June 2006, is slightly less than $10 billion. Besides the money spent on state agencies, it also includes more than $500 million in income- and property tax cuts, pay raises for government employees, and additional funding for the K-12 education system.

State executive branch

Arizona\'s executive branch is headed by a governor elected for a four-year term. The governor may serve any number of terms, though no more than two in a row. The current governor of Arizona is Janet Napolitano, a Democrat. She was first elected in 2002 and again in 2006 (she was officially sworn in on her second term on January 4, 2007).

Due to the state of Arizona not having a governor\'s mansion, the governors reside within their private places of residence during their terms in office.

Federal representation

The two U.S. Senators from Arizona are Senator John McCain (Republican) and Senator Jon Kyl (Republican).

Arizona\'s representatives in the United States House of Representatives are Rick Renzi (R-1), Trent Franks (R-2), John Shadegg (R-3), Ed Pastor (D-4), Harry Mitchell (D-5), Jeff Flake (R-6), Raul Grijalva (D-7), and Gabrielle Giffords (D-8). Jim Kolbe announced his retirement from Congress in 2006, creating one of the few open seats in the nation in Arizona\'s Congressional District 8. Arizona gained two seats in the House of Representatives due to redistricting based on Census 2000.

Political culture

Presidential elections results

Year	Republican	Democratic
2004	54.87% 1,104,294	44.40% 893,524
2000	50.95% 781,652	44.67% 685,341
1996	44.29% 622,073	46.52% 653,288
1992	38.47% 572,086	36.52% 543,050
1988	59.95% 702,541	38.74% 454,029
1984	66.42% 681,416	32.54% 333,854
1980	60.61% 529,688	28.24% 246,843
1976	56.37% 418,642	39.80% 295,602
1972	61.64% 402,812	30.38% 198,540
1968	54.78% 266,721	35.02% 170,514
1964	50.45% 242,535	49.45% 237,753
1960	55.52% 221,241	44.36% 176,781

From territorial days until the late 1940s, Arizona was a virtual one-party state dominated by the Democrats. From statehood until 1948, the Democratic candidate carried the state in every presidential election.

In recent years, the Republican Party has dominated Arizona politics. Several people who moved to Arizona from other states brought their Republican and Democratic voting habits with them, and the parties also gained support from "Pinto Democrats," or conservative Democrats from rural areas. Arizona narrowly voted for Bill Clinton in 1996, who was the first Democrat to take the state since Harry Truman in 1948. In 2004, George W. Bush won the state\'s ten electoral votes by a margin of 10 percentage points with 54.87% of the vote.

The state\'s concentration of Democrats is strongest in the city of Tucson (excluding Tucson\'s historically Republican-dominated suburbs) and the counties of Santa Cruz and Apache.

Maricopa County, home of Phoenix and most of its suburbs and the fourth-largest county in the country, dominates Arizona\'s politics. It is home to almost 60 percent of the state\'s population, and most of the state\'s elected officials live there. It is also one of the most conservative urban areas in the nation; it has voted Republican in every presidential election since 1948. This includes the 1964 run of native son Barry Goldwater; he wouldn\'t have even carried his own state had it not been for a 21,000-vote margin in Maricopa County. However, the current mayor of Phoenix, Phil Gordon, is a Democrat. The current state attorney general and governor are also both Democrats.

In contrast, Pima County, home to Tucson, has historically been more Democratic. Although Tucson\'s suburbs lean Republican, the brand of Republicanism practiced there is considerably more moderate than that practiced in the Phoenix area. Between them, Maricopa and Pima counties cast almost three-fourths of Arizona\'s vote, and account for a substantial majority in the state legislature.

Arizona became the first U.S. state to reject an anti-gay amendment in the 2006 midterm elections. Gay marriage was already illegal in Arizona, but this amendment would have denied any legal or financial benefits to unmarried homosexual or heterosexual couples.

In the 2008 presidential election, Arizona held both primaries on February 5. In the Republican primary, John McCain received 48% of the vote and won 50 delegates. In the Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton received 50% of the vote, winning 31 delegates, while Barack Obama received 42%, winning 25 delegates.

See also: United States presidential election, 2004, in Arizona

Important cities and towns

Map of Arizona - PDF

Downtown Phoenix

Tucson

See also: List of cities in Arizona, List of cities in Arizona (by population), and List of Arizona counties

Phoenix, the largest city in the state, is the capital. The Phoenix metro area includes Mesa (the third largest city in Arizona and the most populous suburban city in the United States), Glendale, Peoria, Chandler, Sun City, Sun City West, Fountain Hills, Surprise, Gilbert, El Mirage, Avondale, Tempe and Scottsdale, with a total population of nearly 3.9 million.

Tucson is the state\'s second largest city, located 110 miles (180 km) southeast of the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Tucson metropolitan area crossed the one-million-resident threshold in early 2007. It is home to the University of Arizona, one of only three public universities in Arizona.

Yuma is center of the third largest metropolitan area in Arizona. It is located near the borders of California and Mexico. It is one of the hottest cities in the United States with the average July high of 107 degrees Fahrenheit. (The same month\'s average in Death Valley is 115 degrees.) The city also features sunny days about 90% of the year. The Yuma Metropolitan Statistical Area has a population of 160,000. Yuma also attracts many winter visitors from all over the United States.

Flagstaff is the largest city in northern Arizona, and at nearly 7000 ft elevation, with it\'s large Ponderosa Pine forests and Ski areas, is a stark contrast to the desert regions typically associated with Arizona. It sits at the base of the San Francisco Peaks the highest mountain range in the state of Arizona, with Humphreys Peak, the highest point in Arizona at 12,633 feet (3,850 m). Flagstaff has a strong tourism sector, due to its proximity to Grand Canyon National Park, Sedona, and Oak Creek Canyon. Historic Route 66 is the main east-west street. Flagstaff is home to 57,391 residents and the main campus of Northern Arizona University.

Education

Elementary and secondary education

Public schools in Arizona are separated into about 220 local school districts which operate independently, but are governed in most cases by elected county school superintendents; these are in turn overseen by the Arizona State Board of Education (a division of the Arizona Department of Education) and the state Superintendent of Public Instruction (elected in partisan elections every even-numbered year when there is not a presidential election, for a four-year term). In 2005, a School District Redistricting Commission was established with the goal of combining and consolidating many of these districts.

The ASU Biodesign Institute

Colleges and universities

Higher education in Arizona is governed at the university level by the Arizona Board of Regents or the ABOR, a 12-member body. According to information published by the ABOR office and available on their Web site, eight volunteer members are appointed by the Governor to staggered eight-year terms; two students serve on the Board for two-year appointments, with the first year being a nonvoting apprentice year. The Governor and the Superintendent of Public Instruction serve as voting ex-officio members. The ABOR provides "policy guidance" and oversight to the three major degree-granting universities, as provided for by Title 15 of the Arizona Revised Statutes.

Community colleges in Arizona were governed historically by a separate statewide Board of Directors, but a bill passed in the 2002 regular session of the Legislature (HB 2710, which later became ARS 15-1444) transferred almost all oversight authority to individual community college districts. The Maricopa County Community College District includes 11 community colleges throughout Maricopa County and is one of the largest in the nation. The community college systems in Arizona are among the best in the United States.

Public colleges and universities Arizona State University Northern Arizona University University of Arizona Private four-year colleges and universities (non-profit) Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Ottawa University Prescott College Professional Schools, Trade Schools, and For-Profit Private Colleges The Art Center Design College, Tucson Art Institute of Phoenix A.T. Still University, Mesa Collins College, Tempe DeVry University, Phoenix Grand Canyon University Midwestern University, Glendale Northcentral University Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine Southwestern College Thunderbird School of Global Management University of Advancing Technology, Tempe University of Phoenix Western International University

Public two-year colleges Arizona Western College Central Arizona College Cochise College Coconino C