28 Stunning Arizona Facts

By Karin Lehnardt, Senior Writer

Published March 29, 2021

The Arizona trout is found only in Arizona._[3]
The official fossil of Arizona is petrified wood._[3]
The name "Arizona" either means "place of oaks" or "place of the young spring."_[3]
While the saguaro cactus is an icon of the American West, it is only located in Arizona._[7]

Bolo ties are named after the boleadoras cords worn by Argentine cowboys

The official state necktie of Arizona is the bolo tie._[3]
Arizona has more land set aside for Native Americans than any other state._[3]
Cutting down a saguaro cactus without a permit is illegal._[1]
Most of the 1955 musical Oklahoma! was actually filmed in Arizona._[5]
The only venomous lizard in the United States, the Gila monster, lives in Arizona._[3]
In 1912, Arizona became the 48th state of the United States and the last of the contiguous states._[2]
The Grand Canyon in Arizona is one of the Seven Wonders of the World._[2]
Arizona produces more copper than any other state in the United States._[2]
The Barringer Meteor Crater in Arizona is one of the best preserved meteor craters in the world. It is approximately 50,000 years old._[2]

Being this hot has never been so cool.

- Arizona Motto

Supai, Arizona, is located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon and is the only place in the country where mules deliver the mail._[2]
Over 5 million people visit the Grand Canyon each year._[2]
Famous inventions from Arizona include jet skis and the TASER._[3]
Yuma, Arizona, is the sunniest city in the United States._[4]

Yuma is most likely from the Spanish word humo, meaning "smoke," because of the Quechan (Yuma) practice of creating smoke to induce rain

Phoenix, Arizona, is the hottest city in the United States._[2]
Arizona has more hummingbird species than any other US state._[6]
The Parker Dam in Arizona is the deepest dam in the world, at 320 feet high, of which 235 are below the river bed._[2]
Because soldiers from Fort Huachuca in Arizona were not allowed to exit their cars off base in fatigues, the McDonalds in the area opened a drive through window, becoming the first McDonald's to do so._[2]
NASA astronauts conducted some of their moon landing training in Arizona's Meteor Crater._[2]
Arizona has more species of rattlesnakes than any other state._[2]

There are 13 rattlesnake species in Arizona, more than in any other state

Marcos de Niza entered Arizona in 1539, becoming the first-known European to enter the area._[2]
The only woman to be executed in Arizona was Eva Dugan. However, she was decapitated during the hanging, causing several spectators to pass out. The botched execution led the state to adopt lethal gas chambers._[8]
Picacho Peak is the site of the westernmost battle of the U.S. Civil War._[2]
During World War II, two Japanese internment camps were built in Arizona. Despite objections from tribal leaders, the camps were on the Colorado River and Gila River Indian Reservations._[2]
There is a volcano in Arizona named “Sh*t Pot Crater” because it resembles a “toilet catastrophe.”_[9]