Arizona
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State flag
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ARIZONA,
one of the Mountain states of the U.S., bounded on the N by
Utah, on the E by New Mexico, on the S by Mexico, and on the W by
California and Nevada. The Colorado R. forms much of the W boundary.
Arizona entered the Union on Feb. 14, 1912, as the 48th state.
Once primarily a mining and agricultural area, the state developed a diversified
economy after 1950 and in the early 21st century was an important producer of
high-technology items, notably in the Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas.
Arizona also enjoys successful copper-mining, cattle-raising, cotton-growing, and
tourist industries. The name of the state is derived from an Indian word (arizonac)
believed to mean “place of the small spring.” Arizona is called the
Grand Canyon State.
| ARIZONA STATE FACTS |
| DATE OF STATEHOOD: |
February 14, 1912; 48th state |
| CAPITAL: |
Phoenix |
| MOTTO: |
Ditat Deus (God enriches) |
| NICKNAME: |
Grand Canyon State |
| STATE SONG: |
“Arizona March Song” (words by Margaret Rowe Clifford; music by Maurice Blumenthal) |
| STATE TREE: |
Paloverde |
| STATE FLOWER: |
Saguaro cactus blossom |
| STATE BIRD: |
Cactus wren |
| POPULATION (2000 census): |
5,130,632; 20th among the states |
| AREA: |
254 sq km (113,998 sq mi); 6th largest state; includes 943 sq km (364 sq mi) of inland water |
| HIGHEST POINT: |
Humphreys Peak, 3851 m (12,633 ft) |
| LOWEST POINT: |
21 m (70 ft), along the Colorado River |
| ELECTORAL VOTES: |
10 |
| U.S. CONGRESS: |
2 senators; 8 representatives |
| GOVERNOR: |
Janet Napolitano (Dem.); took office January 2003 |
Arizona is the sixth largest U.S. state, with an area
of 295,254 sq km (113,998 sq mi). It encompasses terrain that ranges in
elevation from 21 m (70 ft) above sea level, along the Colorado R. near
Yuma, to 3851 m (12,633 ft), atop Humphreys Peak, in the San Francisco
Mts. N of Flagstaff. The approximate mean elevation is about 1250 m
(about 4100 ft). The state is roughly rectangular in shape, and its
extreme dimensions are about 635 km (about 395 mi) from N to S and
about 555 km (about 345 mi) from E to W. The federal government owns
about 46% of Arizona's land area.
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Photos.com
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The Grand Canyon
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Arizona can be divided into three geographic regions—the Sonoran
Desert, in the SW; the Colorado Plateau, in the N; and the Mexican
Highland, mainly in the central and SE parts of the state.
The Sonoran Desert, also known as the Gila Desert, is an arid
area consisting mostly of broad stream-carved valleys, with isolated
mountains rising above the alluvial soil deposited by floodwaters
of modern and ancient streams. Ranges in the region include the
Big Horn, Castle Dome, Gila Bend, Harcuvar, and Maricopa mountains.
The S edge of the Colorado Plateau region, which contains a number
of level plateaus and several mountains and deep gorges, is marked
by the Mogollon Rim, which has elevations ranging between about
2000 and 2500 m (about 6560 and 8200 ft). From the edge of the plateau
the land slopes gently to the N; higher elevations are in the NE.
In the W part of the region lies the spectacular Grand Canyon; in
the center is the Painted Desert, along the Little Colorado R.;
and in the SE is the Petrified Forest. Between the Sonoran Desert
and the Colorado Plateau is the Mexican Highland, a series of valleys
and mountains taking in lofty areas such as the White Mts. near
the border with New Mexico.
Virtually all of Arizona is drained by the Colorado R. and
its tributaries, notably the Little Colorado and Gila. The waters
of the Salt, Santa Cruz, San Pedro, and Verde rivers join the Gila
before entering the Colorado. Many of Arizona’s smaller
rivers do not flow year-round, but only after periods of considerable
rainfall.
Dams along the Colorado have created several large, elongated
lakes, such as Powell, Mead, Mohave, and Havasu, all of which lie
partly in neighboring states. Similar artificial lakes are on the
Gila, Salt, and Verde rivers.
Because of the variety of Arizona's topography, the
average annual temperature and precipitation vary widely. Nevertheless,
the state can be divided into th?ee distinct climatic zones. The arid
Sonoran Desert is hot in summer but experiences frost in most winters.
Most of the Sonoran Desert receives less than about 200 m (about 8 in)
of precipitation each year. The Colorado Plateau region is hot and
relatively dry in summer and windy and cold in winter. In most parts of
the region annual precipitation is less than 400 mm (about 16 in). The
Mexican Highland region receives significant precipitation in both the
summer and the winter, and yearly precipitation in lofty sections can
reach about 760 mm (about 30 in). Temperatures in summer are
appreciably lower than in the Sonoran Desert, and temperatures on
winter nights are generally below freezing (0° C/32° F). The recorded
temperature in Arizona has ranged from -40° C (-40° F), in 1971 at
Hawley Lake, near McNary, to 53.3° C (128° F), in 1994 at Lake Havasu
City.
| ARIZONA AVERAGE CLIMATE |
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Phoenix |
Flagstaff |
| Average January temperature range |
3.3° to 18.3° C |
38° to 65° F |
–10° to 5° C |
14° to 41° F |
| Average July temperature range |
25.6° to 40.6° C |
78° to 105° F |
10° to 27.2° C |
50° to 81° F |
| Average annual temperature |
21.1° C |
70° F |
7.2° C |
45° F |
| Average annual precipitation |
178 mm |
7 in |
483 mm |
19 in |
| Average annual snowfall |
negligible |
2261 mm |
89 in |
| Mean number of days per year with appreciable precipitation |
35 |
76 |
| Average daily relative humidity |
27% |
39% |
| Mean number of clear days per year |
214 |
170 |
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Photos.com
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Yucca
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In most parts of Arizona the amount of natural vegetation
varies proportionately with the amount of precipitation. The sparsely
covered Sonoran Desert is known for its cacti, including the organ-pipe
cactus, the giant saguaro cactus, and the cholla cactus. Also found
the region are many types of wild flowers, creo?ote bushes, mesquite,
ocotillo, and yucca. At higher elevations in the state, forests
of piñon and juniper occur below the commercial timber
zone, where white and silver fir, Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, birch,
ash, and elder grow. Altogether, nearly 25% of Arizona
is covered with forest, approximately one-fifth of which contains
commercially useful timber.
Big game animals in Arizona include large numbers of white-tailed
deer and mule deer and some elk, antelope, and bighorn sheep. Buffalo
roam freely in the N part of the state, and bear are found in remote areas.
Smaller animals, such as the mountain lion, badger, beaver, otter,
raccoon, muskrat, and weasel, live in mountain districts. The peccary,
or javelina, a type of wild pig, is also found here. In the Sonoran
Desert, many different species of lizard (including the Gila monster),
spiders, and snakes abound. Eagles, vultures, hawks, and owls are
among Arizona’s birds of prey; game birds include wild
turkey (which are limited to the higher mountains), dove, grouse,
and quail. Fish in the state’s rivers and lakes include
trout, bass, crappie, and bluegill.
Arizona contains a variety of minerals, including large-scale deposits
of low-grade copper ore, coal, sand and gravel, and stone. Other
minerals are gold, silver, lead, tin, molybdenum, zinc, vanadium,
manganese, mercury, uranium, petroleum, and natural gas.
According to the 2000 census, Arizona had 5,130,632
inhabitants, an increase of 40% over 1990. During 1990s, Arizona was
the second fastest growing state in the U.S., raising its population
rank from 24th to 20th among the 50 states. By the early 2000s, Arizona
had replaced Nevada as the nation's fastest growing state; census estimates
for 2006 showed that Arizona, with more than 6,166,000 residents, had moved
up to 16th in the state population ranking. Immigration from Mexico, both
legal and illegal, has been a major component of population growth in recent years.
The average population density in 2000 was 17.4 people per sq
km (45.2 per sq mi) of land area. Whites made up 75.5% of the
population and blacks 3.1%. There were also 255,879 American Indians
and Alaska Natives (5%). The two major American Indian groups were the
Navajo and the Hopi; California (333,346) and Oklahoma
(273,230) were the only states with larger American Indian populations.
(These figures do not include the 2.9% of the population who reported
more than one race.) Some 1,295,617 persons, about 25.3% of the total
population, were of Hispanic background. Mostly of Mexican descent,
Latinos were concentrated in the S half of the state. The state's
largest cities were Phoenix, the capital; Tucson; Mesa; Glendale; and
Scottsdale.
A 2000 survey showed that Roman Catholics made up the largest single
religious group in Arizona, accounting for 19% of the populationand nearly half of
all those adhering to a specific religion. Other major religious groups included the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (4.9% of the population), Southern Baptist
Convention (2.7%), Assemblies of God (1.6%), and Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America (1.4%). The Jewish population was estimated at 1.6%.
In 2000 about 88% of the people of Arizona lived in areas defined
as urban, and the rest lived in rural areas.
| POPULATION OF ARIZONA SINCE 1870 |
| Year of Census |
Population |
Classified As Urban |
| 1870 |
10,000 |
30% |
| 1890 |
88,000 |
9% |
| 1910 |
204,000 |
31% |
| 1930 |
436,000 |
34% |
| 1940 |
499,000 |
35% |
| 1950 |
750,000 |
55% |
| 1960 |
1,302,000 |
75% |
| 1980 |
2,718,000 |
84% |
| 1990 |
3,665,228 |
87% |
| 2000 |
5,130,632 |
88% |
| POPULATION OF TEN LARGEST CITIES IN ARIZONA |
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2000 Census |
1990 Census |
| Phoenix |
1,321,045 |
983,403 |
| Tucson |
486,699 |
405,390 |
| Mesa |
396,375 |
288,091 |
| Glendale |
218,812 |
148,134 |
| Scottsdale |
202,705 |
130,069 |
| Chandler |
176,581 |
90,533 |
| Tempe |
158,625 |
141,865 |
| Gilbert |
109,697 |
21,149 |
| Peoria |
108,364 |
50,618 |
| Yuma |
77,515 |
54,923 |
Arizona has a comprehensive statewide educational system.
Many of the state’s cultural institutions are concentrated
in its major cities, notably Tucson and Phoenix.
Although the first schools in Arizona were established
by Spanish missionaries in the 17th century, the area's first public
school was not opened until 1864, in Pres?ott. In 2002 Arizona had a
total public school fall enrollment of 938,000 students; about 660,000
were at the elementary school level (prekindergarten through grade 8) and
the rest were at the high school level (grades 9 through 12). In addition,
about 45,000 students attend private schools (kindergarten through 12).
Arizona State University, the state's oldest
institution of higher education, was established in 1885 in Tempe. By
the late early 2000s Arizona had 76 degree-granting institutions with a
total annual enrollment of approximately 400,000 students, of which
over 300,000 attended public institutions. Besides Arizona State, notable
schools included Northern Arizona University (1899), in Flagstaff; the
University of Arizona (1885), in Tucson; and Diné College (which opened
in 1969 as Navajo Community College), in Tsaile, the first U.S. college
to be established on an Indian reservation.
Many of Arizona’s foremost museums are located in
Tucson and Phoenix. The Arizona Historical Society (1884), the Tucson
Museum of Art (1924), the University of Arizona Museum of Art (1955),
the Arizona State Museum (1893), and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum (1952)
are in Tucson, and the Arizona Mining and Mineral Museum (1953),
the Phoenix Art Museum (1949), the Heard Museum (1929), and the
Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park (1929) are in Phoenix. Tucson is
also the site of the Flandrau Science Center (1975) and Planetarium,
the Arizona Opera Company, and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. Phoenix
contains the Arizona Science Center (1984), the Desert Botanical Garden
(1937), the Phoenix Zoo (1962), and the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra (1947).
Other museums of special interest include the Amerind Foundation
Museum (1937), in Dragoon; the Colorado River Indian Tribes Museum
(1970), in Parker; the Mohave Museum of History and Arts (1961),
in Kingman; and the Navajo Nation Museum (1961), in Window Rock.
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Photos.com
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Montezuma Castle
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A number of Arizona’s historical sites include remains
of early Indian cultures. Among these are Canyon de Chelly, Casa
Grande Ruins, Montezuma Castle, Navajo, and Wupatki national monuments.
Chiricahua National Monument (1924), near Willcox, features unusual
rock formations and is noted for its biological diversity. Dating
from more recent times are Fort Bowie National Historic Site (1964),
at Apache Pass, with ruins of the 1862 fort where the U.S. military
fought the Apache; Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site (1967),
near Ganado, a still-active post for trade with Indians; London Bridge,
transported from England, in Lake Havasu City; the Old Governor’s
Mansion, completed in 1864, in Prescott; and Mission San Xavier
del Bac, established in 1700, in Tucson.
Arizona’s mountains, parks, rivers, and lakes provide
ideal conditions for hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, boating,
swimming, skiing, and horseback riding. Among Arizona’s
favorite outdoor spots are the Glen Canyon and Lake Mead national
recreation areas.
Professional sports teams in the state include the Arizona
Diamondbacks (major league baseball), the Phoenix Suns (basketball),
and the Phoenix Coyotes (ice hockey), all based in Phoenix; the
Arizona Cardinals (football) play in Tempe.
In the early 1990s Arizona had 73 AM and 76 FM
radiobroadcasting stations and 27 television stations. The state's
first radio station, KFAD in Phoenix, was licensed in 1922. KPHO-TV in
Phoenix, the first commercial television station, began operation in
1949. The Weekly Arizonian, Arizona's first newspaper, was
initially published in Tubac in 1859. In 2004 Arizona had 16 daily
newspapers with a total daily circulation of about 750,000 copies.
Influential dailies include the Arizona Republic in Phoenix,
and the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson. In 2003 about 64% of
Arizona households had computers and 55% had Internet access.
Arizona is governed under its original constitution, adopted
in 1911 and put into effect in 1912, as amended. An amendment to
the constitution may be proposed by the legislature, by voters’ initiative,
or by constitutional convention. To be adopted, a proposed amendment
must be approved by a majority of the persons voting on the issue
in an election.
The chief executive of Arizona is a governor, who is popularly
elected to a 4-year term and may serve no more than two terms in succession.
The same regulations apply to the secretary of state, who succeeds
the governor should the latter resign, die, or be removed from office.
Other elected state officers include the attorney general, treasurer,
superintendent of public instruction, mine inspector, and corporation
commissioners.
The bicameral Arizona legislature is made up of a senate and
a house of representatives. The 30 members of the senate and the
60 members of the house are elected to serve 2-year terms. Term-limits
legislation enacted in 1992 and effective in 2000 restricts state legislators
to four consecutive 2-year terms in the senate or house.
Arizona's highest court, the supreme court, is composed
of 5 justices who serve 6-year terms. The intermediate court of appeals
has 22 judges who serve 6-year terms, and the major trial courts, the
superior courts, have 158 judges who serve 4-year terms. All supreme court
justices and court of appeals judges are initially proposed by a nominating
commission and appointed by the govern?r, appointed by the governor but run
for retention on a nonpartisan ballot Under the state constitution, all judges
running for retention must be evaluated by a judicial performance review commission,
whose reports are made available to the public.
Arizona has 15 counties and 87 municipalities. Most counties are
governed by either a three- or five-member elected board of supervisors.
Many cities employ the council-manager form of government. Other local governmental
units in the early 2000s included 231 school districts and 305 special districts.
Arizona elects two senators and eight representatives to the
U.S. Congress. The state has ten electoral votes in presidential
elections.
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Library of Congress
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Barry Goldwater
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In both state and national elections Arizona was a stronghold
of the Democratic party from the advent of statehood until the early
1950s. A long-term rightward trend became evident with the election
of a conservative Republican, Barry M. Goldwater, to the U.S. Senate
in 1952; Goldwater subsequently emerged as a national leader of
the conservative movement and, in 1964, as the Republican presidential
nominee. Other notable Arizona political leaders include Morris
K. (Mo) Udall (1922–98), a liberal Democrat known for his
support of the environment, who served in the U.S. House of Representatives
from 1961 to 1991, and John McCain (1936– ),
a reform-minded Republican, who represented Arizona in the U.S. Senate
starting in 1987. Udall made an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential
nomination in 1976; McCain ran for the Republican presidential nomination in
2000, when he lost a bitter primary campaign to George W. Bush, and entered
the nomination race again for 2008. The Arizona Democratic primary in
March 2000 was the first legally binding public election in which U.S. voters were
permitted to cast ballots over the Internet.
In the 20th century Arizona experienced remarkable
economic growth, developing from a region of scattered mining,
ranching, and cotton-growing operations into a state with a diversified
modern economy. In the early 21st century, computers, electronic goods,
and aerospace technology dominated manufacturing in Arizona, while
health care and tourism were leading components of the state's service sector.
| ARIZONA STATE ECONOMY |
| STAT? BUDGET(in thousands) |
| General revenue |
$23,753,397 |
| General expenditure |
$21,748,803 |
| Accumulated debt |
$6,773,923 |
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| STATE TAXES PER CAPITA |
$1,674 |
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| PERSONAL INCOME, PER CAPITA |
$30,267 |
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| POPULATION BELOW POVERTY LEVEL |
15.4% |
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| EMPLOYMENT DISTRIBUTION |
| Management, business, finance |
393,000 |
| Professional and related |
500,000 |
| Services |
416,000 |
| Sales and related |
361,000 |
| Office and administrative support |
350,000 |
| Farming, fishing, forestry |
estimate too small to be statistically significant |
| Construction and extraction |
164,000 |
| Installation, maintenance, repair |
93,000 |
| Production |
134,000 |
| Transportation and moving |
117,000 |
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| GROSS STATE PRODUCT |
$215.8 billion |
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| NET FARM INCOME |
$1,123,157 |
| Principal products |
cattle, dairy products, lettuce |
In 2004 Arizona had some 10,000 farms, averaging about 1050 ha
(2600 acres) in size--larger than any other state except Wyoming. Somewhat more
than 50% of farm marketing revenues comes from sales of crops, as opposed to
sales of livestock and livestock products. The most valuable agricultural commodities
are cattle and calves, dairy products, lettuce, cotton, and hay. Greenhouse and nursery products,
vegetables and melons, and citrus fruits are also significant sources of income.
Crop farming in Arizona depends almost entirely on
irrigation. Much of the cultivated land is in the S, especially in the
Salt R. valley, near Phoenix. Elsewhere in Arizona productive
agricultural land is found along the upper Gila R., in several basins
between Phoenix and Tucson, and near the lower Colorado R. In the
Colorado Plateau region of N Arizona are numerous large ranches on
w?ich livestock is raised, but few crop farms. Rapid population growth
and urban sprawl have resulted in significant loss of farmland in
recent decades, especially in the Phoenix area.
Arizona has a relatively small lumbering industry, the annual cut
being composed almost exclusively of softwoods such as ponderosa
pine, yellow pine, and Douglas fir. Numerous lumbering operations
are situated near Flagstaff. Commercial fishing in the state is
negligible; most of the catch is taken by people fishing for recreation.
Arizona is the leading U.S. state in copper production,
usually accounting for more than half of the country's annual output.
Copper mines are located in the S half of the state, mostly situated
between the Salt R. and the Mexican border. One of Arizona's largest
copper mines is an open-pit operation at Morenci. A major underground
copper mine at San Manuel, NE of Tucson, was closed down in the early 2000s.
Gold and silver ores exist in the S Arizona mountains and are frequently
recovered in conjunction with copper extraction, as is molybdenum. Construction
materials are quarried in significant quantities. In 2005 nonfuel mineral production
in Arizona was valued at about $4.7 billion. Coal is found in many areas on the
Colorado Plateau and is mined in considerable quantity in the Black Mesa region
of the NE. Relatively small amounts of crude petroleum and natural gas are produced.
Beginning in the 1940s Arizona's manufacturing capacity
increased markedly. In 2006 there were about 180,000 employees, down from
nearly 210,000 in the year 2000. In 2005 some 4900 firms engaged in manufacturing
accounting for 9% of Arizona's gross domestic product. Leading manufactures
include semiconductors and other electronic components, aerospace equipment,
fabricated metal goods, machinery, and food products. Arizona's most visible
manufacturing concerns are the great copper concentrators, adjacent to
every important mine. The state also has several big copper smelters.
Many large high-technology firms are concentrated in and around Phoenix.
In the early 2000s, around 30 million visitors a year
came to Arizona, including more than half a million from overseas. Travelers
spent more than $14 billion a year in the state, and tourism-related industries
were responsible for around 400,000 jobs. The state's best-known attractions
are in the Colorado Plateau region in the N, where the dramatic landscape
in Grand Canyon National Park is the most famous lure. Close to 5 million
persons visit the Grand Canyon each year, and most of them also spend
some time at other N Arizona attractions, which include Petrified
Forest National Park, the Navajo and Hopi Indian reservations, the
Anasazi Indian ruins in Canyon de Chelly National Monument, and skiing
areas near Flagstaff. To the W, Lakes Mead and Havasu, both on the
Colorado R., combine varied water-sport opportunities with clear desert
air; in S Arizona the mission ?uins at Tumacacori National Historical
Park, the giant cacti in Saguaro National Park, and countless mountain
trails draw many visitors.
Despite the presence of vast desert expanses, deep
canyons, and numerous mountains, buttes, and mesas, Arizona has a
well-knit transportation network. The state is served by about 2145 km
(1333 mi) of Class I railroad track, including parts of two major
transcontinental railroad lines. Arizona has some 88, 827 km (some 55, 195 mi)
of roads, of which about 1879 km (about 1168 mi) are interstates. Major
road hubs are Phoenix, Tucson, and Flagstaff. In 2000 Arizona had 81
public-use airports, of which the busiest serve the Phoenix and Tucson
areas; there are also 90 heliports.
About 40% of Arizona's electricity is generated in thermal
plants using coal, another 30% comes from nuclear installations, nearly 21%
from petroleum and natural gas, and 7% from hydroelectric plants. The state
draws power from such major hydroelectric facilities as Glen Canyon, Hoover,
Davis, and Parker dams, all on the Colorado R. Power plants in Arizona have an
aggregate electricity generating capacity of about 23.5 million kw and produced
some 100 billion kwh in 2005.
Long before its discovery by Europeans, the region comprising
present-day Arizona was inhabited by culturally advanced tribes
of Indians. The ruins of irrigation canals and aqueducts, cities,
and fortifications built by these ancient peoples are scattered
throughout the valleys and canyons of the state.
The first European known to have visited the region was the Franciscan
missionary and explorer Marcos de Niza (c. 1495–1558),
leader of an expedition (1539) from Mexico City. The Spanish explorer
Francisco Vásquez de Coronado, impressed by de Niza’s
accounts of riches in the area, led another expedition from Mexico
in 1540. Members of that group crossed the Colorado River and came
upon the Grand Canyon.
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Library of Congress LC-USZC4-5664
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Mission of Tumacacori in 1870
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Inspired by reports of mineral wealth in Arizona, other explorers
followed, but the hostility of the Indians discouraged attempts
at colonization. The Spanish government made the region part of
New Spain in 1598. Christianity and Spanish culture were introduced
to the Indians by the Jesuit missionary Eusebio Francisco Kino,
who was active also in northern Mexico. Among the missions Kino
founded in Arizona was San JosÉ de Tumacacori (now a national
historical park). Other Jesuit missions were founded during the
first half of the?18th century, and in 1776 the Spaniards established
a presidio at Tucson. As a result of a serious Indian uprising in
1802, the disorders attending the successful Mexican revolt (1821)
against Spain, and another Indian uprising in 1827, almost all of
the Spanish Arizona settlements and missions were abandoned.
As the Spaniards departed, American settlers, traders, and
explorers began to move into the region. During the Mexican War (1846–48)
U.S. troops seized control of Arizona and adjoining New Mexico.
Under the terms of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the agreement
terminating the war, Mexico ceded all of Arizona and New Mexico
north of the Gila River to the U.S. The section south of the Gila
was acquired by the U.S. through the Gadsden Purchase in 1853.
In 1863 Arizona, until then a part of the territory of New
Mexico, was established as a separate territory. Serious Indian
uprisings occurred in the territory during the American Civil War
and at sporadic intervals until 1896.
The U.S. Congress rejected an application by Arizona for statehood
in 1891. Legislation admitting Arizona and New Mexico as a single
state was enacted by Congress twice between 1904 and 1906, but the
measure failed (1906) to win the approval of the Arizona electorate.
In January 1910, Congress authorized the territory to hold a
convention for the purpose of drafting a state constitution. The
constitutional convention completed its work in December 1910, and the document
was ratified in February 1911.
Shortly thereafter, Congress passed
a resolution conferring statehood on Arizona. President William
Howard Taft vetoed the resolution because the proposed state constitution
provided for the recall of elective judges. In August, Congress
and the president approved a resolution making the admission of
Arizona to the Union conditional upon the elimination of the constitutional
provision for recall. The state’s electorate endorsed the
amendment on December 12, 1911. On Feb. 14, 1912, Taft signed the
proclamation admitting Arizona as the 48th state. That November,
the voters restored the provision for recall to the constitution.
A series of federal irrigation projects, especially those
of the 1930s, accelerated Arizona’s development, which
increased sharply with the post–World War II demand for
the state’s chief products—copper, cattle, and
cotton. In 1948, Arizona Indians won the right to vote and began
to enjoy some economic gains. In 1969 the first college on an Indian
reservation, Navajo Community College (now Diné College), opened in Tsaile.
Arizona's warm, dry climate and diverse recreational
lands have, since the early 1950s, attracted both a great number of new
residents and a heavy stream of tourists. A commensurate increase in
social and consumer services, followed by expanding industry, has
dramatically affected the state's economic and political profile. As
the population of Arizona nearly quadrupled between 1960 and 2000, the
state acquired a national reputation for conservatism in politics and
for pro-business policies that favored rapid growth.
Increased real estate development has led to a
degradation of air quality, depletion of freshwater resources, and
encroachment on the state's unique desert and forest reserves.
Pollution controls, land-use restrictions, and water conservation
measures have been only sporadically effective. The Central Arizona
Project, extending 541 km (336 mi) and built at a cost of $3.7 billion,
began supplying water from the Colorado River by pipeline to Phoenix in
1985 and Tucson in 1991.
In April 1988, Evan Mecham (1924- ), found guilty
by the Arizona senate on two charges of official misconduct, became
the first U.S. governor to be impeached and removed from office in
nearly 60 years. That June, Mecham was acquitted by a state jury on a
separate charge of having improperly concealed a campaign loan from a
Tempe real estate developer. He lost in the Republican primary in a bid
to regain the governorship in 1990. Another Arizona governor, Fife Symington
(1945–& ),was forced to resign in September 1997 after
a federal jury convicted him of defrauding banks that had backed his real estate
development projects. Symington’s successor, Secretary of State Jane
Dee Hull (1935– ), won a full term as governor in November 1998; in that election,
for the first time in the U.S., women won the top five state elective
offices. An appellate court overturned Symington’s conviction
in June 1999, and he was pardoned by President Bill Clinton in January
2001. Janet Napolitano (1957- ), a Democrat who was elected state
attorney general in 1998, won the governorship in November 2002; she won
reelection to a second term four years later.
In the early 2000s, Arizona's border with Mexico was the
principal gateway for illegal immigration to the U.S.; the influx of large
numbers of undocumented Spanish-speaking immigrants strained community resources
and sparked intense political debate. In November 2006, voters approved by
overwhelming margins a series of ballot initiatives establishing English as the
state's official language, denying bail to illegal immigrants charged with serious
crimes, barring undocumented immigrants from receiving punitive damages in civil
lawsuits, and limiting their access to certain state-funded child-care assistance
and education benefits.