"Get off the road..." [driver passes by]
Hi I'm Mike of Mike's Road Trip and these are some of the most interesting
facts about Arizona.
These interesting facts about Arizona will showcase what a unique and fascinating state it is to visit.
Arizona is located in the southwestern part of the United States, it's a place with dramatic landscapes,
unique vegetation, and fantastic weather. Arizona has many nicknames, most notably, the Grand Canyon State. However it's also known as the Valentine State as it
gained statehood on February 14th 1912. Arizona is also known for its five C's;
copper, cotton, cattle, citrus, and climate. And, Arizona is not just a desert, it can
often have the highest and lowest temperatures in the country on the same
day due to its varied landscape. With its lowest elevation just above sea level
near Yuma, to well over 12,000 feet atop Humphreys peak, which is surrounded by a lush forest in Flagstaff.
Another interesting fact about Arizona is it's one of only four states that touch each other, known as the Four Corners, it also
boasts 22 national parks and monuments, which may become 23 soon if the Superstition Mountains gets monument distinction. So here are 10 of the most
interesting facts about Arizona...
At number 10, one of the world's tallest
water fountains is located in Fountain Hills Arizona, just east of Scottsdale,
this impressive fountain goes off on the hour for 15 minutes and can reach a
height of 560 feet.
At number #9 Prescott Arizona is home to the world's oldest
rodeo, which started back in 1888 and has continued that tradition for over 130 years.
The eighth most interesting fact about Arizona is that Phoenix has not always been the capital of Arizona, before it was a state,
Prescott had that honor, twice as a matter of fact! Prescott was founded in
1864 as the territorial capital of Arizona, but temporarily moved to Tucson
from 1867 to 1877. The capital returned to Prescott at the end of 1877 and
remained until it permanently moved to Phoenix in 1889. At number seven, believe it or not,
the London Bridge is actually located in Lake Havasu City Arizona. It
was purchased and dismantled in London and rebuilt in the 1960s in Arizona.
At number six, two of the largest man-made lakes in the country are in Arizona,
Lake Mead which was created by the Hoover Dam in 1935, and Lake Powell which was created by the Glen Canyon Dam in 1963.
At number five, the Gila Monster is the largest lizard native to the United States is from Arizona. The Gila Monster
gets its name from the Arizona Gila River Basin where they were first discovered.
Speaking of reptiles, Arizona is home to
13 different types of rattlesnakes, the Western Diamondback is the most popular
and is responsible for the most snake bites in the US than any other species.
At number four, most historians agree that the westernmost civil war battle
took place in 1862 near Picacho Peak, Northwest and Tucson.
The third most interesting fact about Arizona is that it's home to the world's best preserved meteorite impact site on earth. Meteor Crater is located near
Winslow in northern Arizona, this massive depression is the spectacular result of
a collision that rocketed the American Southwest approximately 50 thousand
years ago with the energy of more than 20 million tons of TNT. This is also a
place where NASA astronauts have often trained.
Arizona is home to the Sonoran Desert which is the only place on earth where the giant saguaro cactus lives, and
the Saguaro blooms are the official flower of Arizona which blooms in the
summer months of May and June.
There's even a national park dedicated
to this hardy but fragile tree-like cacti and it's become the iconic symbol
of the southwest.
Well here we are... the number one most
interesting fact about Arizona...the Grand Canyon is not only one of the largest
and deepest canyons in the world, it's actually older than dinosaurs! The canyon
is over 1 billion years old and there's never been a dinosaur fossil found at
the canyon, it's also the second most popular National Park in the country
with over 6 million visitors a year.
Well that's a look at 10 of the most
interesting facts about Arizona. If you have something you'd like to share,
please leave a comment below. And don't forget to hit that like button and
subscribe for more interesting fact videos.
So until next time, we'll see on the road...
MikesRoadTrip.com