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Arizona was the 48th State admitted to the United States and is considered to be part of the Southwest United States. It is one of the Four Corners states located south and east of the Colorado River, bordering New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California and Mexico. Major cities are Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma and Flagstaff. Besides the Grand Canyon, a number of other National Forests, Parks, Monuments and Indian reservations are located in the state. Historians disagree about the origin of the name "Arizona" and its attachment to the region. Three possible derivations are:
Arizonac is a small town about eight miles south of the United States-Mexican border. Its name was probably derived from the Pima or Papago name for the place. In 1736 a small silver-mining camp called "Real Arissona" by the Spanish was established near the town. Later in the mid 18th century Spanish missionaries changed Father Eusebio Francisco Kino's maps of the area; they renamed the town Arizonac as Arizona. As the maps were republished and circulated in Europe, the name Arizona became attached to the whole northern part of New Spain. USS Arizona was named in honor of this state. [Top] HistoryBeyond its original native inhabitants, Marcos de Niza, a Franciscan, explored the area in 1539. Coronado's expedition entered the area in 1540-42 during its search for Cibola. Father Kino developed a chain of missions and taught the Indians Christianity in Pimería Alta (now southern Arizona and northern Sonora) in the 1690's and early 1700's. Spain founded fortified towns (presidios) at Tubac in 1752 and Tucson in 1775. All of what is now Arizona became part of Mexico's northwest frontier upon the Mexican assertion of independence from Spain in 1821. The United States took possession of most of Arizona at the end of the Mexican War in 1848. 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 it was organized into a separate territory on February 24, 1863. At the direction of Brigham Young, Mormons came from Utah in the mid to late 1800s to the Phoenix Valley (or "Valley of the Sun"), Mesa, Tempe, Prescott, Snowflake, Heber and many other Arizona towns to settle there. One of the first Latter-day Saint temples built in the Southwest was the Mesa temple, finished in 1927. Arizona was admitted into the Union on February 14, 1912. [Top] Law and governmentSee: List of Congressmen Arizona's legislature consists of a thirty-member Senate and a 60-member House of Representatives. The majority party is the Republican party, which has held power since 1950. The 2002 budget of the Arizona state legislature was $14.3 billion, while the executive budget was $13.8 billion. Besides the money spent on state agencies, money has also been allocated for tax cuts, pay raises for government employees, and health insurance for government employees. The executive budget has allocated money to previously passed legislation. Arizona state senators and representatives are elected for two year terms and there are no terms limits. However, no more than four terms may be served consecutively. 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 has been governor since 2003. Napolitano was born in New York City, moving to Arizona after graduating from law school in 1983, whereupon she clerked for a U.S. Appeals Court judge before joining a Phoenix law firm. She became a partner in 1989. She was appointed United States Attorney for the District of Arizona by President Bill Clinton in 1993. In 1998, Napolitano was elected as the first female Attorney General by Arizona voters. During this time, she prosecuted a number of cases -- many backlogged -- and established herself in the eyes of many voters as a guardian of children, the elderly, women, and the environment. See:List of Arizona Governors The two Arizona US Senators 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), J.D. Hayworth (R-5), Jeff Flake (R-6), Raul Grijalva (R-7), and Jim Kolbe (R-8). Arizona gained two seats in the House of Representatives due to redistricting based on Census 2000. [Top] Geography
[Top] Demographics
[Top] Important cities and townsSee: List of cities in Arizona, List of cities in Arizona (by population), List of Arizona counties Each city named in bold has a population greater than 100,000.
[Top] Notable peopleFamous Arizonans also include Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, author Zane Grey, former Governor and Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, architect Frank Lloyd Wright, Presidential candidate and former Senator Barry Goldwater and former Solicitor General Rex E. Lee . From the rock and roll world, both Alice Cooper and Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac are from Phoenix. [Top] Education[Top] Colleges and universities[Top] State universities[Top] Community colleges
[Top] Private colleges and trade schools
[Top] Education associations
[Top] Professional sports teams
[Top] Spring trainingArizona is a popular location for Major League Baseball spring training. The state hosts the following major league teams (called the Cactus league) for spring training:
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