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ARIZONA - USA
Arizona was the 48th state admitted to the
United States and is part of the Southwest United States. It is one of the
Four Corners states, south and east of the Colorado River, bordering New
Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California and Mexico.
Its 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:
Spanish derivative, "arizonac", of the Pima or Papago word "al shon" or "aleh
zon" meaning little or young spring.
Spanish words "árida zona" meaning arid zone
Aztec word "arizuma" meaning silver bearing
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.
History
Beyond 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.
Law and government
See: 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.
In 1998, Arizona voters elected the "fabulous five" -- five women candidates
elected to the state's top posts:
Governor Jane Dee Hull (R)
State Attorney General Janet Napolitano (D)
State Treasurer Carol Springer (R)
Secretary of State Betsey Bayless (R)
Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Graham Keegan (R)
Geography
Like other states of the Southwest, Arizona has an abundance of
topographical characteristics in addition to its desert climes. More than
half of the state features mountains and plateaus and contains the largest
stand of Ponderosa pine in the United States. The Mogollon Rim, a 2000-foot
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.
Statistics
Largest City: Phoenix
Highest Point: Humphreys Peak - 12,633 ft. near Flagstaff
Lowest Point: Colorado River - 70 ft.
Economy
Early in its history, Arizona's economy relied on the "five C's": copper,
cotton, cattle, citrus and climate (i.e., tourism). At one point Arizona was
the largest producer of cotton in the country. Copper is still found in
abundance from many of its small mining towns. (See, for instance, Bisbee,
Ajo or Globe.) While the state government itself is the state's largest
employer, Wal-Mart is the state's largest private employer with 17,343
employees in 2003. Arizona lost much of its advantage as a high-technology
industry leader between 1990 and 2001, according to a state Department of
Commerce (http://www.commerce.state.az.us/) report. In 2001, 161,166
Arizonans were employed in the high-tech sector, accounting for about 8.3
percent of total private-sector employment of more than 1.9 million. High-tech
payroll in 2001 was $2.2 billion, or 14.7 percent 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.
Demographics
Population Breakdown: ([U.S. Census Bureau 2000 (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/04000.html)])
White: 75.5% (Not of Hispanic Origin: 63.8)
Native: 5.0
African American: 3.1
Asian: 1.8
Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.1
Other Race: 11.6
Persons reporting two or more races: 2.9%
See the list of Arizona Natives. According to 2003 Census esimates, Arizona
has the second highest number of the 2,752,158 Native Americans in the
country with over 10% of the country's total at 286,680. It is preceded by
California at 410,501 and followed by Oklahoma at 278,124 .
Notable people
Famous 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.
Colleges and universities
State universities
Arizona State University
University of Arizona
Northern Arizona University
Community colleges
Phoenix Community College
Glendale Community College
Mesa Community College
Scottsdale Community College
Pima Community College
Eastern Arizona College
Yavapai Community College
Rio Salado Community College
Prescott College
Cochise College
South Mountain Community College
Arizona Western College
Private colleges and trade schools
American Graduate School of International Management
American Indian College of the Assemblies of God
DeVry University, Phoenix
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Grand Canyon University
Prescott College
Southwestern College
University of Phoenix
Western International University
Education associations
Arizona Music Educators Association
Professional sports teams
Arizona Diamondbacks (Major League Baseball)
Arizona Cardinals (National Football League)
Arizona Rattlers (Arena Football League)
Arizona Sting (National Lacrosse League)
Phoenix Suns (National Basketball Association)
Phoenix Mercury (Women's National Basketball Association)
Phoenix Coyotes (National Hockey League)
Spring training
Arizona 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:
Anaheim Angels in Tempe
Arizona Diamondbacks in Tucson
Chicago Cubs in Mesa
Chicago White Sox in Tucson
Colorado Rockies in Tucson
Kansas City Royals in Surprise
Milwaukee Brewers in Phoenix
Oakland Athletics in Phoenix
San Diego Padres in Peoria
San Francisco Giants in Scottsdale
Seattle Mariners in Peoria
Texas Rangers in Surprise
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