Arizona#Political culture

The state's name appears to originate from an earlier Spanish name, {{lang|es|Arizonac}}, derived from the O'odham name {{lang|ood|alĭ ṣonak}}, meaning {{gloss|small spring}}. Initially this term was applied by Spanish colonists only to an area near the silver mining camp of Planchas de Plata, Sonora.{{cite book |last=Bright |first=William |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5XfxzCm1qa4C&pg=PA47 |title=Native American Place Names of the United States |publisher=University of Oklahoma Press |year=2004 |isbn=9780806135984 |location=Norman, OK |page=47}}{{cite journal |last1=Kitt |first1=E.O. |last2=Pearce |first2=T.M. |title=Arizona Place Name Records |journal=Western Folklore |volume=11 |issue=4 |pages=284–287 |doi=10.2307/1496233 |year=1952 |jstor=1496233 | issn = 0043-373X}}{{cite web |last=Harper |first=Douglas |title=Arizona |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Arizona |url-status=live |work=Online Etymology Dictionary |access-date=December 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728085024/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Arizona |archive-date=July 28, 2011}}{{cite book |last=McClintock |first=James |year=1916 |title=Arizona, Prehistoric, Aboriginal, Pioneer, Modern: The Nation's Youngest Commonwealth within a Land of Ancient Culture |url=https://archive.org/details/arizonaprehisto00unkngoog |location=Chicago |publisher=The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co. |access-date=November 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201224442/https://archive.org/details/arizonaprehisto00unkngoog |archive-date=February 1, 2015 |url-status=live}} To the European settlers, the O'odham pronunciation sounded like Arissona.{{cite web |last=Thompson |first=Clay |date=February 25, 2007 |title=No, 'arid zone' not the basis of state's name |url=https://azcentral.com/news/columns/articles/0211clay0211.html |url-status= |archive-url=https://archive.today/20141229214323/http://www.azcentral.com/news/columns/articles/0211clay0211.html |archive-date=December 29, 2014 |access-date=March 14, 2023 |work=The Arizona Republic}} The area is still known as {{lang|ood|alĭ ṣonak}} in the O'odham language.{{cite book |last1=Saxton |first1=Dean |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dOjZITU0N8AC |title=Dictionary: Tohono O'odham/Pima to English, English to Tohono O'odham/Pima |last2=Saxton |first2=Lucille |last3=Enos |first3=Susie |publisher=University of Arizona Press |year=1983 |isbn=9780816519422 |location=Tucson}}

Another possible origin is the Basque phrase {{lang|eu|haritz ona}} {{gloss|the good oak}}, as there were numerous Basque sheepherders in the area.{{cite web |last=Thompson |first=Clay |date=February 25, 2007 |title=A sorry state of affairs when views change |url=https://azcentral.com/news/columns/articles/0225clay0225.html |url-status= |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120604113027/http://www.azcentral.com/news/columns/articles/0225clay0225.html |archive-date=June 4, 2012 |access-date=March 3, 2007 |work=The Arizona Republic}}{{cite web |last=Turner |first=Jim |title=How Arizona Did NOT Get Its Name . . . |url=http://test.ahs.state.az.us/story/mar/az_name.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013122746/http://test.ahs.state.az.us/story/mar/az_name.htm |archive-date=October 13, 2007 |access-date=March 3, 2007 |publisher=Arizona Historical Society}}{{cite journal |last=Garate |first=Donald |year=2005 |title=Arizonac, a twentieth-century myth |journal=Journal of Arizona History |volume=46 |issue=2 |pages=161–184 |jstor=41696897}} A native-born Mexican of Basque ancestry established the {{lang|es|ranchería}} {{gloss|mode=def|small rural settlement}} of Arizona between 1734 and 1736 in the current Mexican state of Sonora. It became notable after a significant discovery of silver there around 1737.{{cite web |title=The Meaning of Arizona |url=https://azlibrary.gov/collections/digital-arizona-library-dazl/arizona-almanac/meaning-arizona |publisher=Arizona State Library Archives & Public Records |work=Arizona Almanac |access-date=March 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716234501/https://azlibrary.gov/collections/digital-arizona-library-dazl/arizona-almanac/meaning-arizona |archive-date=July 16, 2019 |url-status=live}}

The misconception that the state's name purportedly originated from the Spanish term {{lang|es|Árida Zona}} {{gloss|Arid Zone}} is considered a case of folk etymology.

{{main|History of Arizona}}

{{for timeline}}

For thousands of years before the modern era, Arizona was home to many ancient Native American civilizations. Hohokam, Mogollon, and Ancestral Puebloan cultures were among those that flourished throughout the state. Many of their pueblos, cliffside dwellings, rock paintings and other prehistoric treasures have survived and attract thousands of tourists each year. {{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

File:La conquista del Colorado.jpg, depicts Francisco Vázquez de Coronado's 1540–1542 expedition. García López de Cárdenas can be seen overlooking the Grand Canyon.]]

In 1539, Marcos de Niza, a Spanish Franciscan, became the first European to contact Native Americans. He explored parts of the present state and made contact with native inhabitants, probably the Sobaipuri. The expedition of Spanish explorer Coronado entered the area in 1540–1542 during its search for Cíbola.{{cite news |last=Borrens |first=Lobby |title=Francisco Vázquez de Coronado expedition to arizona |url=https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/francisco-vazquez-de-coronado/ |url-status=live |website=History |access-date=December 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211207060941/https://www.history.com/topics/exploration/francisco-vazquez-de-coronado |archive-date=December 7, 2021}} Few Spanish settlers migrated to Arizona. One of the first settlers in Arizona was José Romo de Vivar.Martínez Laínez, Fernando and Canales Torres, Carlos. Banderas lejanas: La exploración, conquista y defensa por parte de España del Territorio de los actuales Estados Unidos (in Spanish: Far flags. The exploration, conquest and defense by Spain of the Territory of the present United States). pp. 145–146. Fourth edition: September 2009.

Father Kino was the next European in the region. A member of the Society of Jesus ("Jesuits"), he led the development of a chain of missions in the region. He converted many of the Indians to Christianity in the Pimería Alta (now southern Arizona and northern Sonora) in the 1690s and early 18th century. Spain founded presidios ("fortified towns") at Tubac in 1752 and Tucson in 1775.{{cite web|title=Father Kino converted many Indians to Christians|url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/significance-of-missions.htm/|website=nps|access-date=December 10, 2021|archive-date=October 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019091931/https://www.nps.gov/articles/significance-of-missions.htm|url-status=live}}

When Mexico achieved its independence from the Kingdom of Spain and its Spanish Empire in 1821, what is now Arizona became part of its Territory of Nueva California, ("New California"), also known as Alta California ("Upper California").Timothy Anna et al., Historia de México. Barcelona: Critica, 2001, p. 10. Descendants of ethnic Spanish and mestizo settlers from the colonial years still lived in the area at the time of the arrival of later European-American migrants from the United States. {{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

File:Mexico 1824 (equirectangular projection).png in 1824. Alta California is the northwesternmost state.]]

During the Mexican–American War (1847–1848), the U.S. Army occupied the national capital of Mexico City and pursued its claim to much of northern Mexico, including what later became Arizona Territory in 1863 and later the State of Arizona in 1912.{{cite web|title=United States conqures arizona|url=https://www.history.com/topics/mexican-american-war/mexican-american-war/|last1=|first1=|website=history|access-date=December 10, 2021|archive-date=January 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121223944/https://www.history.com/topics/mexican-american-war/mexican-american-war|url-status=live}} The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848) specified that, in addition to language and cultural rights of the existing inhabitants of former Mexican citizens being considered as inviolable, the sum of $15{{spaces}}million in compensation ({{inflation|US|15000000|1848|fmt=eq|r=2}}) be paid to the Republic of Mexico.Mexican–American War as accessed on March 16, 2007, at 7:33 MST AM In 1853, the U.S. acquired the land south below the Gila River from Mexico in the Gadsden Purchase along the southern border area as encompassing the best future southern route for a transcontinental railway.{{cite web|title=Gadsden purchase|url=https://www.historytoday.com/archive/gadsden-purchase/|last1=|first1=|website=historytoday|access-date=December 2, 2021|archive-date=December 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228060057/https://www.historytoday.com/archive/gadsden-purchase|url-status=live}}

What is now the state of Arizona was administered by the United States government as part of the Territory of New Mexico from 1850 until the southern part of that region seceded from the Union to form the Territory of Arizona.{{cite web |url=http://members.tripod.com/~azrebel/page9.html |title=Arizona Ordinance of secession presented by the Col. Sherod Hunter Camp 1525, SCV, Phoenix, Arizona |publisher=Members.tripod.com |date=July 23, 2007 |access-date=July 25, 2010 |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20061002100903/http://members.tripod.com/%7Eazrebel/page9.html |archive-date=October 2, 2006 |url-status=dead }} This newly established territory was formally organized by the federal government of the Confederate States on Saturday, January 18, 1862, when President Jefferson Davis approved and signed An Act to Organize the Territory of Arizona,{{cite book |author=United States. Cong. Senate |date=1904 |orig-year=1st pub. Confederate States. Cong.: 1861–1862 |title=Journal of the Congress of the Confederate States of America, 1861–1865. Volume I |url=https://archive.org/stream/journalofcongres00conf#page/690/mode/2up |version=58th Cong. 2d sess. S. Doc. 234 |location=Washington |publisher=Government Printing Office |page=691 |lccn=05012700 |via=Internet Archive |access-date=August 11, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190222035453/https://archive.org/stream/journalofcongres00conf#page/690/mode/2up |archive-date=February 22, 2019 |url-status=live}} marking the first official use of the name "Territory of Arizona". The Southern territory supplied the Confederate government with men, horses, and equipment. Formed in 1862, Arizona scout companies served with the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. Arizona has the westernmost military engagement on record during the Civil War with the Battle of Picacho Pass (1862).{{Cite web |title=Picacho Peak |url=https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/picacho-peak |access-date=2023-08-10 |website=American Battlefield Trust |language=en-US}}

File:Apache chieff Geronimo (right) and his warriors in 1886.jpg (far right) and his Apache warriors fought against both Mexican and American settlers.]]

The Federal government declared a new U.S. Arizona Territory, consisting of the western half of earlier New Mexico Territory, in Washington, D.C., on February 24, 1863.{{cite web |last=Bates |first=Al |title=Arizona becomes a territory |url=https://apnews.com/article/224920232a414a638efa0399ac68a269/ |url-status=live |website=AP News |date=April 14, 2019 |access-date=December 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331135306/https://apnews.com/article/224920232a414a638efa0399ac68a269/ |archive-date=March 31, 2022}} These new boundaries would later form the basis of the state. The first territorial capital, Prescott, was founded in 1864 following a gold rush to central Arizona.{{cite book|last=Henson|first=Pauline|title=Founding a Wilderness Capital, Prescott, A. T., 1864|date=1965|publisher=Northland Press|location=Flagstaff, AZ|pages=passim|lccn=65-17578}} The capital was later moved to Tucson, back to Prescott, and then to its final location in Phoenix in a series of controversial moves as different regions of the territory gained and lost political influence with the growth and development of the territory.{{cite web |last1=Arroyo Rodriguez |first1=Nadine |title=Did You Know: Capital Of Arizona Moved 4 Times Before Settling In Phoenix |url=https://kjzz.org/content/49056/did-you-know-capital-arizona-moved-4-times-settling-phoenix |website=kjzz |access-date=January 9, 2019 |date=September 26, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190114044843/https://kjzz.org/content/49056/did-you-know-capital-arizona-moved-4-times-settling-phoenix |archive-date=January 14, 2019 |url-status=live }}

Although names including "Gadsonia", "Pimeria", "Montezuma" and "Arizuma" had been considered for the territory,{{cite web |title=Preserving Cultural and Historic Resources{{snd}}A Conservation Objective of the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan |url=http://www.pima.gov/cmo/sdcp/Archives/reports/Cult.html |website=pima.gov |access-date=November 13, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100703055719/http://www.pima.gov/cmo/sdcp/Archives/reports/Cult.html |archive-date=July 3, 2010 }} when 16th President Abraham Lincoln signed the final bill, it read "Arizona", and that name was adopted. (Montezuma was not derived from the Aztec emperor, but was the sacred name of a divine hero to the Pima people of the Gila River Valley. It was probably considered{{snd}}and rejected{{snd}}for its sentimental value before Congress settled on the name "Arizona".) {{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

Brigham Young, leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City in Utah, sent Mormons to Arizona in the mid- to late 19th century. They founded Mesa, Snowflake, Heber, Safford, and other towns. They also settled in the Phoenix Valley (or "Valley of the Sun"), Tempe, Prescott, and other areas. The Mormons settled what became northern Arizona and northern New Mexico. At the time these areas were in a part of the former New Mexico Territory.

During the nineteenth century, a series of gold and silver rushes occurred in the territory, the best known being the 1870s stampede to the silver bonanzas of Tombstone, Arizona, in southeast Arizona, also known for its legendary outlaws and lawmen.{{cite book |last1=Shillingberg |first1=William |title=Tombstone, A. T., A History of Early Mining, Milling and Mayhem |date=1999 |publisher=Arthur Clark |location=Spokane, WA |isbn=0870622730 |page=passim}} By the late 1880s, copper production eclipsed the precious metals with the rise of copper camps like Bisbee, Arizona, and Jerome, Arizona.{{cite book |last1=Bailey |first1=Lynn |title=Bisbee, Queen of the Copper Camps |date=2002 |publisher=Westernlore Press |location=Tucson|isbn=0870260588 |page=passim}}{{cite book |last1=Clements |first1=Eric |title=After the Boom in Tombstone and Jerome, Arizona |date=2003 |publisher=University of Nevada Press |location=Reno, NV |isbn=0874175712 |page=passim}} The boom and bust economy of mining also left hundreds of ghost towns across the territory, but copper mining continued to prosper with the territory producing more copper than any other state by 1907, which earned Arizona the nickname "the Copper State" at the time of statehood.{{cite book |last1=Varney |first1=Philip |title=Arizona Ghost Towns and Mining Camps |date=1994 |publisher=Arizona Highways, DOT |location=Phoenix|isbn=0916179443 |page=passim}}{{cite book |last1=Ascarza |first1=William |title=In Search of Fortunes, a Look at the History of Arizona Mining |date=2015 |publisher=M. T. Publishing |location=Evansville, IN|isbn=978-1938730696 |page=Passim}} During the first years of statehood the industry experienced growing pains and labor disputes with the Bisbee Deportation of 1917 the result of a copper miners' strike.{{cite book |last1=Byrkit |first1=James |title=Forging the Copper Collar, Arizona's Labor-Management War, 1901–1921 |date=1982 |publisher=University of Arizona Press |location=Tucson |isbn=08165-07457 |page=passim}}

File:Children of migrant cotton field workers from Sweetwater, Oklahoma, 8b15324.jpg-era migrant workers, Pinal County, 1937]]

During the Mexican Revolution from 1910 to 1920, several battles were fought in the Mexican towns just across the border from Arizona settlements. Throughout the revolution, many Arizonans enlisted in one of the several armies fighting in Mexico. Only two significant engagements took place on U.S. soil between U.S. and Mexican forces: Pancho Villa's 1916 Columbus Raid in New Mexico and the Battle of Ambos Nogales in 1918 in Arizona.

After Mexican federal troops fired on U.S. soldiers, the American garrison launched an assault into Nogales, Mexico. The Mexicans eventually surrendered after both sides sustained heavy casualties. A few months earlier, just west of Nogales, an Indian War battle had occurred, considered the last engagement in the American Indian Wars, which lasted from 1775 to 1918. U.S. soldiers stationed on the border confronted Yaqui Indians who were using Arizona as a base to raid the nearby Mexican settlements, as part of their wars against Mexico. {{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

Arizona became a U.S. state on February 14, 1912, coinciding with Valentine's Day. Arizona was the 48th state admitted to the U.S. and the last of the contiguous states to be admitted.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

File:Eleanor Roosevelt at Gila River, Arizona at Japanese-American Internment Center - NARA - 197094.jpg at the Gila River relocation center, April 23, 1943]]

Cotton farming and copper mining, two of Arizona's most important statewide industries, suffered heavily during the Great Depression.{{cite web|title=Arizona economy during great depression|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Arizona-state/Economy/|last1=tan|first1=bri|website=Britannica|access-date=December 20, 2021|archive-date=August 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210831005620/https://www.britannica.com/place/Arizona-state/Economy|url-status=live}} But during the 1920s and even the 1930s, tourism began to develop as the important Arizonan industry it is today. Dude ranches, such as the K L Bar and Remuda in Wickenburg, along with the Flying V and Tanque Verde in Tucson, gave tourists the chance to take part in the flavor and activities of the "Old West". Several upscale hotels and resorts opened during this period, some of which are still top tourist draws. They include the Arizona Biltmore Hotel in central Phoenix (opened 1929) and the Wigwam Resort on the west side of the Phoenix area (opened 1936).{{cite web|title=Biltomore hotel history|url=https://www.arizonabiltmore.com/about/history/|website=arizonabiltmore|access-date=December 10, 2021|archive-date=December 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211226040458/https://www.arizonabiltmore.com/about/history|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Wigman resort history|url=https://www.wigwamarizona.com/our-resort/our-history/|website=wigmanresort|access-date=December 10, 2021|archive-date=November 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211104185840/https://www.wigwamarizona.com/our-resort/our-history|url-status=live}}

Arizona was the site of German prisoner of war camps during World War{{spaces}}II and Japanese American internment camps.{{cite web|title=Arizona concentration camps|url=https://azlibrary.gov/dazl/learners/research-topics/japanese-american-relocation-and-internment-during-world-war-ii/|last1=Hobbs|first1=Katie|website=azliabary|access-date=December 20, 2021|archive-date=December 31, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211231050228/https://azlibrary.gov/dazl/learners/research-topics/japanese-american-relocation-and-internment-during-world-war-ii/|url-status=live}} Because of wartime fears of a Japanese invasion of the U.S. West Coast (which in fact materialized in the Aleutian Islands Campaign in June 1942), from 1942 to 1945, persons of Japanese descent were forced to reside in internment camps built in the interior of the country. Many lost their homes and businesses. The camps were abolished after World War{{spaces}}II.{{cite web|title=Arizona concentration camps shut down|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/chandler/2017/01/30/5-things-know-arizonas-world-war-ii-internment-camps/96965004/|last1=central|first1=AZ|website=azcentral|access-date=December 20, 2021|archive-date=May 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509225535/https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/chandler/2017/01/30/5-things-know-arizonas-world-war-ii-internment-camps/96965004/|url-status=live}}

The Phoenix-area POW camp site for Germans was purchased after the war by the Maytag family (of major home appliance fame). It was developed as the site of the Phoenix Zoo. A Japanese-American internment camp was on Mount Lemmon, just outside the state's southeastern city of Tucson. Another POW camp was near the Gila River in eastern Yuma County. Arizona was also home to the Phoenix Indian School, one of several federal Indian boarding schools designed to assimilate Native American children into mainstream European-American culture. Children were often enrolled in these schools against the wishes of their parents and families. Attempts to suppress native identities included forcing the children to cut their hair, to take and use English names, to speak only English, and to practice Christianity rather than their native religions.{{cite web |url=http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/phoenix/ |title=Archaeology of the Phoenix Indian School |publisher=Archaeology.org |date=March 27, 1998 |access-date=July 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091103142851/http://www.archaeology.org/online/features/phoenix/ |archive-date=November 3, 2009 |url-status=live}}

Numerous Native Americans from Arizona fought for the United States during World War{{spaces}}II. Their experiences resulted in a rising activism in the postwar years to achieve better treatment and civil rights after their return to the state. After Maricopa County did not allow them to register to vote, in 1948 veteran Frank Harrison and Harry Austin, of the Mojave-Apache Tribe at Fort McDowell Indian Reservation, brought a legal suit, Harrison and Austin v. Laveen, to challenge this exclusion. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled in their favor.[http://az.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19480715_0040021.AZ.htm/qx Harrison v. Laveen, July 1948] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817105341/http://az.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19480715_0040021.AZ.htm/qx |date=August 17, 2016}}, Arizona Supreme Court

Arizona's population grew tremendously with residential and business development after World War{{spaces}}II, aided by the widespread use of air conditioning, which made the intensely hot summers more comfortable. According to the Arizona Blue Book (published by the Arizona Secretary of State's office each year), the state population in 1910 was 294,353. By 1970, it was 1,752,122. The percentage growth each decade averaged about 20% in the earlier decades, and about 60% each decade thereafter. {{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

In the 1960s, retirement communities were developed. These age-restricted subdivisions catered exclusively to the needs of senior citizens and attracted many retirees who wanted to escape the harsh winters of the Midwest and the Northeast. Sun City, established by developer Del Webb and opened in 1960, was one of the first such communities. Green Valley, south of Tucson, was another such community, designed as a retirement subdivision for Arizona's teachers. Many senior citizens from across the United States and Canada come to Arizona each winter and stay only during the winter months; they are referred to as snowbirds. {{Citation needed|date=June 2023}}

In March 2000, Arizona was the site of the first legally binding election ever held over the internet to nominate a candidate for public office.[http://www.thegreenpapers.com/News/19991003-0.html "Arizona Democrats authorize Internet Voting for March 11 Advisory Primary"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101106154155/http://www.thegreenpapers.com/News/19991003-0.html |date=November 6, 2010}}, The Green Papers In the 2000 Arizona Democratic Primary, under worldwide attention, Al Gore defeated Bill Bradley. Voter turnout in this state primary increased more than 500% over the 1996 primary.

In the 21st century, Arizona has frequently garnered national attention for its efforts to quell illegal immigration into the state. In 2004, voters passed Proposition 200, requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. The Supreme Court of the United States struck this restriction down in 2013.{{cite web |title=Supreme Court strikes down Arizona voting law |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-strikes-down-arizona-voting-law/ |website=CBS News |date=June 17, 2013 |access-date=7 February 2021 |archive-date=August 11, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811203519/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-strikes-down-arizona-voting-law/ |url-status=live}} In 2010, Arizona enacted SB 1070 which required all immigrants to carry immigration papers at all times, but the Supreme Court also invalidated parts of this law in Arizona v. United States in 2012.{{cite web|title=Arizona immigration law|url=https://www.ncsl.org/research/immigration/analysis-of-arizonas-immigration-law.aspx/|last1=ncsl|first1=ncsl|website=ncsl|access-date=January 26, 2022|archive-date=January 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120052551/https://www.ncsl.org/research/immigration/analysis-of-arizonas-immigration-law.aspx|url-status=live}}

On January 8, 2011, a gunman shot congresswoman Gabby Giffords and 18 others at a gathering in Tucson. Giffords was critically wounded. The incident sparked national attention regarding incendiary political rhetoric.{{cite web |last1=Hulse |first1=Carl |last2=Zernike |first2=Kate |title=Bloodshed Puts New Focus on Vitriol in Politics |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/us/politics/09capital.html |url-status=live |website=The New York Times |date=January 9, 2011 |access-date=February 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125024701/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/us/politics/09capital.html |archive-date=January 25, 2021}}

Three ships named USS Arizona have been christened in honor of the state, although only USS Arizona (BB-39) was so named after statehood was achieved.

{{main|Geography of Arizona}}

File:Arizona Köppen.svg of Arizona]]

File:USA 09847 Grand Canyon Luca Galuzzi 2007.jpg]]

Arizona is in the Southwestern United States as one of the Four Corners states. Arizona is the sixth largest state by area, ranked after New Mexico and before Nevada. Of the state's {{convert|113998|sqmi|km2|-3}}, approximately 15% is privately owned. The remaining area is public forest and parkland, state trust land and Native American reservations. There are 24 National Park Service maintained sites in Arizona, including the three national parks of Grand Canyon National Park, Saguaro National Park, and the Petrified Forest National Park.{{cite web |title=National Park Service – Arizona |url=https://www.nps.gov/state/az/index.htm |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=January 10, 2021 |archive-date=February 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210215074837/https://www.nps.gov/state/az/index.htm |url-status=live}}

Arizona is well known for its desert Basin and Range region in the state's southern portions, which is rich in a landscape of xerophyte plants such as the cactus. This region's topography was shaped by prehistoric volcanism, followed by the cooling-off and related subsidence. Its climate has exceptionally hot summers and mild winters. The state is less well known for its pine-covered north-central portion of the high country of the Colorado Plateau (see Arizona Mountains forests).

Like other states of the Southwest United States, Arizona is marked by high mountains, the Colorado plateau, and mesas. Despite the state's aridity, 27% of Arizona is forest,{{cite web |url=https://azsf.az.gov/forestry-community-forestry/urban-community-forestry |title=Urban and Community Forestry Division |publisher=Arizona State Forestry Division |access-date=July 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714213135/https://azsf.az.gov/forestry-community-forestry/urban-community-forestry |archive-date=July 14, 2014 |url-status=live }} a percentage comparable to modern-day Romania or Greece.{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/288.html |title= The World Factbook |publisher=Cia.gov |access-date=2020-04-18 |archive-date=April 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200430054150/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/288.html |url-status=dead }} The world's largest stand of ponderosa pine trees is in Arizona.{{cite web |url=http://www.ncsu.edu/project/wildfire/Arizona/prescott/prescott.html |title=Prescott Overview |publisher=Ncsu.edu |date=May 15, 2002 |access-date=July 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100118135417/http://www.ncsu.edu/project/wildfire/Arizona/prescott/prescott.html |archive-date=January 18, 2010 |url-status=live }}

The Mogollon Rim ({{IPA|/ ˌmoʊ gəˈyoʊn /}}), a {{convert|1998|ft|adj=on}} escarpment, cuts across the state's central section and marks the southwestern edge of the Colorado Plateau. In 2002, this was an area of the Rodeo–Chediski Fire, the worst fire in state history until 2011.

Located in northern Arizona, the Grand Canyon is a colorful, deep, steep-sided gorge, carved by the Colorado River. The canyon is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and is largely contained in the Grand Canyon National Park{{snd}}one of the first national parks in the United States. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of designating the Grand Canyon area as a National Park, often visiting to hunt mountain lion and enjoy the scenery. The canyon was created by the Colorado River cutting a channel over millions of years, and is about {{convert|277|mi}} long, ranges in width from {{convert|4|to|18|mi|0}} and attains a depth of more than {{convert|1|mi}}. Nearly two{{spaces}}billion years of the Earth's history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut through layer after layer of sediment as the Colorado Plateau uplifted.

Arizona is home to one of the most well-preserved meteorite impact sites in the world. Created around 50,000 years ago, the Barringer Meteorite Crater (better known simply as "Meteor Crater") is a gigantic hole in the middle of the high plains of the Colorado Plateau, about {{convert|25|mi|km}} west of Winslow.{{Cite web |title=Meteor Crater Arizona - World's Best Meteorite Impact Crater |url=https://www.meteorite.com/meteor-crater/#:~:text=Meteor%20Crater%20(Barringer%20Meteorite%20Crater,preserved%20impact%20crater%20on%20Earth. |access-date=2022-09-13 |website=www.meteorite.com |archive-date=September 13, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220913041730/https://www.meteorite.com/meteor-crater/#:~:text=Meteor%20Crater%20(Barringer%20Meteorite%20Crater,preserved%20impact%20crater%20on%20Earth. |url-status=live }} A rim of smashed and jumbled boulders, some of them the size of small houses, rises {{convert|150|ft|m}} above the level of the surrounding plain. The crater itself is nearly a mile (1.6 kilometers) wide and {{convert|570|ft|m}} deep.

Arizona is one of two U.S. states, along with Hawaii, that does not observe Daylight Saving Time, though the large Navajo Nation in the state's northeastern region does.

File:Sycamore Canyon (5416824896).jpg|Sycamore Canyon

File:Lockett Meadow (29830270612).jpg|San Francisco Peaks

File:Mogollon Rim Panorama (37352744001).jpg|Mogollon Rim

File:Chiricahua Mountains (10-21-2019) (48952747716).jpg|Chiricahua Mountains

File:Saguaro Cactus near Tucson, Arizona LCCN2010630287.tif|Sonoran Desert

File:Barringer Meteor Crater, Arizona.jpg|Meteor Crater

• Utah (north)
• Colorado (northeast)
• Nevada (northwest)
• Sonora, Mexico (south)
• Baja California, Mexico (southwest)
• New Mexico (east)
• California (west)

{{further|Climate change in Arizona}}

File:Koppen-Geiger Map v2 USA Arizona 1991–2020.svg climate map of Arizona.]]

Due to its large area and variations in elevation, the state has a wide variety of localized climate conditions. In the lower elevations the climate is primarily desert, with mild winters and extremely hot summers. Typically, from late fall to early spring, the weather is mild, averaging a minimum of {{convert|60|°F}}. November through February are the coldest months, with temperatures typically ranging from {{convert|40 to 75|°F}}, with occasional frosts.{{cite web |url=http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/narratives/ARIZONA.htm |title=Arizona Climate |date=December 7, 2001 |access-date=December 28, 2011 |publisher=Desert Research Institute, Western Regional Climate Center, Reno, Nevada |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111222180507/http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/narratives/ARIZONA.htm |archive-date=December 22, 2011 |url-status=live}}

About midway through February, the temperatures start to rise, with warm days, and cool, breezy nights. The summer months of June through September bring a dry heat from {{convert|90 to 120|°F}}, with occasional high temperatures exceeding {{convert|125|°F}} having been observed in the desert area. Arizona's all-time record high is {{convert|128|°F}} recorded at Lake Havasu City on June 29, 1994, and July 5, 2007; the all-time record low of {{convert|-40|°F}} was recorded at Hawley Lake on January 7, 1971.{{cite web|title=Climate records az|url=https://yourcitybeat.com/arizona/|last1=beat|first1=your|website=nyourcitybeat|access-date=December 2, 2021|archive-date=December 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228065039/https://yourcitybeat.com/arizona/|url-status=live}}

Due to the primarily dry climate, large diurnal temperature variations occur in less-developed areas of the desert above {{convert|2500|feet|abbr=on}}. The swings can be as large as 83{{spaces}}°F (46{{spaces}}°C) in the summer months. In the state's urban centers, the effects of local warming result in much higher measured night-time lows than in the recent past.

Arizona has an average annual rainfall of {{convert|12.7|in|mm|sigfig=3|abbr=on}},{{cite web |author=Climate Assessment for the Southwest |title=The Climate of the Southwest |url=http://www.ispe.arizona.edu/climas/pubs/CL1-99.html |url-status=dead |publisher=University of Arizona |date=December 1999 |access-date=March 21, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012202434/http://ispe.arizona.edu/climas/pubs/CL1-99.html |archive-date=October 12, 2007}} which comes during two rainy seasons, with cold fronts coming from the Pacific Ocean during the winter and a monsoon in the summer.{{cite web |author=United States Geological Survey |title=Hydrologic Conditions in Arizona During 1999–2004: A Historical Perspective |url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2005/3081/pdf/FS2005-3081WEB.pdf |url-status=live |date=September 2005 |access-date=December 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104221230/http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2005/3081/pdf/FS2005-3081WEB.pdf |archive-date=November 4, 2011}} The monsoon season occurs toward the end of summer. In July or August, the dewpoint rises dramatically for a brief period. During this time, the air contains large amounts of water vapor. Dewpoints as high as 81{{spaces}}°F (27{{spaces}}°C){{cite web|url=http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KPHX/2011/7/1/CustomHistory.html?dayend=31&monthend=8&yearend=2011&req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA|title=History for Phoenix, AZ|publisher=Weather Underground|date=August 31, 2006|access-date=December 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130807041749/http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/KPHX/2011/7/1/CustomHistory.html?dayend=31&monthend=8&yearend=2011&req_city=NA&req_state=NA&req_statename=NA|archive-date=August 7, 2013|url-status=live}} have been recorded during the Phoenix monsoon season. This hot moisture brings lightning, thunderstorms, wind, and torrential, if usually brief, downpours. These downpours often cause flash floods, which can turn deadly. In an attempt to deter drivers from crossing flooding streams, the Arizona Legislature enacted the Stupid Motorist Law. It is rare for tornadoes or hurricanes to occur in Arizona.

Arizona's northern third is a plateau at significantly higher altitudes than the lower desert, and has an appreciably cooler climate, with cold winters and mild summers, though the climate remains semiarid to arid. Extremely low temperatures are not unknown; cold air systems from the northern states and Canada occasionally push into the state, bringing temperatures below {{convert|0|°F}} to the state's northern parts.{{cite web |last=Hedding |title=The Weather and Climate in Arizona: Too Hot to Handle? |url=https://www.tripsavvy.com/arizona-weather-facts-and-trivia-2677843 |website=TripSavvy |access-date=September 14, 2022 |archive-date=September 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220914021813/https://www.tripsavvy.com/arizona-weather-facts-and-trivia-2677843 |url-status=live }}

Indicative of the variation in climate, Arizona is the state which has both the metropolitan area with the most days over {{convert|100|°F}} (Phoenix), and the metropolitan area in the lower 48 states with the most days with a low temperature below freezing (Flagstaff).{{cite web|url=http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/online/ccd/min32temp.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011217185325/http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/online/ccd/min32temp.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 17, 2001 |title=Mean number of Days with Minimum Temperature Below 32F National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Retrieved March 24, 2007 |publisher=Lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov |date=August 20, 2008 |access-date=December 28, 2011}}

Arizona is considered as relatively vulnerable to climate change, which can make six of Arizona`s 15 counties uninhabitable for humans by the years 2040–2060. This was the cautionary warning made by a December 2020 study released by ProPublica and Rhodium Group.{{cite news |last1=Bastler |first1=Hunter |title=6 Arizona counties may be uninhabitable in next 30 years due to climate change, study shows |url=https://www.12news.com/article/tech/science/environment/six-arizona-counties-at-high-risk-of-being-uninhabitable-by-2040-due-to-climate-change-rhodium-group-study-shows-pinal-graham-cochise-maricopa-yuma/75-24d65d75-00fc-4007-ae4c-2aa4e15c1550 |access-date=17 November 2024 |agency=12 News AZ |date=15 December 2020}}

{{See also|List of places in Arizona|List of cities and towns in Arizona|List of Arizona counties}}

{{More citations needed section|date=February 2021}}

File:Scottsdale cityscape4.jpg, 2006]]

Phoenix, in Maricopa County, is Arizona's capital and largest city. Other prominent cities in the Phoenix metro area include Mesa (Arizona's third largest city), Chandler (Arizona's fourth largest city), Glendale, Peoria, Buckeye, Sun City, Sun City West, Fountain Hills, Surprise, Gilbert, El Mirage, Avondale, Tempe, Tolleson and Scottsdale, with a total metropolitan population of just over 4.7{{spaces}}million.{{cite news |title=Phoenix Business Journal |date=September 2, 2011 |page=4}} The average high temperature in July, {{convert|106|°F|°C}}, is one of the highest of any metropolitan area in the United States, offset by an average January high temperature of {{convert|67|°F|°C}}, the basis of its winter appeal.

Tucson, with a metro population of just over one{{spaces}}million, is the state's second-largest city. Located in Pima County, approximately {{convert|110|mi}} southeast of Phoenix, it was incorporated in 1877, making it the oldest incorporated city in Arizona. It is home to the University of Arizona. Major incorporated suburbs of Tucson include Oro Valley and Marana northwest of the city, Sahuarita south of the city, and South Tucson in an enclave south of downtown. It has an average July temperature of 100{{spaces}}°F (38{{spaces}}°C) and winter temperatures averaging 65{{spaces}}°F (18{{spaces}}°C). Saguaro National Park, just west of the city in the Tucson Mountains, is the site of the world's largest collection of Saguaro cacti.

The Prescott metropolitan area includes the cities of Prescott, Cottonwood, Camp Verde and many other towns in the {{convert|8123|sqmi|km2|sigfig=3}} of Yavapai County area. With 212,635 residents, this cluster of towns is the state's third largest metropolitan area. The city of Prescott (population 41,528) lies approximately {{convert|100|mi}} northwest of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Situated in pine tree forests at an elevation of about {{convert|5500|ft}}, Prescott enjoys a much cooler climate than Phoenix, with average summer highs around {{convert|88|°F|°C}} and winter temperatures averaging {{convert|50|°F|°C}}.

Yuma is the center of the fourth-largest metropolitan area in Arizona. Located in Yuma County, it is near the borders of California and Mexico. It is one of the hottest cities in the United States, with an average July high of {{convert|107|F}}. For comparison, the same month's average in Death Valley is {{convert|115|F}}. The city features sunny days about 90% of the year. The Yuma Metropolitan Statistical Area has a population of 160,000. Yuma attracts many winter visitors from all over the United States.

Flagstaff, in Coconino County, is the largest city in northern Arizona, and is at an elevation of nearly {{convert|7000|ft}}. With its large Ponderosa pine forests, snowy winter weather and picturesque mountains, it is a stark contrast to the desert regions typically associated with Arizona. It is sited at the base of the San Francisco Peaks, the highest mountain range in the state of Arizona, which contains Humphreys Peak, the highest point in Arizona at {{convert|12633|ft}}. Flagstaff has a strong tourism sector, due to its proximity to numerous tourist attractions including: Grand Canyon National Park, Sedona, and Oak Creek Canyon. Historic U.S. Route 66 is the main east–west street in the town. The Flagstaff metropolitan area is home to 134,421 residents and the main campus of Northern Arizona University.

Lake Havasu City, in Mohave County, known as "Arizona's playground", was developed on the Colorado River and is named after Lake Havasu. Lake Havasu City has a population of about 57,000 people. It is famous for huge spring break parties, sunsets and the London Bridge, relocated from London, England. Lake Havasu City was founded by real estate developer Robert P. McCulloch in 1963.{{cite web |url=http://www.lhcaz.gov/aboutUs.html |title=Welcome to Lake Havasu City |access-date=July 5, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150823014835/http://lhcaz.gov/aboutUs.html |archive-date=August 23, 2015 |publisher=Lake Havasu City}} It has two colleges, Mohave Community College and ASU Colleges in Lake Havasu City.{{cite web |url=https://havasu.asu.edu |title=ASU@Lake Havasu |publisher=Arizona Board of Regents |access-date=March 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190320191158/https://havasu.asu.edu/ |archive-date=March 20, 2019 |url-status=live }}

{{Largest cities

| country = Arizona

| stat_ref = Source:{{cite web |title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=September 6, 2022 |archive-date=July 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220711040810/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html |url-status=live }}

| list_by_pop =

| div_name =

| div_link = Counties of Arizona{{!}}County

| city_1 = Phoenix, Arizona{{!}}Phoenix

| div_1 = Maricopa County, Arizona{{!}}Maricopa

| pop_1 = 1,624,569

| img_1 = Downtown Phoenix Aerial Looking Northeast.jpg

| city_2 = Tucson, Arizona{{!}}Tucson

| div_2 = Pima County, Arizona{{!}}Pima

| pop_2 = 543,242

| img_2 = View of Tucson from Sentinel Peak 2.jpg

| city_3 = Mesa, Arizona{{!}}Mesa

| div_3 = Maricopa County, Arizona{{!}}Maricopa

| pop_3 = 509,475

| img_3 = Downtown_Mesa_Arizona.jpg

| city_4 = Chandler, Arizona{{!}}Chandler

| div_4 = Maricopa County, Arizona{{!}}Maricopa

| pop_4 = 279,458

| img_4 = Neighborhoods in the City of Chandler.jpg

| city_5 = Gilbert, Arizona{{!}}Gilbert

| div_5 = Maricopa County, Arizona{{!}}Maricopa

| pop_5 = 273,136

| img_5 =

| city_6 = Glendale, Arizona{{!}}Glendale

| div_6 = Maricopa County, Arizona{{!}}Maricopa

| pop_6 = 249,630

| img_6 =

| city_7 = Scottsdale, Arizona{{!}}Scottsdale

| div_7 = Maricopa County, Arizona{{!}}Maricopa

| pop_7 = 242,753

| img_7 =

| city_8 = Peoria, Arizona{{!}}Peoria

| div_8 = Maricopa County, Arizona{{!}}Maricopa

| pop_8 = 194,917

| img_8 =

| city_9 = Tempe, Arizona{{!}}Tempe

| div_9 = Maricopa County, Arizona{{!}}Maricopa

| pop_9 = 184,118

| img_9 =

| city_10 = Surprise, Arizona{{!}}Surprise

| div_10 = Maricopa County, Arizona{{!}}Maricopa

| pop_10 = 149,191

| img_10 =

| city_11 = Goodyear, Arizona{{!}}Goodyear

| div_11 = Maricopa County, Arizona{{!}}Maricopa

| pop_11 = 101,733

| img_11 =

| city_12 = Buckeye, Arizona{{!}}Buckeye

| div_12 = Maricopa County, Arizona{{!}}Maricopa

| pop_12 = 101,315

| img_12 =

| city_13 = Yuma, Arizona{{!}}Yuma

| div_13 = Yuma County, Arizona{{!}}Yuma

| pop_13 = 97,093

| img_13 =

| city_14 = Avondale, Arizona{{!}}Avondale

| div_14 = Maricopa County, Arizona{{!}}Maricopa

| pop_14 = 90,564

| img_14 =

| city_15 = Flagstaff, Arizona{{!}}Flagstaff

| div_15 = Coconino County, Arizona{{!}}Coconino

| pop_15 = 76,989

| img_15 =

| city_16 = Queen Creek, Arizona{{!}}Queen Creek

| div_16 = Maricopa County, Arizona{{!}}Maricopa / Pinal

| pop_16 = 66,346

| img_16 =

| city_17 = Maricopa, Arizona{{!}}Maricopa

| div_17 = Pinal County, Arizona{{!}}Pinal

| pop_17 = 62,720

| img_17 =

| city_18 = Lake Havasu City, Arizona{{!}}Lake Havasu City

| div_18 = Mohave County, Arizona{{!}}Mohave

| pop_18 = 58,284

| img_18 =

| city_19 = Casa Grande, Arizona{{!}}Casa Grande

| div_19 = Pinal County, Arizona{{!}}Pinal

| pop_19 = 57,699

| img_19 =

| city_20 = Marana, Arizona{{!}}Marana

| div_20 = Pima County, Arizona{{!}}Pima

| pop_20 = 54,895

| img_20 =

}}

{{Main|Demographics of Arizona}}

{{gallery

|height=250px

|File:Arizona population density 2020.png|Population density map of Arizona, 2020

|File:Arizona counties by race.svg|Map of counties in Arizona by racial plurality, per the 2020 U.S. census {{Collapsible list| title=Legend |

Non-Hispanic White

{{legend|#dd7e6b|40–50%}}

{{legend|#cc4125|50–60%}}

{{legend|#a61c00|60–70%}}

{{legend|#85200c|70–80%}}

Native American

{{legend|#b6d7a8|40–50%}}

{{legend|#38761d|70–80%}}

Hispanic or Latino

{{legend|#45818e|60–70%}}

{{legend|#0c343d|80–90%}}

}}

|File:Extension spanish arizona.png|Extent of the Spanish language in the state of Arizona}}

{{US Census population

|1860= 6482

|1870= 9658

|1880= 40440

|1890= 88243

|1900= 122931

|1910= 204354

|1920= 334162

|1930= 435573

|1940= 499261

|1950= 749587

|1960= 1302161

|1970= 1770900

|1980= 2718215

|1990= 3665228

|2000= 5130632

|2010= 6392017

|2020= 7151502

|estimate=7582384

|estyear=2024

|align-fn=center

|footnote=Sources: 1910–2020{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429012609/https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/popchange-data-text.html|url-status=dead|title=Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020)|archive-date=April 29, 2021|website=Census.gov}}{{break}}Note that early censuses{{break}}may not include{{break}}Native Americans in Arizona

2024{{cite web|title=QuickFacts: Arizona|website=United States Census Bureau|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/AZ|access-date=December 26, 2024}}

}}

The United States Census Bureau records Arizona's population as 7,151,502 in the 2020 census, a 12% increase since the 2010 United States census.

Arizona remained sparsely settled for most of the 19th century.[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/34807/Arizona Arizona (state, United States)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100226165141/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/34807/Arizona |date=February 26, 2010 }}. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. The 1860 census reported the population of "Arizona County" to be 6,482, of whom 4,040 were listed as "Indians", 21 as "free colored", and 2,421 as "white"."[https://www.phoenixacandheating.com/arizona-race-and-hispanic-origin/ Arizona{{snd}}Race and Hispanic Origin: 1860 to 1990.]" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209063255/https://www.phoenixacandheating.com/arizona-race-and-hispanic-origin/ |date=February 9, 2018 }}.[https://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/tab17.pdf Census.gov Arizona{{snd}}Race and Hispanic Origin: 1860 to 1990] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112102601/http://www.census.gov/population/www/documentation/twps0056/tab17.pdf |date=January 12, 2012 }} Arizona's continued population growth has put an enormous stress on the state's water supply."[https://azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/viewpoints/articles/0309vip-udall0309.html Arizona at a crossroads over water and growth]". The Arizona Republic. March 9, 2008. {{as of|2011}}, 61% of Arizona's children under age one belonged to racial groups of color."[http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html Americans under age one now mostly minorities, but not in Ohio: Statistical Snapshot] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160714084214/http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2012/06/americas_under_age_1_populatio.html |date=July 14, 2016 }}". The Plain Dealer. June 3, 2012.

The population of metropolitan Phoenix increased by 45% from 1991 through 2001, helping to make Arizona the second fastest-growing state in the U.S. in the 1990s (the fastest was Nevada)."[https://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/phc-t3/tab05.txt Ranking Tables for Metropolitan Areas: 1990 and 2000] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180719123746/https://www.census.gov/population/cen2000/phc-t3/tab05.txt |date=July 19, 2018 }}." United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved on July 8, 2006.

According to the 2010 United States census, Arizona had a population of 6,392,017. In 2010, illegal immigrants constituted an estimated 8% of the population. This was the second highest percentage of any state in the U.S.{{cite news | first=Peter | last=Slevin | title=New Arizona law puts police in 'tenuous' spot | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2010/04/29/GR2010042904397.html | newspaper=Washington Post | location=Washington, DC | page=A4 | date=April 30, 2010 | access-date=December 28, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110131065900/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/graphic/2010/04/29/GR2010042904397.html | archive-date=January 31, 2011 | url-status=live }}{{efn|Second to Nevada with 9% in 2010}}

Metropolitan Phoenix (4.7{{spaces}}million) and Tucson (1.0{{spaces}}million) are home to about five-sixths of Arizona's people (as of the 2010 census). Metro Phoenix alone accounts for two-thirds of the state's population.

According to HUD's 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 13,553 homeless people living in Arizona.{{Cite web |title=2007-2022 PIT Counts by State |url=https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |access-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-date=March 14, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230314020239/https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.huduser.gov%2Fportal%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fxls%2F2007-2022-PIT-Counts-by-State.xlsx&wdOrigin=BROWSELINK |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=The 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report (AHAR) to Congress |url=https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |access-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311234217/https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/2022-AHAR-Part-1.pdf |url-status=live }}

As of 2018, the top countries of origin for Arizona's immigrant population were Mexico, Canada, India, the Philippines and China.{{cite web|url=https://www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/sites/default/files/research/immigrants_in_arizona.pdf|title=Immigrants in Arizona}}

{{See also|Hispanics and Latinos in Arizona|Indigenous peoples of Arizona}}

Arizona's largest ancestry groups, {{as of|2022|lc=y}}, were:{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B04006 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B04006&geo_ids=04000US04&primary_geo_id=04000US04#valueType%7Cpercentage |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=censusreporter.org}}{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B02009 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B02009&geo_ids=04000US04&primary_geo_id=04000US04 |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=censusreporter.org}}{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B03001 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B03001&geo_ids=04000US04&primary_geo_id=04000US04 |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=censusreporter.org}}{{Cite web |title=Grid View: Table B02017 - Census Reporter |url=https://censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B02017&geo_ids=04000US04&primary_geo_id=04000US04 |access-date=2024-06-28 |website=censusreporter.org}}

1. Mexican (27.7%)
2. German (12%)
3. English (9.8%)
4. Irish (8.5%)
5. African (6.4%)
6. Navajo (2.2%)

File:Navajo Cowboy-1.jpg]]

{{as of|2010}}, 73% (4,215,749) of Arizona residents age five and older spoke only English at home, while 21% (1,202,638) spoke Spanish, 2% (85,602) Navajo, <1% (22,592) German, <1% (22,426) Chinese (which includes Mandarin), <1% (19,015) Tagalog, <1% (17,603) Vietnamese, <1% (15,707) Other North American Indigenous Languages (especially indigenous languages of Arizona), and French was spoken as a main language by <1% (15,062) of the population over the age of five. In total, 27% (1,567,548) of Arizona's population age five and older spoke a mother language other than English.{{cite web|url=http://www.mla.org/map_data|title=Arizona|publisher=Modern Language Association|access-date=October 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071201170638/http://www.mla.org/map_data|archive-date=December 1, 2007|url-status=live}}

Arizona is home to the largest number of speakers of Native American languages in the 48 contiguous states, as more than 85,000 individuals reported speaking Navajo,2005 American Community Survey. Retrieved from [http://www.mla.org/map_data the data of the MLA] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071201170638/http://www.mla.org/map_data |date=December 1, 2007}}, July 13, 2010 and 10,403 people reported Apache, as a language spoken at home in 2005. Arizona's Apache County has the highest concentration of speakers of Native American Indian languages in the United States.[http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/12/11/Arizona-has-most-Indian-language-speakers/UPI-82861323650994/#ixzz1gM3HQRxc Arizona has most Indian language speakers] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111212172719/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/12/11/Arizona-has-most-Indian-language-speakers/UPI-82861323650994/#ixzz1gM3HQRxc |date=December 12, 2011}}. upi.com Accessed December 12, 2011.

File:Exterior of the Mission Xavier del Bac.jpg, founded in 1700]]

{{Pie chart

| thumb = right

| caption = Religious self-identification, per Public Religion Research Institute's 2022 American Values Survey{{Cite web |author= |date=February 24, 2023 |title=American Values Atlas: Religious Tradition in Arizona |url=https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2022/States/religion/m/US-AZ |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=Public Religion Research Institute |archive-date=April 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404161714/https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2022/States/religion/m/US-AZ |url-status=live }}

| label1 = Protestantism

| value1 = 32

| color1 = Blue

| label2 = Catholicism

| value2 = 24

| color2 = Purple

| label3 = Mormonism

| value3 = 6

| color3 = Teal

| label4 = Jehovah's Witness

| value4 = 1

| color4 = lightblue

| label5 = Unaffiliated

| value5 = 31

| color5 = White

| label6 = Judaism

| value6 = 2

| color6 = Pink

| label7 = New Age

| value7 = 1

| color7 = Red

| label8 = Other

| value8 = 3

| color8 = Black

}}

The 2010 U.S. Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study by ARDA reported that the three largest denominational groups in Arizona were the Catholic Church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and non-denominational Evangelical Protestants. The Catholic Church had the highest number of adherents in Arizona (at 930,001), followed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with 392,918 members reported and then non-denominational Evangelical Protestant churches, reporting 281,105 adherents. The religious body with the largest number of congregations is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (with 811 congregations) followed by the Southern Baptist Convention (with 323 congregations).{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/04/rcms2010_04_state_name_2010.asp |title=The Association of Religion Data Archives | State membership Report |website=www.Thearda.com |access-date=November 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207053103/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/04/rcms2010_04_state_name_2010.asp |archive-date=December 7, 2014 |url-status=live}} For 2010, it uses data in the 2010 U.S. Religion Census: Religious Congregations & Membership Study produced by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies (ASARB) which depends on reporting by the religious bodies. This census accounted for about 2.4 million of Arizona's 6.4 million residents in 2010.

According to the study, the fifteen largest denominations by number of adherents in 2010 and 2000 were:{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/04/rcms2010_04_state_adh_2010.asp |publisher=Association of Religion Data Archives |title=Arizona{{snd}}Religious Traditions, 2010 |access-date=August 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802170439/http://www.thearda.com/rcms2010/r/s/04/rcms2010_04_state_adh_2010.asp |archive-date=August 2, 2017 |url-status=dead}} Congregational adherents include all full members, their children, and others who regularly attend services.{{cite web |url=http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/state/04_2000_Adherents.asp |publisher=Association of Religion Data Archives |title=Arizona{{snd}}Religious Traditions, 2010 |access-date=August 2, 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170802165529/http://www.thearda.com/mapsReports/reports/state/04_2000_Adherents.asp |archive-date=August 2, 2017 |url-status=dead}} Congregational adherents include all full members, their children, and others who regularly attend services.

Hinduism became the largest non-Christian religion (when combining all denominations) in 2010 with more than 32,000 adherents, followed by Judaism with more than 20,000 and Buddhism with more than 19,000.{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/how-hindus-grew-second-largest-faith-arizona-delaware-n139401 |work=NBC News |title=How Hindus Grew into Second-Largest Faith in Arizona & Delaware |date=June 24, 2014 |access-date=August 2, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802124053/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/how-hindus-grew-second-largest-faith-arizona-delaware-n139401 |archive-date=August 2, 2017 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=http://www.rcms2010.org/press_release/ACP%2020120501.pdf |publisher=Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies |title=U.S. Religion Census 2010: Summary Findings |date=May 1, 2012 |access-date=August 2, 2017 |page=16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201140842/http://www.rcms2010.org/press_release/ACP%2020120501.pdf |archive-date=February 1, 2017 |url-status=dead}}

By the publication of the Public Religion Research Institute's 2020 study, 68% of the population identified as Christian.{{cite web |title=PRRI – American Values Atlas |url=https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2020/States/religion/m/US-AZ |access-date=September 17, 2022 |website=ava.prri.org |archive-date=April 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404161714/https://ava.prri.org/#religious/2020/States/religion/m/US-AZ |url-status=live }} At the Pew Research Center's 2014 study, 67% of Arizona was Christian.{{cite web |title=Religious Landscape Study |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/ |access-date=September 17, 2022 |website=Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project |language=en-US |archive-date=April 1, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220401080239/https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/religious-landscape-study/ |url-status=live }} Among the irreligious population from 2014 to 2020 per both studies, they have decreased from 27% of the population to 24% of self-identified irreligious or agnostic Arizonans. Additionally, a third separate study by the Association of Religion Data Archives in 2020 determined Christianity as the dominant religion in the state, with Catholics numbering 1,522,410 adherents and non-denominational Christians increasing to 402,842 Arizonan Christians.{{Cite web |title=Maps and data files for 2020 {{!}} U.S. Religion Census {{!}} Religious Statistics & Demographics |url=https://www.usreligioncensus.org/index.php/node/1639 |access-date=2023-01-17 |website=www.usreligioncensus.org |archive-date=January 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230115001940/https://www.usreligioncensus.org/index.php/node/1639 |url-status=live }}

At the onset of European colonization what is now Arizona was inhabited by many Native American tribes, they included mainly the Navajo, the Apache, the Akimel O'odham, the Cocopah, the Halchidhoma, the Havasupai, Yavapai, and Hualapai, the Hopi, the Jocome and Jano, the Maricopa, the Mohave, the southern Paiute, the Tohono O'odham, the Yaqui, the Yuma and the Zuni Pueblo.{{Cite web |title=Arizona Indian Tribes and Languages |url=https://www.native-languages.org/arizona.htm |access-date=2024-09-02 |website=www.native-languages.org}} Some of them still live in the state today.

The largest Native American tribes in Arizona according to the 2010 census are listed in the table below:{{Cite web |title=American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes in the United States and Puerto Rico: 2010 |url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/dec/cph-series/cph-t/cph-t-6.html}}

{{see also|Economy of Arizona|Arizona locations by per capita income}}

File:Barringer Crater aerial photo by USGS.jpg is a tourist attraction.]]

Arizona's total gross state product in 2023 was $508{{spaces}}billion.{{cite web |title=GDP by State |url=https://www.bea.gov/data/gdp/gdp-state |website=GDP by State | U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) |publisher=Bureau of Economic Analysis |access-date=20 May 2024}} The composition of the state's economy is moderately diverse, although health care, transportation and the government remain the largest sectors.{{cite web|title=Arizona gross production|url=https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/AZNGSP/|last1=Research|first1=Economy|website=stlouisfed|date=January 1997|access-date=December 2, 2021|archive-date=December 16, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216143907/https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/AZNGSP|url-status=live}}

Arizona's per capita income was $61,652 in 2023, ranking 33rd in the U.S.{{cite web | last=Account | first=Economic | title=Personal Income by State | website=U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) | date=2024-03-29 | url=https://www.bea.gov/data/income-saving/personal-income-by-state | access-date=2024-05-20}} The state's 2023 median household income was $74,568, ranking 19th in the country and just below the U.S. national mean.{{cite web | publisher=United States Census Bureau | title=S1901: Income in the Past 12 Months | website=Explore Census Data | url=https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST1Y2022.S1901 | access-date=2024-05-20}}

Early in its history, Arizona's economy relied on the "five C's": copper (see Copper mining in Arizona), cotton, cattle, citrus, and climate (tourism). Copper is still extensively mined from many expansive open-pit and underground mines, accounting for two-thirds of the nation's output.

• Total employment (2016): 2,379,409
• Total employer establishments (2016): 139,134{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/AZ |title=QuickFacts Arizona |access-date=November 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191109142226/https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/AZ |archive-date=November 9, 2019 |url-status=live }}

The state government is Arizona's largest employer, while Banner Health is the state's largest private employer, with more than 39,000 employees (2016). {{As of|August 2020}}, the state's unemployment rate was 5.9%.{{cite web |url=https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.az.htm |title=Arizona Economy at a Glance |publisher=Bls.gov |access-date=October 28, 2020 |archive-date=October 24, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024111702/https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.az.htm |url-status=live}}

The largest employment sectors in Arizona are (August 2020, Nonfarm Employment):

According to The Arizona Republic, the largest private employers in the state {{as of|2019|lc=y}} were:[https://web.archive.org/web/20190723191314/https://www.azcentral.com/pages/interactives/news/local/arizona-data/arizona-republic-100-largest-companies-hiring-in-phoenix-arizona/ "Arizona Republic 100: State's biggest employers"] . The Arizona Republic.

File:NRCSAZ02010 - Arizona (303)(NRCS Photo Gallery).tif, Yuma]]

Multiple crops are grown in Arizona, including lettuce, spinach, cantaloupe, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and watermelon.{{cite web | access-date=2022-06-29 | website=USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service | title=USDA/NASS 2021 State Agriculture Overview for Arizona | url=https://www.nass.usda.gov/Quick_Stats/Ag_Overview/stateOverview.php?state=ARIZONA | archive-date=July 5, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220705160855/https://www.nass.usda.gov/Quick_Stats/Ag_Overview/stateOverview.php?state=ARIZONA | url-status=live }}

Federal crop insurance is available for {{visible anchor|Grape|Grapes|grape|grapes|text=grape}} (Vitis vinifera and other Vitis spp.) here. Together with California's crop it falls under special provisions of the relevant crop insurance statutes. Insect pests and diseases are covered, excluding Phylloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae) or failure to correctly apply insect control or apply disease control.{{cite web |title=7 CFR § 457.138 - Grape crop insurance provisions |url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/7/457.138 |website=Legal Information Institute (LII) |date=July 25, 2016 |access-date=June 28, 2022 |archive-date=October 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005153242/https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/7/457.138 |url-status=live }}

The whitefly Bemisia tabaci B was introduced through the poinsettia trade in the 1980s, displacing the previous A biotype. In 2004 the Q biotype (from the Mediterranean) was first found here, also on poinsettia.

{{Unbulleted list citebundle

|{{*}} {{cite journal | date=2011 | issue=1 | volume=49 | publisher=Annual Reviews | journal=Annual Review of Phytopathology | issn=0066-4286 | last1=Navas-Castillo | first1=Jesús | last2=Fiallo-Olivé | first2=Elvira | last3=Sánchez-Campos | first3=Sonia | title=Emerging Virus Diseases Transmitted by Whiteflies | doi=10.1146/annurev-phyto-072910-095235 | pages=219–248| pmid=21568700| bibcode=2011AnRvP..49..219N }}

|{{*}} {{cite newsletter | url-status=dead | access-date=2022-08-01 | archive-date=2006-09-09 | date=2006-09-09 | publisher=Michigan State University | title=First New World Report of Q Biotype of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) Reveals High Levels of Resistance to Insecticides | journal=Resistant Pest Management Newsletter | url=https://whalonlab.msu.edu/rpmnews/vol.15_no.2/globe/Dennehy_etal.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060909214445/https://whalonlab.msu.edu/rpmnews/vol.15_no.2/globe/Dennehy_etal.htm | last1=Dennehy | first1=T. J. | first2=B. | last2=DeGain | first3=G. | last3=Harpold | first4=J. K. | last4=Brown | first5=F. | last5=Byrne | first6=S. | last6=Morin | first7=R. | last7=Nichols}}

|{{*}} {{cite journal | year=2006 | publisher=Nature Portfolio | journal=Nature | issn=0028-0836 | volume=443 | issue=7114 | last=Dalton | first=Rex | title=The Christmas Invasion | doi=10.1038/443898a | pages=898–900| pmid=17066003 | s2cid=11918900| doi-access=free }}

}}

The {{visible anchor|Colorado Potato Beetle|Leptinotarsa decemlineata}} (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) is either native or an early introduction here. Unusually, the population here commonly feeds on {{visible anchor|Silverleaf Nightshade|Solanum elaeagnifolium}} (Solanum elaeagnifolium), which is usually a less attractive host for this beetle. The CPB is an occasional pest of tomato.

{{Unbulleted list citebundle

|{{*}} {{cite journal | issue=1 | volume=5 | date=2011 | publisher=Blackwell | last1=Hufbauer | first1=Ruth A. | last2=Facon | first2=Benoît | last3=Ravigné | first3=Virginie | last4=Turgeon | first4=Julie | last5=Foucaud | first5=Julien | last6=Lee | first6=Carol E. | last7=Rey | first7=Olivier | last8=Estoup | first8=Arnaud | title=Anthropogenically induced adaptation to invade (AIAI): contemporary adaptation to human-altered habitats within the native range can promote invasions | journal=Evolutionary Applications | issn=1752-4571 | pages=89–101 | doi=10.1111/j.1752-4571.2011.00211.x | pmid=25568032 | pmc=3353334 | s2cid=18005520}}

|{{*}} {{cite journal | issue=1 | volume=35 | publisher=Annual Reviews | year=1990 | journal=Annual Review of Entomology | issn=0066-4170 | last=Hare | first=J. Daniel | title=Ecology and Management of the Colorado Potato Beetle | doi=10.1146/annurev.en.35.010190.000501 | pages=81–100 | s2cid=83991465}}

|{{*}} {{cite conference | issue=3 | volume=24 | publisher=Wiley (Netherlands Entomological Society) | year=1978 | journal=Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata | issn=0013-8703 | conference=Proceedings of the Fourth Insect/Host Plant Symposium | last=Hsiao | first=T. H. | title=Host plant adaptations among geographic populations of the Colorado potato beetle | doi=10.1111/j.1570-7458.1978.tb02804.x | pages=437–447 | s2cid=84910076| doi-access=free }}

}}

{{Main|Transportation in Arizona}}

File:Entering Arizona on I-10 Westbound.jpg from New Mexico]]

{{jct|state=AZ|I|8}} | {{jct|state=AZ|I|10}} | {{jct|state=AZ|Future|11}} | {{jct|state=AZ|I|15}} | {{jct|country=USA|I|17}} | {{jct|country=USA|I|19}} | {{jct|state=AZ|I|40}}

{{jct|state=AZ|US|60}} | {{jct|state=AZ|US|64}} | {{jct|state=AZ|US-Hist|66}} | {{jct|state=AZ|US|70}} | {{jct|state=AZ|US-Hist|80}} | {{jct|state=AZ|US|89}} | {{jct|state=AZ|US|89A}} | {{jct|state=AZ|US|91}} | {{jct|state=AZ|US|93}} | {{jct|state=AZ|US|95}} | {{jct|state=AZ|US|160}} | {{jct|state=AZ|US|163}} | {{jct|state=AZ|US|180}} | {{jct|state=AZ|US|191}}

Main Interstate routes include I-17, and I-19 traveling north–south, I-8, I-10, and I-40, traveling east–west, and a short stretch of I-15 traveling northeast–southwest through the extreme northwestern corner of the state. In addition, the various urban areas are served by complex networks of state routes and highways, such as the Loop 101, which is part of Phoenix's vast freeway system.{{cite web|title=Arizonas Interstate Highways|url=https://azdot.gov/adot-blog/numbering-arizonas-highways/|website=azdot|access-date=March 5, 2014|archive-date=December 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231090246/https://azdot.gov/adot-blog/numbering-arizonas-highways|url-status=live}}

{{see also|List of passenger train stations in Arizona}}

The Phoenix and Tucson metropolitan areas are served by public bus transit systems. Yuma and Flagstaff also have public bus systems. Greyhound Lines serves Phoenix, Tucson, Flagstaff, Yuma, and several smaller communities statewide.

A light rail system, called Valley Metro Rail, was completed in December 2008; it connects Central Phoenix with the nearby cities of Mesa and Tempe.{{cite web|title=Valley metro rail opens|url=https://www.valleymetro.org/about/agency/fact-sheets-brochures/fact-sheets/rail-system-fact-sheet/|last1=Metro|first1=Valley|website=ValleyMetro|date=May 19, 2021|access-date=January 31, 2022|archive-date=February 7, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207061330/https://www.valleymetro.org/about/agency/fact-sheets-brochures/fact-sheets/rail-system-fact-sheet|url-status=live}}

In Tucson, the Sun Link streetcar system travels through the downtown area, connecting the main University of Arizona campus with Mercado San Agustin on the western edge of downtown Tucson. Sun Link, loosely based on the Portland Streetcar, launched in July 2014.{{cite web |url=http://www.lightrailnow.org/news/n_tuc_2006-05b.htm |title=Tucson: Streetcar Plan Wins With 60% of Vote |publisher=Lightrailnow.org |access-date=December 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104135221/http://www.lightrailnow.org/news/n_tuc_2006-05b.htm |archive-date=January 4, 2012 |url-status=live}}

Amtrak Southwest Chief route serves the northern part of the state, stopping at Winslow, Flagstaff, Williams and Kingman. The Texas Eagle and Sunset Limited routes serve South-Central Arizona, stopping at Tucson, Maricopa, Yuma and Benson. Phoenix lost Amtrak service in 1996 with the rerouting of the Sunset Limited, and now an Amtrak bus runs between Phoenix and the station in Maricopa. As of 2021, Amtrak has proposed to restore rail service between Phoenix and Tucson.{{cite web |last1=Cortez |first1=Alexis |title=Amtrak plan would include stations in Queen Creek, Phoenix, Tempe, Goodyear |url=https://www.azfamily.com/news/amtrak-plan-would-include-stations-in-queen-creek-phoenix-tempe-goodyear/article_ecc2cb40-f093-11eb-b5e8-7f421173dd39.html |website=azfamily.com |access-date=August 12, 2021 |archive-date=August 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812190325/https://www.azfamily.com/news/amtrak-plan-would-include-stations-in-queen-creek-phoenix-tempe-goodyear/article_ecc2cb40-f093-11eb-b5e8-7f421173dd39.html |url-status=live}}

{{main|Government of Arizona}}

{{see also|Arizona Constitution|United States congressional delegations from Arizona|List of Arizona Governors|Political party strength in Arizona|Arizona Revised Statutes}}

{{More citations needed section|date=February 2021}}

File:Azcap.jpg in Phoenix]]

The capital of Arizona is Phoenix. The original Capitol building, with its distinctive copper dome, was dedicated in 1901 (construction was completed for $136,000 in 1900) when the area was a territory. Phoenix became the official state capital with Arizona's admission to the union in 1912.{{cite web|title=Arizona government|url=https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/1901-1938-historic-grounds-and-capitol-architecture-arizona-capitol-museum/YAKyrAcSohxbLA?hl=en/|website=artsandculture|access-date=December 2, 2021|archive-date=December 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211228075203/https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/1901-1938-historic-grounds-and-capitol-architecture-arizona-capitol-museum/YAKyrAcSohxbLA?hl=en%2F|url-status=live}}

The House of Representatives and Senate buildings were dedicated in 1960, and an Executive Office Building was dedicated in 1974 (the ninth floor of this building is where the Office of the Governor is located). The original Capitol building was converted into a museum.

The Capitol complex is fronted and highlighted by the richly landscaped Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza, named after Wesley Bolin, a governor who died in office in the 1970s. The site also includes many monuments and memorials, including the anchor and signal mast from the USS Arizona (one of the U.S. Navy ships sunk in Pearl Harbor) and a granite version of the Ten Commandments.

The Arizona Legislature is bicameral and consists of a thirty-member Senate and a 60-member House of Representatives. Each of the thirty legislative districts has one senator and two representatives. Legislators are elected for two-year terms.{{Cite web |title=State Senators & Representatives {{!}} Citizens Clean Elections Commission |url=https://www.azcleanelections.gov/how-government-works/arizona-state-senators-and-representatives |access-date=2022-11-09 |website=www.azcleanelections.gov |archive-date=November 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109035801/https://www.azcleanelections.gov/how-government-works/arizona-state-senators-and-representatives |url-status=live }}

Each Legislature covers a two-year period. The first session following the general election is known as the first regular session, and the session convening in the second year is known as the second regular session. Each regular session begins on the second Monday in January and adjourns sine die (terminates for the year) no later than Saturday of the week in which the 100th day from the beginning of the regular session falls. The President of the Senate and Speaker of the House, by rule, may extend the session up to seven additional days. Thereafter, the session can be extended only by a majority vote of members present of each house.

The majority party is the Republican Party, which has held power in both houses since 1993. The Democratic Party picked up several legislative seats in recent elections, bringing both chambers one seat away from being equally divided as of 2021.{{cite web |title=Party Government Since 1857 {{!}} US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives |url=https://history.house.gov/Institution/Presidents-Coinciding/Party-Government/ |website=history.house.gov |access-date=November 9, 2022 |archive-date=November 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221109022725/https://history.house.gov/Institution/Presidents-Coinciding/Party-Government/ |url-status=live }}

Arizona state senators and representatives are elected for two-year terms and are limited to four consecutive terms in a chamber, though there is no limit on the total number of terms. When a lawmaker is term-limited from office, it is common for him or her to run for election in the other chamber.

Arizona's executive branch is headed by a governor, who is elected to a four-year term. The governor may serve any number of terms, though no more than two in a row. Arizona is one of the few states that has no governor's mansion. During their term, the governors reside within their private residence, with executive offices housed in the executive tower at the state capitol. The governor of Arizona is Katie Hobbs (D).

Governor Jan Brewer assumed office in 2009 after Janet Napolitano had her nomination by Barack Obama for Secretary of Homeland Security confirmed by the Senate.{{cite news |title=Ariz. GOP would gain if Napolitano gets Obama post |agency=Associated Press |publisher=KTAR |date=November 20, 2008 |url=http://ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=994469 |access-date=December 28, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121152231/http://ktar.com/?nid=6&sid=994469 |archive-date=November 21, 2011 |url-status=live}} Arizona has had four female governors and a fifth currently serving, more than any other state.

Other elected executive officials include the Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Attorney General, Superintendent of Public Instruction, State Mine Inspector, and a five-member Corporation Commission. All elected officials hold a term of four years, and are limited to two consecutive terms (except the office of the State Mine Inspector, which is limited to four terms).{{cite web |url=http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/const/19/0.1.htm |title=Format Document |publisher=Azleg.gov |date=January 1, 1993 |access-date=September 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917193722/http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=%2Fconst%2F19%2F0.1.htm |archive-date=September 17, 2016 |url-status=dead }}

Arizona is one of five states that do not have a lieutenant governor. The elected secretary of state is first in line to succeed the governor in the event of death, disability, resignation, or removal from office. If appointed, the Secretary of State is not eligible and the next governor is selected from the next eligible official in the line of succession, including the attorney general, state treasurer, and superintendent of public instruction. Since 1977, four secretaries of state and one attorney general have succeeded to the state's governorship.

On November 8, 2022, Arizona voters approved a state constitutional amendment (Proposition 131) that created the position and office of the lieutenant governor beginning with the 2026 elections. The position will be elected on a joint ticket with the governor. The lieutenant governor ascends to the governorship if the incumbent governor dies, resigns, or is removed (via impeachment conviction) from office. The proposition, through a law pre-passed by the state legislature, also tasks the governor with assigning a job to her or his running mate, such as chief of staff, the director of the state Department of Administration, or "any position" to which the governor can appoint someone by law.{{Cite web |last=Stern |first=Ray |date=8 November 2022 |title=Arizona voters approve Proposition 131 to create lieutenant governor position |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2022/11/08/arizona-proposition-131-results-lieutenant-governor-position/10634466002/ |access-date=12 November 2023 |website=The Arizona Republic}}

The Arizona Supreme Court is the highest court in Arizona, consisting of a chief justice, a vice chief justice, and five associate justices. Justices are appointed by the governor from a list recommended by a bipartisan commission and must be sustained in office by election after the first two years following their appointment. Subsequent sustaining elections occur every six years. The supreme court has appellate jurisdiction in death penalty cases, but nearly all other appellate cases go through the Arizona Court of Appeals first. The court has original jurisdiction in a few other circumstances, as outlined in the state constitution. The court meets in the Arizona Supreme Court Building at the capitol complex (at the southern end of Wesley Bolin Plaza).

The Arizona Court of Appeals, subdivided into two divisions, is the intermediate court in the state. Division One is based in Phoenix, consists of nineteen judges, and has jurisdiction in the Western and Northern regions of the state, along with the greater Phoenix area. Division Two is based in Tucson, consists of nine judges, and has jurisdiction over the Southern regions of the state, including the Tucson area. Judges are selected in a method similar to the one used for state supreme court justices.

Each county of Arizona has a superior court, the size and organization of which are varied and generally depend on the size of the particular county.

File:Cochise County Courthouse Bisbee Arizona ArtDecoDoors.jpg doors of the Cochise County Courthouse in Bisbee]]

Arizona is divided into 15 counties, ranging in size from {{convert|1238|sqmi|km2|sigfig=3}} to {{convert|18661|sqmi|km2|sigfig=4}}.

Arizona's two United States senators are and Mark Kelly (D) and Ruben Gallego (D).

Arizona's United States representatives are David Schweikert (R-1), Eli Crane (R-2), Yassamin Ansari (D-3), Greg Stanton (D-4), Andy Biggs (R-5), Juan Ciscomani (R-6), Raul Grijalva (D-7), Abraham Hamadeh (R-8), and Paul Gosar (R-9). Arizona gained a ninth seat in the House of Representatives due to redistricting based on the 2010 United States census.

{{see also|Elections in Arizona|Political party strength in Arizona|United States presidential elections in Arizona|}}

{{legend|#d3e7ff|2=Democrat ≥ 30%}}

{{legend|#b9d7ff|2=Democrat ≥ 40%}}

{{legend|#86b6f2|2=Democrat ≥ 50%}}

{{legend|#ffccd0|2=Republican ≥ 30%}}

{{legend|#f2b3be|2=Republican ≥ 40%}}

{{legend|#e27f90|2=Republican ≥ 50%}}

{{legend|#e9beff|2=Unaffiliated ≥ 30%}}

]]

From statehood through the late 1940s, Arizona was primarily dominated by the Democratic Party. During this time, the Democratic candidate for the presidency carried the state each election, the only exceptions being the elections of 1920, 1924 and 1928{{snd}}all three were national Republican landslides.

In 1924, Congress had passed a law granting citizenship and suffrage to all Native Americans, some of whom had previously been excluded as members of tribes on reservations. Legal interpretations of Arizona's constitution prohibited Native Americans living on reservations from voting, classifying them as being under "guardianship". This interpretation was overturned as being incorrect and unconstitutional in 1948 by the Arizona Supreme Court, following a lawsuit by World War{{spaces}}II Indian veterans Frank Harrison and Harry Austin, both of the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation. The landmark case is Harrison and Austin v. Laveen. After the men were refused the opportunity to register in Maricopa County, they filed lawsuit against the registrar. The National Congress of American Indians, the Department of Justice, the Department of the Interior, and the American Civil Liberties Union all filed amicus curiae (friends of the court) briefs in the case. The State Supreme Court established the rights of Native Americans to vote in the state; at the time, they comprised about 11% of the population. That year, a similar provision was overturned in New Mexico when challenged by another Indian veteran in court. These were the only two states that had continued to prohibit Native Americans from voting.[http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/10/29/history-indian-voting-rights-and-why-its-important-vote-140373 Dr. Dean Chavers, "History of Indian voting rights and why it's important"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160707201026/http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/10/29/history-indian-voting-rights-and-why-its-important-vote-140373 |date=July 7, 2016 }}, Indian Country Today, October 29, 2012; accessed July 17, 2016. See Trujillo v. Garley (1948)

Arizona voted Republican in every presidential election from 1952 to 1992, with Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan winning the state by particularly large margins. During this forty-year span, it was the only state not to be carried by a Democrat at least once.

Democrat Lyndon Johnson, in 1964, lost the state by fewer than 5,000 votes to Arizona Senator and native Barry Goldwater. (This was the most closely contested state in what was otherwise a landslide victory for Johnson that year.) Democrat Bill Clinton ended this streak in 1996, when he won Arizona by a little over two percentage points (Clinton had previously come within less than two percent of winning Arizona's electoral votes in 1992). From 2000 until 2016, the majority of the state continued to support Republican presidential candidates by solid margins. In the 2020 United States presidential election, Joe Biden again broke the streak by becoming the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Arizona since 1996.{{Cite web|last=Merica|first=Dan|title=Biden carries Arizona, flipping a longtime Republican stronghold|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/12/politics/biden-wins-arizona/index.html|access-date=2020-11-13|website=CNN|date=November 13, 2020|archive-date=November 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201113043642/https://www.cnn.com/2020/11/12/politics/biden-wins-arizona/index.html|url-status=live}}

Since the mid 20th century, the Republican Party has also dominated Arizona politics in general. The fast-growing Phoenix and Tucson suburbs became reliably Republican areas from the 1950s onward. During this time, many "Pinto Democrats", or conservative Democrats from rural areas, became increasingly willing to support Republicans at the state and national level. While the state normally supports Republicans at the federal level, Democrats are often competitive in statewide elections. Two of the last six governors have been Democrats.

On March 4, 2008, Senator John McCain effectively clinched the Republican nomination for 2008, becoming the first major party presidential nominee from the state since Barry Goldwater in 1964.

Arizona politics is dominated by a longstanding rivalry between its two largest counties, Maricopa and Pima{{snd}}home to Phoenix and Tucson, respectively. The two counties have almost 75 percent of the state's population and cast almost 80 percent of the state's vote. They also elect a substantial majority of the state legislature.

Maricopa County is home to almost 60 percent of the state's population, and most of the state's elected officials live there. Before Joe Biden won Maricopa County in 2020, it had voted Republican in every presidential election since 1952. This includes the 1964 run of native son Barry Goldwater; he would not have carried his home state without his 20,000-vote margin in Maricopa County. Similarly, McCain won Arizona by eight percentage points in 2008, aided by his 130,000-vote margin in Maricopa County.

In the 2024 General Election, former president Donald Trump won Maricopa County by 71,515 votes and won the state of Arizona by 187,382 votes, making the 5.5 percent statewide victory the largest percentage win of any of the seven 2024 swing states. https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2024-us-election-results/arizona/#president] Bloomberg News Final Election Results Retrieved January 26, 2025

Pima County, home to Tucson, and most of southern Arizona have historically voted more Democratic. While Tucson's suburbs lean Republican, they hold to a somewhat more moderate brand of Republicanism than is common in the Phoenix area.

File:-RedForEd (41008219574).jpg and rally on April 26, 2018]]

Arizona rejected a same-sex marriage ban in a referendum as part of the 2006 elections. Arizona was the first state in the nation to do so. Same-sex marriage was not recognized in Arizona, but this amendment would have denied any legal or financial benefits to unmarried homosexual or heterosexual couples.{{cite web |url=http://www.gay.com/news/article.html?2006/11/07/2 |title=Arizona stands alone against marriage ban – Queer Lesbian Gay News |publisher=Gay.com |access-date=July 25, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070108091438/http://www.gay.com/news/article.html?2006%2F11%2F07%2F2 |archive-date=January 8, 2007}} In 2008, Arizona voters passed Proposition 102, an amendment to the state constitution to define marriage as a union of one man and one woman. It passed by a more narrow majority than similar votes in a number of other states.{{cite web|url=http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/265756|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081108015350/http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/265756|url-status=dead|title=Ban on gay unions solidly supported in most of Arizona|archive-date=November 8, 2008}} In 2024, Arizona voters passed a constitutional amendment recognising abortion access within the Arizona state constitution,{{Cite web |date=2024-11-06 |title=Arizona voters enshrine abortion rights in state constitution |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/arizona-ballot-measure-proposition-139-amendment-passes-rcna173895 |access-date=2024-11-06 |website=NBC News |language=en}} becoming the southernmost continental state to codify abortion rights.{{Cite web |title=Abortion Laws by State |url=https://reproductiverights.org/maps/abortion-laws-by-state/ |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=Center for Reproductive Rights |language=en-US}}

In 2010, Arizona adopted SB 1070, called the "toughest immigration law" in the United States. A fierce debate erupted between supporters and detractors of SB 1070.{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/24/us/politics/24immig.html | work=The New York Times | title=Arizona Enacts Stringent Law on Immigration | access-date=December 28, 2011 | first=Randal C. | last=Archibold | date=April 23, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120101060624/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/24/us/politics/24immig.html | archive-date=January 1, 2012 | url-status=live}} The United States Supreme Court struck down portions of the Arizona law, which required all immigrants to carry immigration papers at all times, in Arizona v. United States.{{cite news|title=High court to weigh Arizona voter registration case|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-voting-idUSBRE92E0EN20130315|publisher=Reuters|access-date=March 17, 2013|date=March 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130317015447/http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/15/us-usa-court-voting-idUSBRE92E0EN20130315|archive-date=March 17, 2013|url-status=live}}

The West Virginia teachers' strike in 2018 inspired teachers in other states, including Arizona, to take similar action.{{cite news|title=Inspired by West Virginia Strike, Teachers in Oklahoma and Kentucky Plan Walk Out|url=http://ktla.com/2018/04/02/inspired-by-west-virginia-strike-teachers-in-oklahoma-and-kentucky-plan-walk-out/|agency=KTLA|date=April 2, 2018|access-date=September 4, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812154057/https://ktla.com/2018/04/02/inspired-by-west-virginia-strike-teachers-in-oklahoma-and-kentucky-plan-walk-out/|archive-date=August 12, 2019|url-status=live}}

Arizona retains the death penalty. There is currently a gubernatorial hold on executions. Authorized methods of execution include the gas chamber.{{cite web | url=https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/executions/methods-of-execution | title=Methods of Execution | access-date=March 20, 2023 | archive-date=July 1, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701043600/https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/methods-execution | url-status=live }}

In 2006, Arizona became the first state in the United States to reject a proposition, Prop 107, that would have banned same-sex marriage and civil unions.{{cite news|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-arizona-flipped-on-gay-marriage/|title=Why Arizona Flipped on Gay Marriage|access-date=November 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115201440/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-arizona-flipped-on-gay-marriage/|archive-date=November 15, 2017|url-status=live}} However, in 2008, Arizona voters approved of Prop 102, a constitutional amendment that prohibited same-sex marriage but not other unions.{{cite news |last1=McKinley |first1=Jesse |last2=Goodstein |first2=Laurie |title=Bans in 3 States on Gay Marriage |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/us/politics/06marriage.html |url-status=live |work=The New York Times |date=November 5, 2008 |access-date=November 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180105192110/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/us/politics/06marriage.html |archive-date=January 5, 2018 |issn=0362-4331}} Prior to same-sex marriage being legal, the City of Bisbee became the first jurisdiction in Arizona to approve of civil unions.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-arizona-gaymarriage/arizona-city-poised-to-pass-states-first-civil-union-ordinance-idUSBRE93109Y20130402|title=Arizona city poised to pass state's first civil union ordinance|date=April 2, 2013|publisher=Reuters|access-date=November 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115143349/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-arizona-gaymarriage/arizona-city-poised-to-pass-states-first-civil-union-ordinance-idUSBRE93109Y20130402|archive-date=November 15, 2017|url-status=live}} The state's Attorney General at the time, Tom Horne, threatened to sue, but rescinded the threat once Bisbee amended the ordinance; Bisbee approved of civil unions in 2013.{{cite news|url=http://www.abc15.com/news/region-central-southern-az/sierra-vista/bisbee-council-approves-civil-unions-measure|title=Bisbee, Arizona same-sex marriage: Council approves civil unions measure|agency=Associated Press|date=June 5, 2013|work=KNXV|access-date=November 15, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115201256/http://www.abc15.com/news/region-central-southern-az/sierra-vista/bisbee-council-approves-civil-unions-measure|archive-date=November 15, 2017|url-status=dead}} The municipalities of Clarkdale, Cottonwood, Jerome, Sedona, and Tucson also passed civil unions.{{Cite web|url=http://www.samesexrelationshipguide.com/~/media/files/ssrguide/northamerica/united-states/legal-recognition-of-samesex-relationships--united-states-of-america--arizona.pdf|title=Legal Recognition of Same-Sex Relationships|date=August 31, 2015|website=samesexrelationshipguide.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924234758/http://www.samesexrelationshipguide.com/~/media/files/ssrguide/northamerica/united-states/legal-recognition-of-samesex-relationships--united-states-of-america--arizona.pdf|archive-date=2015-09-24|url-status=dead|access-date=October 14, 2017}}

A November 2011 Public Policy Polling survey found 44% of Arizona voters supported the legalization of same-sex marriage, while 45% opposed it and 12% were not sure. A separate question on the same survey found 72% of respondents supported legal recognition of same-sex couples, with 40% supporting same-sex marriage, 32% supporting civil unions, 27% opposing all legal recognition and 1% not sure. Arizona Proposition 102, known by its supporters as the Marriage Protection Amendment, appeared as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on the November 4, 2008 ballot in Arizona, where it was approved: 56–43%. It amended the Arizona Constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman.{{cite web|url=http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2011/PPP_Release_AZ_1130424.pdf|title=AZ pro-civil unions, remembers Goldwater fondly|access-date=April 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513164507/http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/pdf/2011/PPP_Release_AZ_1130424.pdf|archive-date=May 13, 2012|url-status=live}}

On October 17, 2014, Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne announced his office would no longer object to same-sex marriage, in response to a U.S. District Court Ruling on Arizona Proposition 102. On that day, each county's Clerk of the Superior Court began to issue same-sex marriage licenses, and Arizona became the 31st state to legalize same-sex marriage.{{cite web|title=Same sex marriage legal in Arizona|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2014/10/16/horne-concedes-sex-marriage-ruling-applies-arizona/17372549/|last1=Rau|first1=Alia|website=azcentral|access-date=January 31, 2022|archive-date=May 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509225532/https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/arizona/politics/2014/10/16/horne-concedes-sex-marriage-ruling-applies-arizona/17372549/|url-status=live}}

The 2023 American Values Atlas by Public Religion Research Institute found that an overwhelming majority of residents support same-sex marriage.{{Cite web |author= |date=February 24, 2023 |title=American Values Atlas: Approval of Same-Sex Marriage in Arizona |url=https://ava.prri.org/#lgbt/2022/States/lgbt_ssm/m/US-AZ |access-date=April 12, 2023 |website=Public Religion Research Institute |archive-date=April 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404161714/https://ava.prri.org/#lgbt/2022/States/lgbt_ssm/m/US-AZ |url-status=live }}

{{See also|List of school districts in Arizona|List of high schools in Arizona}}

File:Arizona School Districts.png]]

Public schools in Arizona are separated into about 220 local school districts which operate independently, but are governed in most cases by elected county school superintendents; these are in turn overseen by the Arizona State Board of Education and the Arizona Department of Education. A state Superintendent of Public Instruction (elected in partisan elections every even-numbered year when there is not a presidential election, for a four-year term). In 2005, a School District Redistricting Commission was established with the goal of combining and consolidating many of these districts.{{cite web|title=Number of schools in arizona|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/laurieroberts/2015/01/15/ducey-school-budgets-classroom-spending-unification/21778873/|last=Roberts|first=Laurie|website=azcentreal|access-date=December 2, 2021}}

File:University of Arizona mall.jpg (the Mall) in Tucson]]

File:Asubiodesign.jpg (a biodesign building) in Tempe]]

File:Walkup Skydome.jpg (The Skydome) in Flagstaff]]

Arizona is served by three public universities: The University of Arizona, Arizona State University, and Northern Arizona University. These schools are governed by the Arizona Board of Regents.

Private higher education in Arizona is dominated by a large number of for-profit and "chain" (multi-site) universities.{{cite web|url=http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?s=AZ&ct=2+3&ic=1|title=College Navigator{{snd}}Search Results|website=nces.ed.gov|access-date=February 3, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511163744/http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?s=AZ&ct=2+3&ic=1|archive-date=May 11, 2011|url-status=live}}

Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott and Prescott College are Arizona's only non-profit four-year private colleges.{{cite web|url=http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?s=AZ&ct=2+3&ic=1&pg=2&id=105589|title=College Navigator{{snd}}Prescott College|website=nces.ed.gov|access-date=February 3, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511163750/http://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?s=AZ&ct=2+3&ic=1&pg=2&id=105589|archive-date=May 11, 2011|url-status=live}}

Arizona has a wide network of two-year vocational schools and community colleges. These colleges were governed historically by a separate statewide board of directors but, in 2002, the state legislature transferred almost all oversight authority to individual community college districts.2002 Legislature{{snd}}HB 2710, which later became ARS 15-1444 The Maricopa County Community College District includes 11 community colleges throughout Maricopa County and is one of the largest in the nation.

• Arizona State University, (Sun Devils) Tempe/Phoenix/Mesa/Glendale/Lake Havasu
• Northern Arizona University, (Lumberjacks) Flagstaff/Yuma/Prescott
• University of Arizona, (Wildcats) Tucson/Sierra Vista, MD college in downtown Phoenix and UA Agricultural Center in Yuma/Maricopa

{{main list|List of colleges and universities in Arizona}}

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• American Indian College
• Carrington College
• Arizona Christian University
• Art Center College of Design
• Art Institute of Tucson
• Art Institute of Phoenix
• A.T. Still University
• Brookline College
• Brown Mackie College
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Grand Canyon University
• Midwestern University
• Northcentral University
• Ottawa University
• Park University
• University of Phoenix
• Penn Foster College{{cite web |url=http://www.azhighered.org/AZ_Private_Postsecondary.html |title=AZ Private Postsecondary Institutions |publisher=Azhighered.org |access-date=September 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161018053220/http://www.azhighered.org/AZ_Private_Postsecondary.html |archive-date=October 18, 2016 |url-status=live }}
• Prescott College
• Thunderbird School of Global Management
• University of Advancing Technology
• Western International University
• Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences

{{div col end}}

{{main list|List of community colleges in Arizona}}

{{div col|colwidth=22em}}

• Arizona Western College
• Central Arizona College
• Cochise College
• Coconino Community College
• Diné College
• Eastern Arizona College
• Maricopa Community College District:
• Chandler-Gilbert Community College
• Estrella Mountain Community College
• GateWay Community College
• Glendale Community College
• Mesa Community College
• Paradise Valley Community College
• Phoenix College
• Rio Salado College
• Scottsdale Community College
• South Mountain Community College
• Mohave Community College
• Northland Pioneer College
• Pima Community College
• Yavapai College

{{div col end}}

{{more citations needed section|date=February 2021}}

{{see also|List of museums in Arizona}}

Phoenix Art Museum, on the historic Central Avenue Corridor in Phoenix, is the Southwest's largest collection of visual art from across the world. The museum displays international exhibitions alongside the museum's collection of more than 18,000 works of American, Asian, European, Latin American, Western American, modern and contemporary art, and fashion design. With a community education mandate since 1951, Phoenix Art Museum holds a year-round program of festivals, live performances, independent art films and educational programs. The museum also has PhxArtKids, an interactive space for children; photography exhibitions through the museum's partnership with the Center for Creative Photography; the landscaped Sculpture Garden and dining at Arcadia Farms.{{cite web|title=Art history|url=https://phxart.org/get-involved/about/our-history/|last1=ART|first1=PHOENIX|website=phxart|access-date=December 2, 2021|archive-date=December 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211227033414/https://phxart.org/get-involved/about/our-history/|url-status=live}}

Arizona is a recognized center of Native American art, with a number of galleries showcasing historical and contemporary works. The Heard Museum, also in Phoenix, is a major repository of Native American art. Some of the signature exhibits include a full Navajo hogan, the Mareen Allen Nichols Collection containing 260 pieces of contemporary jewelry, the Barry Goldwater Collection of 437 historic Hopi kachina dolls, and an exhibit on the 19th-century boarding school experiences of Native Americans. The Heard Museum has about 250,000 visitors a year.

Sedona, Jerome, and Tubac are known as budding artist colonies, and small arts scenes exist in the larger cities and near the state universities.{{cite web|title=Arizonas Budding Art Colonists|url=https://www.visitarizona.com/like-a-local/arizonas-artist-enclaves/|website=visitarizona|access-date=March 1, 2021|archive-date=January 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125195110/https://www.visitarizona.com/like-a-local/arizonas-artist-enclaves/|url-status=live}}

{{See also|List of films shot in Arizona}}

File:Monument Valley 15.jpg's Point]]

Several major Hollywood films, such as Billy Jack, U Turn, Waiting to Exhale, Just One of the Guys, Can't Buy Me Love, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, The Scorpion King, The Banger Sisters, Used Cars, and Raising Arizona have been made there (as have many Westerns). The 1993 science fiction movie Fire in the Sky, based on a reported alien abduction in the town of Snowflake, was set in Snowflake. It was filmed in the Oregon towns of Oakland, Roseburg, and Sutherlin.

The 1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, for which Ellen Burstyn won the Academy Award for Best Actress, and also starring Kris Kristofferson, was set in Tucson. The climax of the 1977 Clint Eastwood film The Gauntlet takes place in downtown Phoenix. The final segments of the 1984 film Starman take place at Meteor Crater outside Winslow. The Jeff Foxworthy comedy documentary movie Blue Collar Comedy Tour was filmed almost entirely at the Dodge Theatre. Some of Alfred Hitchcock's classic film Psycho was shot in Phoenix, the ostensible home town of the main character.

Some of the television shows filmed or set in Arizona include The New Dick Van Dyke Show, Medium, Alice, The First 48, Insomniac with Dave Attell, Cops, and America's Most Wanted. The TV sitcom Alice, which was based on the movie was set in Phoenix. Twilight had passages set in Phoenix at the beginning and the end of the film.

{{main|Music of Arizona}}

Arizona is prominently featured in the lyrics of many Country and Western songs, such as Jamie O'Neal's hit ballad "There Is No Arizona". George Strait's "Oceanfront Property" uses "ocean front property in Arizona" as a metaphor for a sucker proposition. The line "see you down in Arizona Bay" is used in a Tool song in reference to the possibility (expressed as a hope by comedian Bill Hicks) that Southern California will one day fall into the ocean. Glen Campbell, a notable resident, popularized the song "By The Time I Get To Phoenix".

File:TakeItEasy WinslowAZ.jpg and mural in Winslow, Arizona]]

"Arizona" was the title of a popular song recorded by Mark Lindsay. Arizona is mentioned by the hit song "Take It Easy", written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey and performed by the Eagles. Arizona is also mentioned in the Beatles' song "Get Back", credited to John Lennon and Paul McCartney; McCartney sings: "JoJo left his home in Tucson, Arizona, for some California grass." "Carefree Highway", released in 1974 by Gordon Lightfoot, takes its name from Arizona State Route 74 north of Phoenix.{{cite news|title=Crawdaddy|date=April 1975}}

Arizona's budding music scene is helped by emerging bands, as well as some well-known artists. The Gin Blossoms, Chronic Future, Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, Jimmy Eat World, Caroline's Spine, and others began their careers in Arizona. Also, a number of punk and rock bands got their start in Arizona, including JFA, The Feederz, Sun City Girls, The Meat Puppets, The Maine, The Summer Set, and more recently Authority Zero and Digital Summer.

Arizona also has many singers and other musicians. Singer, songwriter and guitarist Michelle Branch is from Sedona. Chester Bennington, the former lead vocalist of Linkin Park, and mash-up artist DJ Z-Trip are both from Phoenix. One of Arizona's better known musicians is shock rocker Alice Cooper, who helped define the genre. Maynard James Keenan, the lead singer of the bands Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer, calls the town of Cornville home.

Other notable singers include country singers Dierks Bentley and Marty Robbins, folk singer Katie Lee, Fleetwood Mac's Stevie Nicks, CeCe Peniston, Rex Allen, 2007 American Idol winner Jordin Sparks, and Linda Ronstadt.

Arizona is also known for its heavy metal scene, which is centered in and around Phoenix. In the early to mid-1990s, it included bands such as Job for a Cowboy, Knights of the Abyss, Greeley Estates, Eyes Set To Kill, blessthefall, The Word Alive, The Dead Rabbitts, and Abigail Williams. The band Soulfly calls Phoenix home and Megadeth lived in Phoenix for about a decade. Beginning in and around 2009, Phoenix began to host a burgeoning desert rock and sludge metal underground, (ala' Kyuss in 1990s California) led by bands like Wolves of Winter, Asimov, and Dead Canyon.

American composer Elliott Carter composed his first String Quartet (1950–51) while on sabbatical (from New York) in Arizona. The quartet won a Pulitzer Prize and other awards and is now a staple of the string quartet repertoire.{{citation needed|date=September 2014}}

{{main|Sports in Arizona}}

File:Fiesta Bowl 2019 Stadium.jpg in Glendale]]

Four Super Bowls have been held in Arizona, including Super Bowl LVII which was held at State Farm Stadium on February 12, 2023.{{cite news|last1=Teope|first1=Herbie|title=Arizona, New Orleans Saints chosen as Super Bowl hosts|url=https://www.nfl.com/news/arizona-new-orleans-chosen-as-super-bowl-hosts-0ap3000000933935|publisher=National Football League|date=May 23, 2018|access-date=May 23, 2018|archive-date=February 2, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200202190059/http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000933935/article/arizona-new-orleans-chosen-as-super-bowl-hosts|url-status=live}}

Due to its numerous golf courses, Arizona is home to several stops on the PGA Tour, most notably the Phoenix Open, held at the TPC of Scottsdale, and the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Marana.{{cite web |last=web-admin |date=2012-02-22 |title=Accenture Match Play Championship begins at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club Dove Mountain |url=https://www.nicklausdesign.com/2012/02/22/dove-mountain-accenture-match-play/ |access-date=2022-09-22 |website=Nicklaus Design |language=en-US |archive-date=September 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922042756/https://www.nicklausdesign.com/2012/02/22/dove-mountain-accenture-match-play/ |url-status=live }}

Auto racing is another sport known in the state. Phoenix Raceway in Avondale is home to NASCAR race weekends twice a year. Firebird International Raceway near Chandler is home to drag racing and other motorsport events.{{cite web |last=rhorton |title=2022 NASCAR Championship Weekend |url=https://www.phoenixraceway.com/championship22/ |access-date=2022-09-22 |website=Phoenix Raceway |language=en-US |archive-date=September 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922042754/https://www.phoenixraceway.com/championship22/ |url-status=dead }}

College sports are also prevalent in Arizona. The Arizona State Sun Devils and the Arizona Wildcats belong to the Big-12 Conference while the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks compete in the Big Sky Conference and the Grand Canyon Antelopes compete in the Western Athletic Conference. The rivalry between Arizona State Sun Devils and the Arizona Wildcats predates Arizona's statehood, and is the oldest rivalry in the NCAA.{{cite news|first=Tom |last=Knauer |title=What is the Territorial Cup? |url=http://media.wildcat.arizona.edu/media/storage/paper997/news/2006/11/22/UaVsAsu/What-Is.The.Territorial.Cup-2507222.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081008121108/http://media.wildcat.arizona.edu/media/storage/paper997/news/2006/11/22/UaVsAsu/What-Is.The.Territorial.Cup-2507222.shtml |archive-date=October 8, 2008 |publisher=The Wildcat Online |date=November 22, 2006 |access-date=April 2, 2007 |url-status=dead }} The Territorial Cup, first awarded in 1889 and certified as the oldest trophy in college football,{{cite book|title=Official 2007 NCAA Division I Football Records Book |publisher=National Collegiate Athletic Association |year=2007 |url=https://www.ncaa.org/library/records/football/football_records_book/2007/2007_d1_football_records_book.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080625010623/http://www.ncaa.org/library/records/football/football_records_book/2007/2007_d1_football_records_book.pdf |archive-date=June 25, 2008 |url-status=dead}} is awarded to the winner of the annual football game between the two schools.

Arizona also hosts several college football bowl games. The Fiesta Bowl, originally held at Sun Devil Stadium, is now held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. The Fiesta Bowl is part of the new College Football Playoff (CFP). University of Phoenix Stadium was also home to the 2007 and 2011 BCS National Championship Games.

File:SpringTrainingHoHoKamPark.jpg]]

State Farm Stadium hosted the Final Four of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 2017 and is scheduled to host it again in 2024.{{cite web |date=July 16, 2018 |title=Arizona earns hosting duties for 2024 NCAA Tournament Final Four |url=https://arizonasports.com/story/1601570/arizona-final-four-hosting-2024-final-four-ncaa-tournament/ |website=Arizona Sports |access-date=September 22, 2022 |archive-date=September 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922042916/https://arizonasports.com/story/1601570/arizona-final-four-hosting-2024-final-four-ncaa-tournament/ |url-status=live }}

Arizona is a popular location for Major League Baseball spring training, as it is the site of the Cactus League. Spring training was first started in Arizona in 1947, when Brewers owner Veeck sold them in 1945 but went on to purchase the Cleveland Indians in 1946. He decided to train the Cleveland Indians in Tucson and convinced the New York Giants to give Phoenix a try. Thus, the Cactus League was born.{{cite web|url=https://azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2009/07/13/20090713mr-buckhorn0715ASF.html|title=Buckhorn Baths: A unique Mesa landmark|website=www.azcentral.com|access-date=December 7, 2019|archive-date=February 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220145600/https://azcentral.com/community/mesa/articles/2009/07/13/20090713mr-buckhorn0715ASF.html|url-status=live}}

On March 9, 1995, Arizona was awarded a franchise to begin to play for the 1998 season. A $130{{spaces}}million franchise fee was paid to Major League Baseball and on January 16, 1997, the Diamondbacks were officially voted into the National League.

Since their debut, the Diamondbacks have won five National League West titles, two National League Championship pennants, and the 2001 World Series.{{cite web |title=Jeff Munn |url=https://staatalent.com/client/jeff-munn/ |access-date=2022-09-22 |website=Sportscasters Talent Agency of America |language=en-US |archive-date=September 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922043203/https://staatalent.com/client/jeff-munn/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=Arizona Diamondbacks are National League Champions, advance to the World Series for the second time in franchise history |url=https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-arizona-diamondbacks-are-national-league-champions-advance-to-the- |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}

{{main list|List of people from Arizona}}

{{portal|Arizona}}

• Outline of Arizona
• Index of Arizona-related articles
• USS Arizona, 4 ships

{{notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• Bayless, Betsy, 1998, Arizona Blue Book, 1997–1998. Phoenix: Office of the Arizona Secretary of State.
• McIntyre, Allan J., 2008, The Tohono O'odham and Pimeria Alta. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. ({{ISBN|978-0738556338}}).
• Miller, Tom (editor), 1986, Arizona: The Land and the People. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. ({{ISBN|978-0816510047}}).
• Officer, James E., 1987, Hispanic Arizona, 1536–1856. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. ({{ISBN|978-0816509812}}).
• Plascencia, Luis F.B. and Gloria H. Cuádraz (eds.), 2018, Mexican Workers and the Making of Arizona. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
• Thomas, David M. (editor), 2003, Arizona Legislative Manual. In [http://www.azleg.state.az.us/alispdfs/Council/legman2003.pdf Arizona] Phoenix: Arizona Legislative Council. Google Print. Retrieved January 16, 2006.
• Trimble, Marshall, 1998, Arizona, A Cavalcade of History. Tucson: Treasure Chest Publications. ({{ISBN|978-0918080431}}).
• Woosley, Anne I., 2008, [http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=9780738556468 Early Tucson.] Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. ({{ISBN|978-0738556468}}).

{{Sister project links|voy=Arizona|Arizona}}

• {{Official website}}
• [https://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/states/arizona/index.html Arizona State Guide, from the Library of Congress]
• {{cite web |url=http://www.bea.doc.gov/bea/regional/map/map.asp?po=AZ |title=Arizona Regional Accounts Data |access-date=February 19, 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020819164839/http://www.bea.doc.gov/bea/regional/map/map.asp?po=AZ |archive-date=August 19, 2002 |url-status=dead}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20030421010246/http://www.fedstats.gov/qf/states/04000.html Arizona Demographic Data from FedStats]
• [http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/state-fact-sheets/state-data.aspx?StateFIPS=04&StateName=Arizona Arizona USDA State Fact Sheet]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20111102001204/http://arizonaindicators.org/ Arizona Indicators]
• [http://www.eia.gov/state/state-energy-profiles.cfm?sid=AZ Energy Data & Statistics for Arizona]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20171109085739/http://wikis.ala.org/godort/index.php/Arizona Arizona State Databases]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20040626115848/http://www.lib.az.us/ Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records]
• {{Ballotpedia|Arizona|Arizona}}
• {{osmrelation-inline|162018}}
• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20030220022708/http://arizonaguide.com/ Official Arizona Office of Tourism]}}
• [http://www.azgfd.gov/ Arizona Game & Fish Department]
• [http://azstateparks.com/index.html Arizona State Parks]
• [http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/amsw/ National Park Service Travel Itinerary]

{{s-start}}

{{s-bef|before=New Mexico}}

{{s-ttl|title=List of U.S. states by date of admission to the Union|years=Admitted on February 14, 1912 (48th)}}

{{s-aft|after=Alaska}}

{{s-end}}

{{Adjacent communities

| Northwest = {{flag|Nevada}}

| North = {{flag|Utah}}

| Northeast = {{flag|Colorado}}

| East = {{flag|New Mexico}}

| Centre = {{flag|Arizona}}: {{hlist|Outline | Index }}

| Southeast =

| South = {{flag|Sonora}}, {{flag|Mexico}}

| Southwest = {{flag|Baja California}}, {{flagu|Mexico}}

| West = {{flag|California}}

}}

{{Navboxes

|title = Topics related to Arizona{{break}}The Grand Canyon State; The Copper State

|list =

{{Arizona|expanded}}

{{Protected areas of Arizona}}

{{Western United States}}

{{New Spain}}

{{United States political divisions}}

|state=expanded}}

{{Authority control}}

{{coord|35|-112|dim:300000_region:US-AZ_type:adm1st|name=State of Arizona|display=title}}

Category:1912 establishments in the United States

Category:Contiguous United States

Category:Former Spanish colonies

Category:States and territories established in 1912

Category:States of the United States

Category:Western United States