Arizona Almanac
Books
Going Back to Bisbee,
By Richard Shelton
These Is My Words,
By Nancy Turner
Capirotada: A Nogales Memoir,
By Alberto Rios
The Trunk Murderess: Winnie Ruth Judd,
By Jana Bommersbach
Hopi Summer: Letters from Ethel to Maud,
By Carolyn O'Bagy Davis
Arizona: 100 Years Grand,
By Lisa Schnebly Heidinger
Tourist Attractions
Geography, Climate and Natural Resources
Land area in square miles: 113,594
Largest cities: Phoenix, Tucson, Mesa
Highest peak: Humphreys Peak (12,637 feet)
Longest river: Colorado River
Coldest recorded temperature: -40 degrees at Hawley Lake on January 7, 1971.
Hottest recorded temperature: 128 degrees in Lake Havasu City on June 29, 1994.
Phoenix high: 122 degrees on June 26, 1990.
History
The U.S. acquired the northern part of Arizona in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The area south of the Gila River was added in 1853 with the 1853 Gadsden Purchase. At first, Arizona was a part of the Territory of New Mexico. Arizona became a separate territory in 1863. The U.S. made Arizona the 48th state in 1912.
Law and Government
Three branches of government:
The Governor is the chief executive. The Secretary of State is next in line.
The legislature has two houses, with 30 districts. Each district elects one senator and two representatives.
The highest court is the Arizona Supreme Court. The court has seven justices.
Art and Architecture
Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation/Taliesin West - Frank Lloyd Wright began building Taliesin West in 1937. It is north of Scottsdale.
Frank Lloyd Wright in Arizona 1929-1959
Mission San Xavier del Bac - San Xavier del Bac is the oldest European structure in the state. It was built in the late 1700s near Tucson.
The Heard Museum -The Heard Museum tells the story of American Indian arts and cultures. It is in Phoenix.
Route 66 - Route 66 is a road that ran across northern Arizona. It passed through Winslow. The town is home to the street corner made famous by the Eagle's “Take it Easy.” The town also has La Posada, a railroad hotel designed by Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter.
Center for Creative Photography - The Center for Creative Photography is on the University of Arizona campus. It is the largest history center in the world for modern North American photography.
Images from the Edward Curtis Collection at the Arizona State Capitol Museum
University of Arizona Poetry Center
Arcosanti - Arcosanti, located in central Arizona along I-17, is an experimental town that aims to explore the possibilities arcology, the meeting point between architecture and ecology.
