But, it's a dry heat... 

  It’s always fun for me when I hear a conversation started with this ….  I suppose it is some sort of coping mechanism for Phoenicians when our weather soars into the 100’s.

       Other than the heat Arizona has many wonderful things to offer such as tourism, high-tech industries, the Grand Canyon, the many Indian tribes, luxurious adult resort communities the Arizona Diamondbacks Baseball or the Phoenix coyotes.

Here’s a sampling of a few interesting facts about Arizona that will be great conversation starters.

• The geographical area containing Phoenix and surrounding cities is commonly called the Valley.  That’s because the city is partially surrounded by mountain ranges such as the Superstitions to the east, the Sierra Estrellas to the southwest, the White Tanks to the west and the McDowells to the Northeast.

• Arizona has more boats per capita than any other state in the nation.

• More than 10 million people visit The Valley of the Sun each year

• Sunshine is in huge supply in Phoenix.  The Valley averages 211 clear days and 85 partly cloudy days per year

• The Giant of the Desert – It takes 50 years for a saguaro
  (sah wah ro) to grow one arm.  We have some grandaddies out there!  In April or May the saguaro blooms. Each blossom gives way to edible fruit.  When ripe, the fruit splits open, exposing the brilliant crimson inside, which is often mistaken for a cactus flower.

• For centuries the Indians have harvested saguaro fruit, using long poles made from saguaro ribs.  The fruit could be eaten fresh, made into preserves, or dried like figs.  They also pound the shiny seeks into flour.

• More than 10 million people visit The Valley of the Sun each year.

• Visitors account for about $4 billion in expenditures each year.  Eight out of 10 visitors to the Arizona Valley plan to return.

• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is the sixth-busiest airport in the country and the eighth-busiest worldwide.

• Arizona became a state in 1912, and is known as the “Nation’s Valentine”, because it joined the union on February 14^th.

• There are 20 Arizona Indian Reservations within Arizona covering 19 million acres.

• There are six National Forests within Arizona covering 11.2 million acres.

• Phoenix, Arizona is the 7^th largest city in the country with 1,048,949 people, according to the Census Bureau.  The metroplex area has a population of 2.3 million.

• Gilbert, Arizona was ranked the fastest growing city from April 2000 thru July 2002 by the Dept. of Commerce in cities over 100,000.
  
  
• Chandler ranked fourth and Peoria ranked fifth place in the nation as the fastest growing cities in the nation.

• The State Seal has 5 C’s in it. 

• CLIMATE being the first. As golfers play on green fairways in the Valley, skiers take to the slopes near Flagstaff, just a few hours’ drive away.

• COTTON is Arizona’s largest single cash crop.

• COPPER Arizona leads the nation in copper production, accounting for 65 percent of the total U.S. mine production. In addition, Arizona is among the leaders in the production of gemstones, molybdenum, silver, perlite, and sand and gravel. There are 72 mining companies operating 126 mines in the state, with an additional 70 sand and gravel producers. More than 15,000 people are directly employed by the mining industry. The major Arizona copper mining companies are Asarco Inc., BHP Copper, and Phelps Dodge Corporation.

• CATTLE are a $2.6 billion business in Arizona, providing income and jobs for 4,000 cattle producers.  The state ranks 13^th in the US in cattle production.

• CITRUS – Arizona’s Salt River Valley produces 5 million cartons of fruit each year, spawning a $40 million citrus industry.  Arizona is third in production in the US behind Florida and California.

• In the past, the Arizona economy was based on these five “C’s”. The five elements driving the State economy now are: high tech manufacturing, tourism, health care, financial/back room operations and warehousing/distribution centers.

• Sheep are employed at many of Chandler’s major corporations to eat the lawn.

• Arizona has the most hummingbird species  (14).

• Phoenix is home to the largest municipal park in the world.  South Mountain Park covers more than 20,000 acres.

• Arizona was settled by Spaniards who came north from Mexico, the Mormons, who came south from Utah, the forty-niners, the soldiers, the stage lines, AND, the original trail was surveyed by a camel expedition.

In ending, I can only add this:  I’m not a native, but I got here as fast as I could . . . and have no plans to move anywhere else.