Did you know that February 14th is Arizona Statehood Day? Arizona became the 48th state in the union on Feb. 14, 1912. Here are some interesting facts about our great state!
– Arizona turns 105 years-old this year
– It took Arizona 56 years to gain statehood
– Congress wanted to combine Arizona and New Mexico and admit it as one state, but people living in the territory of Arizona voted against it 16,265 to 3,141
– President William Howard Taft signed Arizona into statehood
– Arizona’s first governor, George W. P. Hunt was present for the signing in Washington D.C.
– Arizona only had 200,000 residents at the time of statehood
– Arizona was the 48th territory to become a state, making it one of the youngest states in our country’s history
– The state flower is a saguaro cactus blossom. It was adopted in 1901 as the territorial flower and in 1930 became the official state flower.
– Arizona is the 15th most-populous state with a population of 6.7 million, according to the U.S. Census.
– The official state neck wear is the bola tie.
– Arizona ‘s nicknames include the Grand Canyon State, the Copper State and the Valentine’s Day State.
– Arizona leads the nation in copper production, accounting for 68 percent of the United States’ copper.
– The Capitol building in Phoenix contains enough copper to make 4,800,000 pennies.
– Arizona does not observe daylight-saving time.
– Arizona is the 6th-largest state at around 114,000 square miles.
– The state motto is “Ditat Deus” which means “God enriches.”
– The hottest day ever recorded in Arizona was 128 degrees in Lake Havasu City.
All of us at the North Phoenix Chamber of Commerce wish you a very happy Statehood Day!
