Around Arizona Index

State Capitol: Phoenix State Motto: Ditat Deus (God Enriches) State Nickname: Grand Canyon State State Songs: "Arizona March Song" & "Arizona" State Flower: Blossom of the Saguaro cactus State Gem: Turquoise Official Neckwear: Bola Tie State Tree: Palo Verde State Bird: Cactus Wren State Fossil: Petrified Wood State Mammal: Ringtail State Reptile: Arizona Ridge-nosed Rattlesnake State Fish: Apache Trout State Amphibian: Arizona Treefrog ²

Celebrity Sightings in Arizona! This is where Steven Spielberg directed his first movies, Clark Gable & Carole Lombard were married, Amanda Blake had a real cat house, and Danny Bonaduce beat up a transvestite hooker. Wonder Woman and the Genie we dream of were born here. It's also where Charles Boyer committed suicide and Walter Winchell is buried. And that doesn't even scratch the surface! So far we've found 189 celebrities with Arizona connections--and we're still counting.

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Arizona Community Locator - Find over 500 Arizona communities alphabetically--from Adamana to Yuma--and the counties in which they are located. View a picture from the communities, or the location of Bankruptcy Courts, hearing and meeting places. Link to additional information for selected communities.

Death Over the Grand Canyon - On the morning of Saturday, June 30, 1956, United Flight 718 collided with TWA Flight 2 over the eastern end of the Grand Canyon. Since the accident involved two of the largest commercial aircraft then in service--a Lockheed Super Constellation, and a Douglas DC-7--it resulted in the greatest loss of life, by far, in any accident of the time.

Huge inflated creatures invade Arizona! - Enormous creatures have taken up residence all over Arizona. Although they can be found at apartment buildings, tree lots, or almost any place, they seem particularly fond of car dealerships. Our museum has a fine collection of these creatures in their natural habitat.

Mystery of The Thing Solved! - Billboards start popping up before Tucson from the west and around El Paso on the east. Our crack investigative team has been there and we're not holding anything back. Our camera has captured The Thing in its natural habitat, and we let you know just what The Thing is and where it came from!

Route 66 - Bobby Troup told us, "If you ever plan to motor west, travel my way, take the highway that's the best." That highway was Route 66. Now it's a combination of Route 66 and Interstate 40. The longest stretch of old Route 66 is right here in Arizona. So are the Wigwam Motel, the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest, Meteor Crater, the restored Fred Harvey La Posada, not to mention an assortment of dinosaurs, an oversized jackrabbit, and a host of other roadside attractions. Fasten your seatbelts and we'll take you there. And we won't forget Winona.

Just Pictures, and captions
AND Hundreds of STOCK IMAGES you can use!

How could a misplaced department store mannequin get so much attention? - The Mode Ltd. department store closed in the 1990's leaving the whole family of mannequins out of work. This is how one of those mannequins made it to the Phoenix suburbs and the stir she caused.

	USS Arizona Memorial - One anchor from the USS Arizona is displayed at the Pearl Harbor memorial where it sank at the start of WWII. The other anchor is in front of the state capitol in Phoenix. Ever wonder why Arizona had a battleship?		The Arizona US Flag - Arizona was the last of the lower 48 to become a state. The flag that resulted was this country's symbol longer than any other.
	The Bola Tie - Arizona is the only state with official state neckwear, and aren't we proud?		Arizona License Plates - Personalized license plates are all over the place. Help us break the code.
	Governors of Arizona - One of them had to be released from jail to take office, and three of them risked jail after leaving office. You probably won't get this information from the Governor's web site, but we'll tell you where the bodies are buried--literally.		Celebrity Sightings - Arizona is where the teenage Steven Spielberg directed his first picture, where Wonder Woman grew up, where the Queen of Mean performed her community service, and where singing cowboys met their demise. Here's our list of the famous and infamous that have lived in our state.
	Gas Lines in Phoenix - When Tucson's pipeline ruptured drenching homes with thousands of gallons of gasoline, lines started forming at gas stations in Phoenix. Did anyone notice that the CEO of the pipeline company is a former CEO of Enron?

Globe - Supposedly named for a 9" sphere of pure silver mined there. The silver mines turned to copper mines, and Globe became one of the largest and busiest cities in Arizona. When the copper mines closed, they left a residue of vintage architecture.

	Ak Chin - A giant bronze eagle impaled on a three story saguaro beckons visitors to drop their coins into Harrah's slots. If you're lucky you might win a $330,000 jackpot like Herminia Rodriquez did in 1997--before having it taken away--and then given back.		Apache Junction - Apaches--Yes, Indians!--used the trail to raid the tribes that settled along the Salt River. Then the whites came, built roads, a dam, and trailer parks. Speaking of roads, you ought to see Silly Mountain Road.
	Buckeye - Where can you find a 25 foot tall tin hobo when you need one? How about in front of a meat packing plant?		Williams Gateway - They built Williams in 1941 to train pilots for the Army Air Corps. Now ASU trains students, and Boeing fixes aircraft at the old base.
	Estrella - Take a few swimming champions, mix in the most costly savings and loan failure ever, for good measure add some censured US Senators. Now, what planned community do you have?		Liberty - A charming old school...not much more.
	Gila Bend - The future isn't what it used to be--except in Gila Bend where a flying saucer marks lodgings for travelers, extraterrestrial and otherwise. Or stay where a writer died mysteriously during the filming of "The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing."		Luke Air Force Base - It was in Pearl Harbor. Now it's here. Wherever it is, it could have been named after you if you were good at shooting down balloons and other stuff the Germans put up in the sky.
	Mesa -The original 85 arrived following instructions from Salt Lake City. They discarded polygamy and built a temple. Along the way, they built cool houses, some of which are still standing and open to prying eyes and cameras.		Phoenix at the BOB - Who would have guessed that the upstart Diamondbacks would come from behind to win the 2001 World Series over the perpetual champion Yankees? Maybe Mary Rose Wilcox, the only county Supervisor to survive re-election and an assassin's bullet after voting for taxpayer funding of the Bank One Ballpark.
	Phoenix got Googie - 1950's commercial architects tried their best to transform Phoenix into the Jetson's home planet. Not many boomerang shaped roofs still float atop sheet glass, but we have located a couple. Grand Slam anyone?		Phoenix and the Miranda Warnings - You have the right to remain silent about that kidnapping and rape. And your killer has the right to remain silent about the knifing. This is where it all started!
	Phoenix Streets - Trees, dead presidents, mountains, schools, hospitals and generals are all honored by street names. Come see which honor what.		Queen Creek - A railroad, a mine, a creek. Enough for a page.
	Sandra Day O'Connor & Her Courthouse- The Federal courthouse in Phoenix is named in honor of the first woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court.		Tempe- The city hall only looks like it was built upside down. It's but one of a number of things that Tempe does differently.

	Apache Junction - Apaches--Yes, Indians!--used the trail to raid the tribes that settled along the Salt River. Then the whites came, built roads, a dam, and trailer parks. Speaking of roads, you ought to see Silly Mountain Road.		Biosphere 2 - 8 "bionauts" were sealed under glass with 3,800 plant & animal species where they encountered media attention and crop failure. Only the roaches and ants seemed happy.
	Florence - Time stands still in Florence--the clock tower on the county court house always reads 11:44--which may explain the state of the city's architecture. For some reason the situation resulted in an uncommon large number of movies being made there.		Arizona State Prison--Florence - Which hurts less--hanging, gas, or lethal injection? If the inmates face to face with the death penalty found out, they weren't telling.

Arcosanti - In 1970 construction was begun on a prototype community of tomorrow with a planned population of 7,000. Three decades later construction continues with the population slightly less than projected--about 6,934 less.

1. American FactFinder, 2010 Census, U.S. Census Bureau.

2. Office of the Governor, State of Arizona.