Phoenix was incorporated as a city in 1881 after being founded in 1861 near the Salt River in the south-central part of the state, about 120 miles (190 km) north of the Mexico border and midway between El Paso, Texas, and Los Angeles, California. Spanish explorers arrived in what is now Arizona in the 16th century. A series of missions were established north of Mexico along the Santa Cruz River valley by 1700.

Phoenix bears much resemblance to Los Angeles. Like its California counterpart, Phoenix is a major city with many centers, all at great distances from one another. Today Phoenix has a population of 1,567,924 as of 2010 and is the 5th largest city in the United States. Phoenix is Arizona’s state capital. The city was founded on the site of ancient Native American canals; hence its name, signifying a new town which had risen from the ruins of an old civilization.
… Continue Reading

Arizona became a U.S. state on February 14, 1912 as the 48th state. In 1775 the Spanish founded Fort Tucson. In 1848, after the Mexican War, most of what is now the Arizona territory became part of the U.S. The southern portion of the territory was added by the Gadsden Purchase from Mexico in 1853. Some believe that the name derives from a Basque phrase meaning “place of oaks,” others attribute it to a Tohono O’odham (Papago) Indian phrase meaning “place of the young (or little) spring”. Arizona is located in the southwestern quadrant of the coterminous states, bordered by California to the west, Nevada to the northwest, Utah to the north, New Mexico to the east, and the Mexican state of Sonora to the south. The Colorado River forms the boundary with California and Nevada

The Grand Canyon and the Painted Desert have become international symbols of the region.
… Continue Reading