History of Arizona and a Look at Its Present

So many that live in the cold north become snowbirds and escape to Arizona for those long cold snowy months. But there is much more to Arizona than a great winter climate. Let's take a peek at Arizona from its beginnings to its glorious present.

The history of Arizona dates back to when Spanish explorers left their mark in places such as Tuba and Tucson as early as 1752. Arizona was part of Mexico until 1847 and was recognized as a confederate territory at the start of the Civil War. This was also about the time that the camel was introduced as a pack animal but this really was not a good idea as they did not like the rockiness and they frightened away the mules and horses!

Up until 1886 there was regular warfare between organized groups of U.S. soldiers and the Apaches whose leaders where Cochise and Geronimo. But when in 1886 Geronimo submitted to federal troops mining took over. There were plenty of copper deposits in Bisbee, silver in Tombstone and lore and legends that came from a nation being built through the lawless West.

Next came railroads and sheep ranching until by 1912 the frontier territory was granted statehood..

Now in the 21^st century Arizona flourishes on a mixture of the aerospace and biotech industries and of course tourism.

There are 113,000sq miles that are Arizona and only 15% of those are privately owned which makes Arizona the one of the leading destinations for national parks and monuments.

Arizona has six climate zones, which range from the Lower Sonoran Zone to the Alpine Zone.

This state runs on Mountain Standard time and does not observe Daylight Savings Time, which means that pacific Standard Time and Arizona time are the same in the summer months. But, should you be on the Navajo Reservation, time will respect Daylight Savings Time.

Arizona is packed with must sees both natural and man-made such as the Grand Canyon, the fiery red rocks of Sedona,Ssaguaro cactus forests, azure swimming holes, the ancestral homelands of the Hopi, Navajo, Apache and Tohono, the old frontier towns of Bisbee, Tombstone, Oatman and the sophistication of Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tucson.

Arizona is a friend to all and there is an immigration and customs facility at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. There are over 20 airlines that fly regularly into Sky Harbor such as Aeromexico, Air Canada, British Airways and WestJet.

Navigating the airport is easy. International passengers will arrive at Terminal 4 for immigration and customs. Baggage can be claimed and there are free baggage carts. There is an International Pedestrian Walkway that guides passengers from Customs through a 500 ft moving walkway, which runs parallel to Sky harbor Boulevard. Once this has been navigated there is an elevator and bridge that leads all international visitors to level 3 of Terminal 4, which is the non-secure portion of the terminal.

When in Arizona bear in mind that the legal drinking age is 21 and liquor can be purchased until 2 am after which the bars close. After this time it is illegal to have opened containers in the street or in a vehicle.

Smoking is not allowed in restaurants, bars, grocery stores, any establishment that serves food, office buildings, health care facilities, lobbies, restrooms or receptions areas.

Source: Arizona - eyewitness-published by DK publishing