Arizona

Hello. I am a place of warm sunshine, bright blue skies, and rocks painted in pretty shades of orange and red. All around me, tall, green cacti stand like friendly giants waving hello with their arms. They have been here for a very long time. Gentle breezes whisper secrets as they dance through my canyons and across my warm, sandy ground. I love when the sun tickles my mountains in the morning and paints my sky with pinks and purples at night. I am a very special place. I am Arizona.

My story is very, very long. A long time ago, the first people lived here. They were very smart and built their homes right into the sides of my cliffs, like little nests in the rocks. They drew beautiful pictures on my stones that you can still see today if you look very closely. Many, many years later, around the year 1540, new visitors from a country called Spain came to explore my sunny lands. They walked for many miles to see my wonders. Then, after a long, long time, something very exciting happened. On a special day, February 14th, 1912, I became a state in the United States of America. It felt like my birthday, and it was a very happy day for everyone.

Today, I am a place for wonder and adventure. I have a giant, beautiful ditch called the Grand Canyon that was carved by a river over millions of years. It’s so big and colorful. Many fun animals live here with me. You might see a speedy roadrunner zip by, saying “beep beep.”. Or you might see little lizards that skitter across the warm sand, doing tiny push-ups in the sun. I love it when families come to visit me. You can walk on my trails, look at the sparkly stars in my big night sky, and discover all my sunny secrets. I am here to remind you that the world is full of amazing things to see, and I’ll always have new adventures waiting for you.