This southwestern state is best known for the Grand Canyon, the mile-deep chasm carved by the Colorado River. Flagstaff, a ponderosa pine-covered mountain town, is a major gateway to the Grand Canyon. Other natural sites include Saguaro National Park, which protects the cactus-filled Sonoran Desert Landscape. Tucson is home to the University of Arizona and to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
Southern Arizona is known for its desert climate, with very hot summers and mild winters. Northern Arizona features forests of pine, Douglas fir, and Spruce trees, the Colorado Plateau, some mountain ranges (e.g., the San Francisco Mountains), as well as large deep canyons, with much more moderate summer temperatures and significant winter snowfalls. There are ski resorts in the areas of Flagstaff, Alpine, and Tucson. In addition to the Grand Canyon National Park, there are several national forests, national parks, and national monuments in the state.
Business Climate
Early in its history, Arizona’s economy relied largely on the “five C’s:” copper, cotton, cattle, citrus, and climate (tourism). Copper is still extensively mined from many expansive open-pit and underground mines, accounting for two-thirds of the nation’s output.
