Arizona Real Estate Resources

Arizona is in the American Southwestern. It is one of the Four Corners state and borders New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California and Mexico, touching Colorado.

Its major cities are Phoenix, Tucson, Yuma and Flagstaff. The 2000 population was 5.1 million.

Many National Forests, Parks, Monuments and Indian reservations are located in the state including the incomparable Grand Canyon.

Marcos de Niza, a Franciscan, explored the area in 1539. Coronado entered the area in 1540–42. Father Kino developed a chain of missions in Pimería Alta (now southern Arizona and northern Sonora) in the 1690's and early 1700's. Spain founded fortified towns at Tubac in 1752 and Tucson in 1775. Arizona became part of Mexico's northwest frontier upon the Mexican independence in 1810. The United States took possession of most of Arizona at the end of the Mexican War in 1848. In 1853 the land below the Gila River was acquired from Mexico in the Gadsden Purchase. Arizona was administered as part of the Territory of New Mexico until it became a separate territory in 1863. It became the 48th state in 1912.