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The dry, hot climate is a favorite of the active retiree crowd. Staking out opposite ends of the state, it claims the cool college towns of Tucson and Flagstaff. Victorian mining towns like Bisbee and Jerome exude rough-cut character, and New Agers in Sedona reveal in its unseen energy.
Science museums, vast nature preserves, and some the world's finest health spa resorts are located in Arizona. The city of Sedona is known for its famous energy vortexes, spiritual community, and amazing red rock monuments. Tucson is famous for its art galleries and southwest architecture.
North Central Arizona is full of surprises, be it Alpine's Cowboy Poets Gathering (in August) or finding prickly pear BBQ pork tenderloin in Jerome, a town once dubbed the "wickedest town in America" by the New York Post. Sure, there's the Grand Canyon to the north and Phoenix to the south that get most of the attention, but, for those who take the time to get out and explore this area, there's plenty to discover.
Today, Greater Phoenix, also known as the Valley of the Sun, spills brazenly beyond the neat perimeters of Gulley's arch. It's become a vast, diverse Sonoran Desert metropolis in central Arizona of more than 3 million people, some 2,000 square miles and dozens of unique cities and towns.
Northern Arizona has one of the greatest assets in the Natural World and one of its Seven Wonders: The Grand Canyon. Sure, no visit here is complete without a trip to the Canyon - that would be like going to Paris and skipping the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame and the Champs Elysees. Vast, magnificent and inarguably beautiful, the Grand Canyon is easily Arizona's most distinguishable landmark - and a natural wonder that you simply have to see to believe. Stretching 277 miles from end to end, steep, rocky walls descend more than a mile to the canyon's floor, where the wild Colorado River traces a swift course southwest.
A kaleidoscope of images awaits discovery in Southern Arizona - sycamores shading canyon streams, fluttering hummingbirds, rolling ranch lands, tidy vineyards and the wonders of underground caverns. From the Old West of Tombstone to Tucson's urban vitality, this is a land filled with contrasts.
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Arizona's West Coast, bracketed by the Colorado River and rugged desert mountain ranges, offers enough water sports, Wild West history and outdoor activities to more than make up for its lack of big cities and canyons. From forest to desert, Arizona is defined by diversity. Indeed, there's more here than just the Grand Canyon - the only constant in this varied land is the Southwestern sunshine. Blue skies reign over Arizona 80 percent of the time. Pack your sunscreen, because an adventure here is sure to be a bright one.
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