Adsactly Education: Arizona Today
Arizona today is a study in population gain into a fixed primary need, water. In the 21st century it will become the most dominant issue in the state. Several of this year’s election campaigns contained solutions for the short water supply we face now and into the future. But it will still be the people that drive the decisions and they are clearly concerned about water. I hope this piece shows some of that concern and some of what is happening in Arizona.
Salt River Canyon
At the start of the 1990s Phoenix has a population of 980,000 and covers 420 square miles (1080 sq km).
A Phoenix Police sting operation in 1990 has unintended consequences: Several sitting members of the state legislature are gathered up.
Biosphere 2, a much heralded dome, meant to have people sealed in it to simulate isolation involved in long term space flight opened near Tucson in 1991. The original test involved 8 people and was scheduled for a year. It doesn’t make it a month before someone needs out. It is still the largest completely closed system on earth.
Former Travel Agent Joe Arpaio was elected Sheriff of Maricopa County in 1991. Prior to that his main claim to fame was selling flights to the Moon.
Standing on the Corner Park, Winslow
Arizona voters approve the Martin Luther King Holiday in 1992. Arizona is still the only state to have done so.
Timothy McVeigh of Kingman is charged with the bombing of the Alfred P Murrah Federal Courthouse in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma in 1995. McVeigh was executed for the crime.
Grand Canyon National Park is closed for the first time in 1995 due to a Government shutdown.
Fife J Symington is convicted of bank fraud and forced to resign as Governor of the state in 1997. Symington is later pardoned by Bill Clinton and actually runs for governor again.
Palm Canyon
The Phoenix Lights, a major UFO sighting occurs in 1997. Among thousands who witness the spectacle is former governor Symington. The validity of the sighting is still argued today.
Dan Quayle who grew up in Arizona runs for President in 1999. Unsuccessfully. The same year Arizona elects women to the top 5 State offices, becoming the first state to have an all female administration.
During the 1990s the City of Phoenix annexed over 50 square miles of land to move to 475 square miles in size. The January 1 2000 population is over 103 million.
The Republican Nominee for President in 2000 is Arizona Senator John McCain. McCain chooses Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin as his running mate. They lose to Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Phoenix, Tempe and Chandler all approve a light rail system that is projected at 34 miles of track in 2000. The system is still growing today.
Navajo Bridge over the Colorado River at Lee's Ferry
A man named Hani Hanjour flies a hijacked aircraft into the Pentagon in Washington DC on September 11, 2001. He received his flight training in Phoenix.
Lori Piestewa from Window Rock, Arizona becomes the first woman and the first Native American killed in the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The mountain formerly named Squaw Peak is renamed Piestewa Peak in her honor.
Stephenie Meyer, a Glendale housewife, has a dream in 2003. That dream would lead to the Twilight series of books and ultimately to a hit TV series.
Pat Tillman died from friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004. Tillman had had a legendary football career at Arizona State University and became a member of the Arizona Cardinals, where he excelled. In 2002 he gave up his football career to enlist in the US Army. His brother Kevin gave up a pro baseball career to enlist with him.
Montezuma's Castle
Maricopa County voters approve a continuation of a 1985 sales tax in 2004. It is dedicated solely towards transportation needs.
University of Phoenix Stadium (NFL) opened in Glendale in 2006. It not only has a sliding roof, but the field is natural grass that is rolled into and out of the stadium so it is grown outside. It has hosted the Super Bowl and the College Football Championships as well as the Fiesta Bowl and numerous other events including concerts and trade shows.
2008 sees the opening of the Valley Metro Rail system, the long awaited light rail system. Today it has just over 26 miles of track and over 50,000 ride it each week. Expansion is ongoing but right now it serves parts of Phoenix, Tempe and Mesa.
Desert Proving Grounds Yuma opens in 2009, replacing the General Motors Proving Grounds in Mesa. A 10 mile paved oval track is the highlight along with all associated labs and facilities. First tested there are the Chevrolet NASCAR vehicles for the 2009 season.
Phoenix population in 2010 is listed over 1.4 million and the metro area listed at over 4 million people.
Hannigan Meadows Campground
So there are some of the significant people and happenings of Arizona. As a state Arizona tends to be contrary and controversial. Sometimes watching the politics and procedures in Arizona is like watching a slow motion train wreck.
Arizona has it’s moments. It is one of only 2 free carry states, which means you can carry a concealed weapon at all times with no permit required. Maybe because of that it tends to be a very polite state. It’s one of the very few states that allow you to pay your personal State Income Tax with Bitcoin. Politically, it’s about as Red as anywhere.
It’s is against the law in Arizona to refuse to give a person a drink of water.
This is my home. I love it here.
While the words and concepts in this article are all mine, I referred to these two sources to get some sort of accuracy in my account.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Arizona
https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/the-life-of-a-state-a-timeline-of-arizonas-history-6452192
All photos in this article are courtesy of the author.
Authored by: @bigtom13
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