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11 Things Arizona Does Better Than the Rest of the Nation

Arizona
by Angela Orlando Apr 13, 2018

Arizona does not only do winter better than any other US state, it’s also one of the greatest places in the country for warm-weather outdoor adventures come summer. And that’s just scratching the surface on what makes Arizona awesome. Here are 11 things Arizona does better than anyone else that will make you want to pack up and move here.

1. Aeronautics

Between the Tucson boneyard and the crazy experimental crafts flying overhead every night, we know a thing or two about weird airplanes.

2. Bridge moving

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Did we really need to haul the fallen-down London Bridge to Havasu, brick by brick? Why yes, yes we did.

3. Anything sun-related

We have the best sunsets, and your hair dries as soon as you get out of the shower. Or, more likely, the pool.

4. Desert thunderstorms

You know you’re truly alive when the darkened afternoon sky audibly cracks open to let in a lightning show to spotlight giant 30-foot saguaros.

5. Taco stands, taco trucks, taco joints

Whatever you call them, Arizona does them best. We even have a taco festival to prove it.

6. Female lawmakers

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Did you know that Arizona has the most female legislators of any state in the U.S? Durn tootin’.

7. Hosting visitors

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The Grand Canyon was the second most visited national park in the country last year (beat out only by the Great Smoky Mountains). And don’t even get started on Sedona tourist traffic.

8. Artsy towns

From Jerome to Bisbee to Prescott to Tubac to Tucson to, of course, Sedona, we’ve got all the high-end hippie jewelry, rugs, pottery, glass, sculpture, and painting anyone could hope for.

9. Lettuce

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Yuma grows the most winter lettuce in the world and Arizona takes second in the nation overall for lettuce and cruciferous veggies. It’s the best place to eat healthy (if you don’t count the tacos and the mezcal and the Sonoran hot dogs…).

10. Rose bushes

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The biggest in the world is in Tombstone. Planted in 1885, she blooms white flowers in late March, early April.

11. Toxic critters

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One of the most dangerous venoms known to science actually spews out from an Arizona-based ant. And yeah, we’re pretty proud of that.

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