Valley Leadership: 5 Things to Know about Arizona

Valley Leadership

Valley Leadership’s Explore program will launch this spring, giving alumni a chance to get out of their community – and their comfort zone – to get to know the great diversity of the state and how our most pressing issues show up in rural, urban, suburban and Native communities.

As we get ready to launch Explore, we’ve been busy digging up details about our great state and want to give you a preview of some of the places we’ll be visiting – and all they have to offer. Whether you were born and raised here, have been here for many years and consider Arizona home, or even if you just got here and feel like you’re still figuring out east from west, these five tidbits about the 48th state are worth knowing!

Walk with the dinosaurs in Tuba City. Just 70 miles north of Flagstaff in the Navajo Nation, you can see dinosaur tracks that were formed in the early Jurassic period, approximately 200 million years ago.
Feed the world from Yuma County. With over 230,000 acres of farmland that produces over 175 types of crops and seeds, Yuma County grows 90% of all leafy vegetables in the United States, and 71% of wheat production in the area is exported to Italy to be used in premium pasta.
Navajo Nation has a land base of 27,000 square miles, extending into Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico, making it the largest designated tribal land in the United States. Navajo Nation is also home to Monument Valley, which is one of the most iconic natural wonders in Arizona and Utah and among the most photographed places on earth.
Commerce and culture meet in Nogales. Some $30 billion in international trade passes through Arizona’s largest border crossing.
See how the suburbs are evolving in Buckeye. Buckeye has grown around 80% in population since 2010, making it one of the fastest growing cities in the country with more than 91,000 residents.