Ever experienced an “Only in Arizona” moment? We can relate. Many of the state’s oddities are rooted in our daily lives, while others pop up once in a lifetime.

In this post, we’re sharing some of the state’s quirkiest “official” facts and historical tidbits:

• Love it or hate it, the state has proclaimed the bola tie as our “official neckwear.”
• No joke,  donkeys are not permitted to sleep in bathtubs in Arizona. It’s a sorely outdated law, but still on the books.
• Some of Arizona’s little-known and oddly named towns include: Why and Nowhere.
• Super-sized statues. Camp Verde is home to the world’s largest Kokopelli (32 feet tall) and Carefree boasts the world’s largest Kachina doll (39 feet fall).
• Phoenix and Tucson are among the nation’s most commonly misspelled city names, according to Podunk.
• Arizona officially became a state on February 14, 1912, making it the “Valentine State.”
• In 2001, the 4-year-old Arizona Diamondbacks captured the 2001 Word Series against the New York Yankees, making it the youngest expansion franchise to ever win the title.

This is just a sampling of the state’s quirky facts. What are some of your favorite oddities?