Arizona is a land locked state situated in the Southwestern region of the United States.

It has a vast and diverse geography famous for its deep canyons, high- and low-elevation deserts, numerous natural rock formations, and volcanic mountain ranges. (They are nearly as diverse as the Arizona real estate options.) Arizona has a total area of 113,998 square miles (295,253 km²), making it the sixth largest U.S. state.

In northern Arizona is where you’ll find the Grand Canyon, yes. But you’ll also encounter deep winter snow, forests of pine, Douglas fir, and spruce, and charming cities like Flagstaff and Sedona.

Northern Arizona’s geography is dominated by the Colorado Plateau. It’s a mostly flat, high elevation region of around 5,000-8,000 feet in altitude. When you think of the amazing red rocks of Sedona, what you’re really dreaming of is the Colorado Plateau. The plateau ends abruptly though, sheared off in a steep rock wall called the Mogollon Rim.

Towards the South, you encounter an area of Arizona called the Transition Zone. It’s essentially a mixing bowl of features from the northern and southern parts of Arizona that get stirred up together and baked by the sun into something beautiful. This is a mountainous region made up of many different mountain ranges, with the highest peaks being Humphrey’s and the San Francisco Peaks.

The southern portion of Arizona, called Basin and Range, is a vast expanse of deserts punctuated by mountain ranges that make up a land area more far-reaching than just this state. This portion of Arizona is completely comprised of the parched deserts you imagine when picturing an arid Arizona landscape.

The Sonoran, Chihuahuan, Mojave, and Great Basin deserts all occur here, each with its own characteristics and unique flora and fauna. Remarkably, the Saguaro cactus that Arizona is famous for grows wild in southern Arizona, the only place where the mighty and sometimes mysterious cactus is able to do so.

If you’ve decided to make a house in Arizona your home base, chances are, in southern Arizona, you may be lucky enough to find one with a fantastic Saguaro growing in the yard. But, if you choose real estate in northern Arizona, you’ll have actual trees as neighbors and find the climate a little cooler.