Happy Birthday, Arizona! Here are some things we love about you

Give us tacos, or give us death. Thankfully, Arizona almost always delivers on the tacos.

From Navajo tacos up north to chimichangas down south and everything in between, there is no shortage of unique and delicious food in Arizona. 

Especially so in Tucson’s neck of the woods (how many times can we mention that we’re a City of Gastronomy?) Oh, and we're also home to a James Beard award-winning Sonoran hot dog.

Thanks for always keeping our bellies full and our taste buds sizzling.

Ah, monsoons. Beautiful, wonderful and terrifying all at the same time. 

We love monsoons for so many reasons, and not just because they deliver some much-needed water to the desert.

We love how storms can roll in within minutes — but will be gone almost as quickly as they came. We love watching lighting — from afar — and the momentary relief the clouds offer from the beating summer sun. 

We also love the strong smell of the creosote bush, and how we can use the word "haboob" without even blinking. 

We get around 300 days of sunshine and there's not much that beats eating a raspado on a sunny, 75-degree day in Tucson... in January.

But despite the sunny weather, Arizonans can still experience all four seasons. 

You can see spring wildflowers, swim in waterfalls during the summer, check out bursts of autumn color and go skiing in the winter.

And when the heat comes in the summer, you can escape up north for some sweet relief. 

Like the weather, the diversity of the landscape in Arizona is amazing.

Just look at Saguaro National Park and Sabino Canyon down south... or the mountains up north... or Antelope Canyon... or Horseshoe Bend... or...

We could go on and on (obviously).

Coatis and jaguars and elk and Gila monsters and mountain lions — just to name a few. 

From the cute and cuddly, to the ones that demand respect (and tons of space), we think Arizona is home to some of the coolest wildlife.

Because a picture is worth a thousand words. Here are a few of our favorite sunsets, though how can you really pick a favorite?

OK just one more, we promise...

If it has a cactus on it, we're into it. 

Saguaro, cholla, prickly pear — we're not picky, we like 'em all. 

And we say: The quirkier the better, kind of like our very own city of Tucson. We even made a whole photo gallery about our favorite quirky Saguaros.

Two words: Spring training.

While we're still kind of sad games are no longer in Tucson, we're happy the games are only a short drive away. 

And we love that if you don't want to travel, you can still kick back at Hi Corbett Field and watch the UA baseball's team play. 

We also love all the school spirit and pride in Arizona (except, maybe, if you're a Sun Devil fan...).