Arizona Drivers Love Vanity License Plates

Vanity license plates are almost a way of life in Arizona. If it seems like you see vanity plates all the time, it is because just over 5% of Arizona drivers have a custom or vanity plate. We rank 12th in the nation for vanity plates according to a study conducted by the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA).

Earlier this year, the Arizona Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) released a new custom license plate design in partnership with Arizona Highways Magazine. The new plate features a crop of saguaro cacti silhouetted against a colorful sunset of purple, orange, and yellow.

The plate's vibrant colors and high-contrast white letters are quite different from the standard Arizona design, which made it a perfect fit for me! I have now joined the ranks of the hundreds of thousands of Arizona drivers with a vanity license plate.

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Get the Picture with Phoenix Area Photo Blogs

One of the many neat things about living in Phoenix is that the natural beauty of the desert landscape provides endless opportunities for photographers.

Thanks to the popularity of photo blogs, you can see for yourself what almost every corner of the valley looks like. Check out some of these great Arizona photo blogs:

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You Grew Up In The 80s In Phoenix If You...

The other day I came across a list of Phoenix history that's making its way around the Internet on sites like FaceBook and a bunch of blogs. If you grew up in Phoenix in the 1980s (like I did), you will remember a lot of these!

You Grew Up In The 80s In Phoenix If You...
1) Would have done anything for a Ladmo bag.
2) Tried to fry an egg on the sidewalk.
3) Can still remember the words to The Hepatitis Song.
4) Spent way too many summer days in a mall.
5) Remember listening to KZZP.
6) Went ice skating at Metrocenter.

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North Phoenix Full of Empty Office Buildings

For decades the Deer Valley Airpark area has been one of the fastest growing regions of commercial real estate in North Phoenix, but these days it's looking more and more like a ghost town.

If you were to drive the two-mile stretch of road between Deer Valley Road and Happy Valley Road like I did today, you would see a startling number of For Rent signs in a sea of mirrored glass buildings. So why are there so many empty office buildings in North Phoenix?

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Historic Arizona Biltmore Celebrates 80th Anniversary

Earlier this month I wrote about Taliesin West, the school of architecture designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright's distinctive style has influenced other buildings in the Phoenix area such as the Arizona Biltmore, which is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year.

The Biltmore first opened in 1929 and has remained operational for the past eight decades. Many people often misattribute the design of the Biltmore to Frank Lloyd Wright, but it was in fact designed by Albert Chase McArthur. Wright served as a consultant who oversaw the unique "textile block" construction of the hotel.

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