The city of Yuma, Arizona has had a long history of being a trendsetter of sorts.
When the Pilgrims started to establish settlements all over Arizona, the Europeans had already beat them to the punch in Yuma. In fact, numerous 16th century military expeditions were relying on the natural crossing at Yuma to get past the Colorado River. Yuma Crossing quickly garnered a reputation as the safest way to cross the Colorado River. All travel routes aiming for safe passage led to Yuma for the Spanish explorers and fleeing Okies. A town was eventually established by the Arizona side of the Colorado River where Yuma City now stands today. Yuma Crossing, now known as the Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park, is one of the two state parks located in the city along with the Yuma Territorial Prison State Park. When the railroad people started to develop their routes all over the country, Yuma’s Pivot Point was where the first train ever entered Arizona.
The state of Arizona has always been renowned for its warm weather conditions that last all year-round and abundant sunshine. But Yuma has one thing over all the other Arizona cities: it has the honor of being recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as, literally, the sunniest place on earth what with Yuma clocking in approximately 4,050 hours out of the possible 4,456 daylight hours in a year or 93%.
The warm desert climate of Yuma is one of the reasons why so many visitors make their way to the city once the winter season rolls around. During the summer, Yuma is a popular destination for people who want to enjoy the cool waters of the Colorado River from canoeing to waterskiing. It also helps that Yuma has a variety of accommodations, from RV spots to luxury hotel rooms, for its visitors.