21 Then And Now Photos In Arizona That Show Just How Much It Has Changed

Arizona has changed a lot through the decades. From territory to state; from the epitome of the Wild West to a bustling urban center. Check out these photos below to see how different areas have evolved over the years.

1. Let’s start with a look at the Grand Canyon’s south entrance. This was taken in 1951.

2. Here’s the same entrance (from a different angle) in 2015.

3. There’s also this photo from 1962 documenting when Petrified Forest changed its sign to designate it a national park.

4. Here is the same sign 45 years later in 2007.

5. Some displaced cotton pickers from Texas make improvements to their makeshift home in Chandler, circa 1940. The photographer’s notes mention the family lost their Texas house and farm three years earlier.

6. These days, most farms in Chandler have been converted into sprawling residential neighborhoods.

7. Here is a look at Hoover Dam after construction finished in 1935.

8. And here is what the dam looks like today.

9. Back in 1870, this is what the Salt River north of Tempe looked like. That’s Hayden Butte (or “A” Mountain) in the background.

10. This is what the same area looks like 145 years later.

11. This image comes from a postcard of the Valley Ho in Scottsdale, not long after its opening in 1956.

12. The hotel went through several owners and neglect before it was restored to the midcentury architectural glory that we see today.

13. This image of Mission San Xavier del Bac was taken between 1898 and 1900. It features small homes of local Tohono O’odham families south of the mission but not much else in way of structures.

14. A similar view of the mission in 2015 shows that a parking lot now sits where the homes were and lots of development in the background.

15. A stagecoach sits outside the Grandview Hotel at the Grand Canyon.

16. Today, all that remains is a parking lot, a trailhead, and a sign noting the former location of the hotel.

17. It wasn't that long ago that seeing old grandmas and Navajo families purchasing goods at the trading post was a common sight. This picture is from 1971 and shows women purchasing and selling items for their families.

18. Today, most trading posts have either closed or been rebranded as tourist locations. Hubbell, located in Ganado on the Navajo Nation, is one example of a place that caters more towards tourists than residents these days.

19. Finally, here's a look at the Arizona-Mexico border in Nogales. Can you tell where the border is?

20. Same location but the border is more defined. Arizona is on the right side of the photo while Mexico is to the left.

21. Taken in 2007, this photo shows how that wall has grown and the difference between the two sides of the same city.

What other places in Arizona would you like to see then and now photos of? Tell us in the comments below!

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Monica Spencer

Monica is a Diné (Navajo) freelance writer and photographer based in the Southwest. Born in Gallup and raised in Phoenix, she is Tódich'ii'nii (Bitter Water People) and Tsi'naajinii (Black Streak Wood People). Monica is a staff writer for Only In Your State, photo editor for The Mesa Legend, and previously a staff writer for The Navajo Post. You can reach her at monica.d.spencer@gmail.com.

21 Then And Now Photos In Arizona That Show Just How Much It Has Changed

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