Arizona's 5 C's has always defined its economy. But do they still matter?
The 5 C's are something all Arizona children learn at one point or another. Cotton, citrus, cattle, copper and climate have long been advertised as positive reasons to come to Arizona. Each of these "C's" represents an important aspect of Arizona's economy. Or at least they did.
Nowadays, there's less cotton and citrus production overall. The cattle industry has shifted more toward the dairy industry. As for copper, the demand is only skyrocketing to new heights.
But encompassing all of these, literally, is Arizona's climate. Once touted as beneficial for health — our dry warm climate ostensibly helped cure or at least mitigate many illnesses — Arizona's climate seems more like an enemy than a boon for Phoenicians enduring the summer. But the rest of the year our temperate climate is the envy of many.
Perhaps more important than the 5 C's themselves is the cultural role they play. Even now, students in classrooms across the state are learning about the 5 C's.
In this episode of Valley 101, we ask you what the 5 C's mean to you. Perhaps you have a memory of orange orchards in bloom or driving by miles of cotton fields.
Producer Kaely Monahan sits down with climate reporter Joan Meiners to discuss a large project our environment team is working on. And we want to include you.
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Note: Valley 101 is intended to be heard, but we offer an AI transcript of the episode script. There may be slight deviations from the podcast audio.
Listen to our past 5 C's episodes here.
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Contact the producer at kaely.monahan@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her on Twitter @KaelyMonahan .
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What do the 5 C's stand for in Arizona? Valley 101 podcast explains
