Yuma Arizona Is The Sunniest Place In The Country

If you’ve lived in our beautiful state for any length of time, then you know this to be true: Arizona has two kinds of winter.

There’s the decidedly mild version with lots of sun, temperatures that are perfectly cool, and not a flake of snow in sight.

CEBImagery/Flickr

And there’s the winters that our mountain towns and high elevation areas receive, which is the winter experienced by the rest of the country.

Michael Seljos/Flickr Today, however, we’re going to focus on that first one which also happens to bring in a large number of winter visitors every year.

The allure of warmer temperatures and significantly more sun is enticing. But there is one Arizona city that sees way more than the rest of the state and country: Yuma!

Ron W/Flickr

The southern Arizona city sits right on the Mexico border, has a population of approximately 93,000, and sees an average of 4,000 sunlight hours per year!

Joanna Poe/Flickr

This amounts to an average of 11 hours of sun per day. That’s a lot of sun and also why Yuma grows 90 percent of the country’s vegetable crop each year! The temperatures are also quite nice, with the average high in January in the 60s.

Brent Lind/Flickr

Not sure what to do while in town? We suggest starting with visiting the Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park, which was a gleaming example of increased turn of the century prison standards.

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And nearby are some amazing sand dunes where you can pretend to be on Tatooine or Jakku.

Parker Knight/Flickr

And, for dinner, grab a burger or hot dog at Lutes Casino.

Lutes Casino/Yelp

Or delicious fish tacos at Mariscos Mar Azul.

Wenwen L./Yelp

So, if you’re looking for a prime winter spot to escape the dread of another gray, blustery winter, you might want to consider a weekend trip to Yuma.

Christian Dory/Flickr

Prefer to visit a winter spot where there’s a greater chance of snow? You will love visiting Sedona in the winter! Read more about it in The Arizona Town That’s Perfect For A Romantic Winter Getaway.