Over the last 113 years, the state has shaped a distinct identity and history– and lawmakers have continued to develop the southwestern state’s persona. Now, lawmakers are continuing to develop the state’s official persona by considering an iconic western salutation as the official greeting. Rep. Kevin Volk has introduced a bipartisan bill with a simple message:
“HOWDY IS THE OFFICIAL STATE GREETING.”
“There still is an element to that cowboy culture in this state,” Rep. Justin Wilmeth, a co-sponsor of the bill said. “There’s still a lot of old west culture in this state, and I’ll always view Arizona as that.”
This is not the first legislation here in Arizona to create an official symbol for the state. As of 2024, the bolo tie is the state’s official neckwear, and the Colt Single Action Army Revolver as the official firearm.
Even just last year, Rep. Wilmeth sponsored a bill to name Pluto the state’s official planet.
“Every state does this as a way to have some State pride, or to promote something that’s a part of the state’s history.” Wilmeth said. “That’s why I did Pluto, because it was discovered in Flagstaff in 1930 and that’s a huge, international news-making discovery, that happened back when Flagstaff probably had 8000 people in it.
When asked about his thoughts on the Pluto legislation, Wilmeth described it as “simple, harmless, and fun.
“They spark some discussions and the whole process was roughly about an hour of time combined.” Wilmeth said.
However, there is a major difference in the focus of these bills —one is rooted in concrete historical trivia, designating Pluto as Arizona’s state planet, while the other relies on a broader cultural argument for adopting “Howdy” as the official state greeting. This bill may have less support in the house, and has been met with criticism from some locals, who may call such legislation a waste of time.
“I love Arizona.” said sixth-generation Arizona native Philip Petersen “I appreciate the show of Arizona culture. And so we do have a Wild West heritage.
However, even Petersen had some criticism for the new legislation.
“I don’t think it’s the best use of time, because the legislature only has so much time to take up different bills because they don’t meet year round. I will also say I very rarely heard anybody in Arizona. I’ve done work in 38 states. I’ve heard it a lot in Texas, and I’ve heard it a bit in New Mexico. I have not heard it at all in Arizona.”
Edited by Shi Bradley
