stead, the McDonald’s arches of Sedona boast the traditional Southwest color of Turquoise. The color’s significance to the area goes back more than 1,000 years. Additionally, it plays a crucial role in the culture of the Southwest. The stone has been used to make jewelry for generations. However, the color represents something much more meaningful to the natives. The greens and blues represent “Mother Earth” and “Skystone”, linking the blue to both sky and water. It’s a color that is deeply significant to the people of the Southwest and continues to inspire art and architecture.
On the other hand, the desert expands hundreds of miles in all directions, surrounding Sedona. It showcases other colors such as tans, reds, oranges, or pinks. The result of mineral rich compositions like iron oxide and potassium feldspar. The palette of the Southwest Desert of the United States is a major motivator behind much of the architecture found throughout.
As a result, many cities throughout the Southwest have strict building codes that require new structures to reflect similar colors or styles to the rest of the city. The McDonald’s arches were no exception. In 1993, Sedona got its first, and only to date, McDonald’s location. However, city officials were hesitant, concerned the traditional gold McDonald’s arches would clash with the rest of the desert palette.
Unique Locations of the Southwest
Sedona is just one of the many examples of small cities or towns scattered throughout the Southwest of the United States that are renowned for their unique or quirky traits. In fact, Arizona is also the birthplace of Tombstone, the infamous Wild West city deemed “Too Tough to Die”. Having faced fires, gunfights, and supposed ghosts that still walk the halls of the buildings, Tombstone has proven to stand the test of time. Now, it provides tourists with an immersive experience, allowing them to step back into time and walk the same streets as well-known names like Doc Holliday and Big Nose Kate, lined with cute shops and restaurants and reenactments of famous gunfights.