by Laura Hageman

Created on: April 21, 2008   Last Updated: July 27, 2009

Phoenix, Arizona is not considered a state that has a lot of celebrities that were born and raised there. Looking into who was actually from Phoenix was a surprise to me. I didn't anticipate there to be so many. I also found a lot of celebrities move there or work there finding it a peaceful and relaxing city to be in.

Stevie Nicks was born in Phoenix in 1948. Stevie's real name is Stephanie, but stuck with Stevie since it was easier for her to pronounce as a child. Her grandfather was a struggling country singer who started teaching Nicks how to sing at age four. She met Lindsey Buckingham in high school who not only became her love interest but a singing partner. They both became members of the group Fleetwood Mac and throughout the 70's delivered many hits. Nicks started a solo career by 1980, but never officially left the group as she continues to reunite with the other members for various concerts and performances.

World Champion boxer Michael Carbajal was born in Phoenix in 1967. He has one Olympic medal that he won in 1988 in the flyweight category. He was nicknamed Little Hands of Stone after someone he admired by the nickname of Hands Of Stone. He went on to capture four World Championship titles between 1990 to 1994.

Barry Goldwater was born in Phoenix and became heavily involved in politics. He represented Arizona in the Senate in 1952. He was a part of the Republican party but there were many that were not comfortable with his extreme right wing politics. He won the Republican nomination for presidency in 1964. Yet, he lost against Democratic nominee Lyndon B. Johnson.

Lynda Carter is an actress and singer who was born in Phoenix in 1951. Her father was of Irish descent while her mother was from Mexican ancestry. She became Miss USA in 1972 and went as far as the semi-finals in the Miss World competition. Carter began her acting career appearing in bit roles in various television shows including Starsky and Hutch. She then starred in her own series Wonder Woman which aired from 1975 to 1979. After Wonder Woman she continued to appear in television movies such as Encore and Street Life during the early 80s. She even had her own variety program in 1980. She continues to make appearances in television specials and programs as well as small parts in movies such as Super Troopers.

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