There's something beautiful and fascinating in each of Arizona's 15 counties. Read on to learn more about all the wonderful parts of our state.
County Seat: Globe
Founded: 1881
Area: 4,758 square miles
Population: 53,597 (2010)
Other Major Cities: Miami, Payson, Pine
Geographic Highlights: Gila County’s terrain ranges from the cool pines of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests to the saguaros of the Sonoran Desert. Attractions include Tonto National Monument, Fossil Creek, Salt River Canyon and Theodore Roosevelt Lake, the largest reservoir located entirely in Arizona.
County Seat: Safford
Founded: 1881
Area: 4,623 square miles
Population: 37,220 (2010)
Other Major Cities: Pima, Thatcher
Geographic Highlights: Graham County’s Pinaleño and Galiuro mountain ranges offer myriad recreation opportunities. The county also contains most of the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area, which protects portions of the Gila River and Bonita Creek.
County Seat: Clifton
Founded: 1909
Area: 1,843 square miles
Population: 8,437 (2010)
Other Major Cities: Duncan, Morenci
Geographic Highlights: Arizona’s second-smallest and least-populated county is known for Hannagan Meadow and the Blue Range Primitive Area, the last such area in the U.S. The Coronado Trail (U.S. Route 191) traverses most of the county from north to south.
County Seat: Parker
Founded: 1983
Area: 4,500 square miles
Population: 20,489 (2010)
Other Major City: Quartzsite
Geographic Highlights: La Paz is Arizona’s youngest county and the only one formed since Arizona gained statehood in 1912. The Parker Strip section of the Colorado River is a major tourist attraction, while Quartzsite is a popular destination for winter visitors to the state.
County Seat: Phoenix
Founded: 1871
Area: 9,200 square miles
Population: 3,817,117 (2010)
Other Major Cities: Gila Bend, Mesa, Scottsdale, Wickenburg
Geographic Highlights: Nearly 60 percent of Arizona’s population calls Maricopa County home. In Phoenix, 2,680-foot Camelback Mountain is a popular and strenuous hike. Other attractions include the Four Peaks Wilderness, Bartlett Lake and South Mountain Park.
County Seat: Kingman
Founded: 1864
Area: 13,311 square miles
Population: 200,186 (2010)
Other Major Cities: Bullhead City, Lake Havasu City
Geographic Highlights: Much of the longest remaining unbroken stretch of Historic Route 66 runs through Mohave County. There’s also a section of Grand Canyon National Park, the striking landscape of Lake Mead and part of the Arizona Strip, the remote northwest corner of the state.
County Seat: Holbrook
Founded: 1895
Area: 9,950 square miles
Population: 107,449 (2010)
Other Major Cities: Heber, Kayenta, Pinetop-Lakeside, Show Low, Winslow
Geographic Highlights: About two-thirds of Navajo County is Navajo, Hopi and White Mountain Apache tribal land. Attractions include Monument Valley, the Painted Desert and a section of the Mogollon Rim, which cuts across much of Arizona from east to west.
County Seat: Tucson
Founded: 1864
Area: 9,187 square miles
Population: 980,263 (2010)
Other Major Cities: Ajo, Green Valley, Marana, Oro Valley, Sahuarita
Geographic Highlights: Pima County’s Santa Catalina Mountains, topped by 9,130-foot Mount Lemmon, overlook Tucson, and the two sections of Saguaro National Park bracket the city on the east and west. There’s also the Tohono O’odham Nation, Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge and Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
County Seat: Florence
Founded: 1875
Area: 5,366 square miles
Population: 375,770 (2010)
Other Major Cities: Apache Junction, Casa Grande, Coolidge, Maricopa, Oracle, Superior
Geographic Highlights: The Superstition Mountains rise in northern Pinal County east of Phoenix, and the county is also home to Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument and Picacho Peak State Park. You can explore much of the county on the Pinal Pioneer Parkway (State Route 79).
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