Prescott | |
|---|---|
City | |
 Courthouse and Buckey O'Neill statue | |
 Seal  Wordmark | |
| Motto: "Welcome to Everybody's Hometown" | |
 Location of Prescott in Yavapai County, Arizona | |
  Prescott Location in Arizona  Prescott Location in United States | |
| Coordinates: 34°35′07″N 112°26′49″W / 34.58528°N 112.44694°W[1] | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Yavapai |
| Incorporated | 1881[2] |
| Named for | William H. Prescott |
| Government | |
| • Type | Council-manager |
| • Mayor | Phil Goode |
| • Mayor Pro Tem | Connie Cantelme |
| • City council members[3] | Lois Fruhwirth Ted Gambogi Brandon Montoya Eric Moore Cathey Rusing |
| • City Manager | Tyler Goodman (interim) |
| Area | |
| • City | 45.21 sq mi (117.09 km2) |
| • Land | 44.97 sq mi (116.47 km2) |
| • Water | 0.24 sq mi (0.62 km2) |
| Elevation | 5,319 ft (1,621 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • City | 45,827 |
| • Density | 1,019.08/sq mi (393.47/km2) |
| • Metro | 129,643 (Landscan) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (MST (no DST)) |
| ZIP codes | 86300–86399 |
| Area code | 928 |
| FIPS code | 04-57380 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2411487[1] |
| Website | www |
Prescott (/ˈprɛskət/ PRESS-kət)[5][6][7] is a city in and the county seat of Yavapai County, Arizona, United States.[8] As of 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827.
In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona Territory, replacing the temporary capital of Fort Whipple.[9] The territorial capital was moved to Tucson in 1867. Prescott again became the territorial capital in 1877, until Phoenix became the capital in 1889.
Prescott has a rich history as a frontier gold and silver mining town. Mining and settlers brought frequent conflict with native American tribes in the area, including the Yavapai and Apache. Prescott was the home to Fort Whipple from its inception, which acted as a base for campaigns against natives. Prescott was a stereotypical "wild west" town during the latter half of the 19th century; famous residents included Doc Holliday and Virgil Earp of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. The makeshift wooden town burned to the ground several times in the first decade of the 20th century, which finally resulted in the town being rebuilt in brick. The modern city subsists on tourism, especially around its storied past. It is host to the self-proclaimed "World's Oldest Rodeo", running continuously since 1888. The rodeo, one of the most famous in the United States, draws some 35,000 tourists a year.
The towns of Prescott Valley, 7 miles (11 km) east; Chino Valley, 16 miles (26 km) north; Dewey-Humboldt, 13 miles (21 km) east, and Prescott comprise what is locally known as the "Quad-City" area.[10] This also sometimes refers to central Yavapai County in general, which would include the towns of: Mayer, Paulden, Wilhoit, and Williamson Valley. Combined with these smaller communities, the area had a population of 103,260 as of 2007[update]. Prescott is the center of the Prescott Metropolitan Area, defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as all of Yavapai County.
The Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe reservation is adjacent to and partially within the borders of Prescott.
Prescott is in the Granite Creek watershed and contains the convergence of Miller Creek and Granite Creek on its north side.[11]
- ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Prescott, Arizona
- ^ Prescott, Webmaster at City of. "Prescott History Timeline – City of Prescott, Arizona". Prescott-az.gov. Archived from the original on April 30, 2017. Retrieved November 19, 2017.
- ^ "City Council". City of Prescott. December 18, 2022.
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ^ "Prescott". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.
- ^ "Prescott". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins.
- ^ "Prescott". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Wagoner, Jay J. (1970). Arizona Territory 1863–1912: A Political history. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. p. 36. ISBN 978-0-8165-0176-2.
- ^ "Community Profile for Prescott Valley". Arizona Commerce Authority. Archived from the original on July 13, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
- ^ United States Geological Survey (USGS). "United States Geological Survey Topographic Map" Archived December 1, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. TopoQuest. Retrieved March 17, 2013.