Cochise County () is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

. It is named after the Native American chief Cochise. The population was 125,447 at the 2020 census. The

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

is Bisbee and the most populous city is

Sierra Vista Sierra Vista is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the population of the city is 45,308, and is the 27th most populous city in Arizona. The city is part of the Sierra Vista-Douglas Metropolitan Area ...

. Cochise County includes the

- Douglas, Arizona

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

. The county borders southwestern

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...

and the northwestern Mexican state of

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into 72 municipalities; the ...

History

In 1528 Spanish Explorers:

Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca (; 1488/90/92"Cabeza de Vaca, Alvar Núñez (1492?-1559?)." American Eras. Vol. 1: Early American Civilizations and Exploration to 1600. Detroit: Gale, 1997. 50-51. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 10 Decembe ...

, Estevanico, and Fray Marcos de Niza survived a shipwreck off the Texas coast. Captured by Native Americans, they spent eight years finding their way back to Mexico City, via the

San Pedro Valley The San Pedro Valley of western Cochise County, Arizona, is a , mostly north–south valley, trending northwesterly. The San Pedro River drains from the state of Sonora, Mexico, through Benson, Arizona, and the southeast of the Rincon Mountains. ...

. Their journals, maps, and stories led to the Cibola, seven cities of gold myth. The Expedition of Francisco Vásquez de Coronado in 1539 using it as his route north through what they called the Guachuca Mountains of Pima ( Tohono O'odham) lands and later part of the mission routes north, but was actually occupied by the

Sobaipuri The Sobaipuri were one of many indigenous groups occupying Sonora and what is now Arizona at the time Europeans first entered the American Southwest. They were a Piman or O'odham group who occupied southern Arizona and northern Sonora (the Pimería ...

descendants of the Hohokam. They found a large Pueblo (described as a small city) between present-day Benson and Whetstone, and several smaller satellite villages and smaller pueblos including ones on Fort Huachuca, Huachuca City and North Eastern Fry. About 1657 Father Kino visited the Sobaipuris just before the Apache forced most from the valley, as they were struggling to survive due to increasing Chiricahua Apache attacks as they moved into the area of Texas Canyon of the Dragoon Mountains. In 1775, Presidio Santa Cruz de Terrenate was founded on the west bank of the San Pedro River to protect the natives as well as the Spanish settlers who supplied the mission stations. The presidio was chronically short on provisions due to raids, however, and lacked personnel to adequately patrol the eastern route due to wars with France and England, so the main route north shifted west to the Santa Cruz valley, farther from the range of the Chiricahua Apache who almost exclusively controlled the area by 1821. Cochise_County_1881

Cochise County was created on February 1, 1881, out of the eastern portion of Pima County. It took its name from the legendary Chiricahua Apache war chief Cochise. The county seat was Tombstone until 1929 when it moved to Bisbee. Notable men who once held the position of County

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

were

Johnny Behan John Harris Behan (October 24, 1844 – June 7, 1912) was an American law enforcement officer and politician who served as Sheriff of Cochise County in the Arizona Territory, during the gunfight at the O.K. Corral and was known for his oppositi ...

, who served as the first sheriff of the new county, and who was one of the main characters during the events leading to and following the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Later, in 1886, Texas John Slaughter became sheriff. Lawman

Jeff Milton Jefferson Davis Milton (November 7, 1861 – May 7, 1947) was an Old West lawman and a son of Confederate Governor of Florida John Milton. He was the first officer appointed to the U.S. Immigration Service Border Patrol in 1924. Family and ...

and lawman/

outlaw An outlaw, in its original and legal meaning, is a person declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, all legal protection was withdrawn from the criminal, so that anyone was legally empowered to persecute or kill them ...

Burt Alvord Albert "Burt" Alvord (September 11, 1867 – after 1910) was an American lawman and later outlaw of the Old West. Alvord began his career in law enforcement in 1886 as a deputy under Sheriff John Slaughter in Cochise County, Arizona, but turn ...

both served as deputies under Slaughter. A

syndicated Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed ...

which aired from 1956 to 1958, '' Sheriff of Cochise'' starring John Bromfield, was filmed in Bisbee. The Jimmy Stewart movie '' Broken Arrow'' and subsequent television show of the same name starring John Lupton, which also aired from 1956 to 1958, took place (but was not filmed) in Cochise County. J.A. Jance's Joanna Brady mystery series takes place in Cochise County, with Brady being the sheriff. Beginning in the late 1950s, the small community of

Miracle Valley A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...

was the site of a series of bible colleges and similar religious organizations, founded by television evangelist

A. A. Allen Asa Alonso Allen (March 27, 1911 – June 11, 1970), better known as A. A. Allen, was an American Pentecostal evangelist known for his faith healing and deliverance ministry. He was, for a time, associated with the " Voice of Healing" moveme ...

. In 1982, Miracle Valley and neighboring Palominas were the site of a series of escalating conflicts between a newly arrived black religious community and the county sheriff and deputies that culminated in the Miracle Valley shootout.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.9%) is water. Cochise County is close to the size of the states of

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly fewer than 1.1 million residents as of 2020, but i ...

and

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

combined.

Adjacent counties and municipios

* Santa Cruz County – south and west * Pima County – west * Graham County – north * Greenlee County – north * Hidalgo County, New Mexico – east * Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico – south * Cananea, Sonora, Mexico – south * Naco, Sonora, Mexico – south * Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico – south

Protected areas

* Chiricahua National Monument * Coronado National Forest (part) * Coronado National Memorial * Fort Bowie National Historic Site * Kartchner Caverns State Park * Leslie Canyon National Wildlife Refuge *

San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area The San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area (San Pedro Riparian NCA; SPRNCA) contains nearly of public land in Cochise County, Arizona, between the international border with Mexico and St. David, Arizona. The riparian area, where some of ...

Demographics

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 117,755 people, 43,893 households, and 30,768 families residing in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 19 people per square mile (7/km²). There were 51,126 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 76.7%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 4.5%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 1.2% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.3%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

, 12.1% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. 30.7% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race. 25.4% reported speaking Spanish at home, while 1.3% speak Germanbr>
There were 43,893 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were Marriage, married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.07. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.3% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 101.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,105, and the median income for a family was $38,005. Males had a median income of $30,533 versus $22,252 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $15,988. About 13.5% of families and 17.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 25.8% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over. In 2000, the largest denominational group was the

Catholics The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

(with 25,837 adherents) and

Evangelical Protestant Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual exp ...

s (with 12,548 adherents). The largest religious bodies were The

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

(with 25,837 members) and The

Southern Baptist Convention The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) is a Christian denomination based in the United States. It is the world's largest Baptist denomination, and the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the United States. The wo ...

(with 5,999 members).

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 131,346 people, 50,865 households, and 33,653 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 59,041 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 78.5% white, 4.2% black or African American, 1.9% Asian, 1.2% American Indian, 0.3% Pacific islander, 9.9% from other races, and 4.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 32.4% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were: * 28.3% Mexican * 16.2% German * 11.6% Irish * 9.8% English * 4.5% American * 3.7% Italian * 2.6% French * 2.1% Scottish * 2.0% Dutch * 1.9% Scotch-Irish * 1.9% Polish * 1.5% Norwegian * 1.1% Puerto Rican * 1.1% Swedish Of the 50,865 households, 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.8% were non-families, and 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age was 39.7 years. The median income for a household in the county was $44,876 and the median income for a family was $53,077. Males had a median income of $42,164 versus $31,019 for females. The per capita income for the county was $23,010. About 11.8% of families and 15.7% of the population were below the

, including 23.2% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Cochise County leans strongly towards the Republican Party in presidential elections. Although

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (Birth name, né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 ...

carried the county narrowly in 1992, it has supported the Republican nominee by large margins in every other election since 1968, except for 1996 and 1976 when Clinton and

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 19 ...

each lost only narrowly. Although the county includes the relatively liberal town of Bisbee, as well as the city of Douglas which has a large Latino population, this is outweighed by the heavily Republican tilt of the more populous

, which is adjacent to

Fort Huachuca Fort Huachuca is a United States Army installation, established on 3 March 1877 as Camp Huachuca. The garrison is now under the command of the United States Army Installation Management Command. It is in Cochise County in southeast Arizona, a ...

and thus has a heavy military presence. In the United States House of Representatives, the county is part of Arizona's 2nd congressional district, which is represented by Democrat

Ann Kirkpatrick Ann Leila Kirkpatrick (born March 24, 1950) is an American politician and retired attorney serving as the United States representative from since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she represented from 2009 to 2011 and again from 2013 to ...

; the majority of the district's population is in

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

and its suburbs, which are far more liberal than Cochise County. In the Arizona Legislature, the county is part of the 14th district and is represented by Republican

David Gowan David M. Gowan Sr. is an American politician who currently serves in the Arizona Senate from January 14, 2019, and previously as Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives for the 2015–2017 legislative session and a Representative for Leg ...

in the State Senate and Republicans

Gail Griffin Gail Griffin is an American politician and a Republican member of the Arizona House of Representatives. She previously served in the Arizona Senate representing District 14 from 2013 to 2019. Griffin served consecutively in the Arizona Senate i ...

and Becky Nutt in the State House of Representatives. This district also includes the entirety of Graham County and Greenlee County, as well as portions of Pima County.

Transportation

Major highways

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally ...

* Historic U.S. Route 80 * U.S. Route 191 * State Route 80 * State Route 82 * State Route 83 * State Route 90 * 20px State Route 92 * 20px State Route 186

Airports

Bisbee Municipal Airport Bisbee Municipal Airport is southeast of Bisbee, in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. Facilities Bisbee Municipal Airport covers at an elevation of 4,780 feet (1,457 m). It has two runways: * 17/35: 5,929 by 60 feet (1,807 x 18 m) asph ...

is owned by the City of Bisbee and located five nautical miles (9 km) southeast of its

central business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the " cit ...

Sierra Vista Municipal Airport (IATA: FHU, ICAO: KFHU, FAA LID: FHU), a joint-use civil-military airport which shares facilities with Libby Army Airfield, is located on the U.S. Army installation Fort Huachuca in the city of Sierra Vista. The airport has three runways and one helipad. It is mostly used for military aviation for the surrounding military base. There are no commercial flights out of Cochise County; the nearest commercial airport is at

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

, approximately 70 miles from

Communities

Cities

* Benson * Bisbee (county seat) * Douglas *

* Tombstone * Willcox

Towns

* Huachuca City

Census-designated places

* Bowie * Dragoon * Elfrida * McNeal * Mescal *

* Naco * Palominas * Pirtleville * Sierra Vista Southeast *

St. David Saint David ( cy, Dewi Sant; la, Davidus; ) was a Welsh bishop of Mynyw (now St Davids) during the 6th century. He is the patron saint of Wales. David was a native of Wales, and tradition has preserved a relatively large amount of detail ab ...

* San Simon * Sunizona * Sunsites * Whetstone

Other places

* Amber * Babocomari *

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

* Cochise * Cross Rail Ranch *

Dos Cabezas ''Dos Cabezas'' (, "two heads") is a painting created by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1982. The double portrait resulted from Basquiat's first formal meeting with his idol, American pop artist Andy Warhol. History Basquiat first me ...

* Double Adobe * El Dorado *

Hereford Hereford () is a cathedral city, civil parish and the county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, south-west of Worcester and north-west of Gloucester. With a populatio ...

* Hookers Hot Springs * Kansas Settlement * Leslie Canyon National Wildlife refuge * Nicksville * Paul Spur * Pomerene * Portal *

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...

* Rucker * Stewart District * Sunnyside * Sunsites * Tintown

Military sites

* Willcox Playa (proving ground)

Ghost towns

* Black Diamond *

Cascabel Cascabel may refer to: * Cascabel (artillery), a subassembly of a muzzle-loading cannon * Cascabel chili, a small, round chili pepper * Cascabel, a Shuttle Loop roller coaster at Chapultepec Park in Mexico City * Spanish common name for '' Crot ...

* Cochise * Contention City * Courtland * Fairbank * Galeyville * Gleeson * Hilltop * Johnson * Millville *

* Pearce * Tres Alamos

County population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Cochise County. † county seat

Education

School districts include: Unified: *

Benson Unified School District The Benson Unified School District is the school district for the town of Benson, Arizona. It operates San Pedro Valley (alternative) and Benson high schools; a middle school; and a primary school. References External links * School distr ...

Bisbee Unified District Bisbee may refer to: * Bisbee, Arizona ** Bisbee Blue, turquoise from Bisbee, Arizona ** Bisbee Deportation, the illegal expulsion of 1,300 miners from Bisbee, Arizona (1917) ** Bisbee Riot, gunfight between black Buffalo Soldiers and local polic ...

(

Bisbee High School Bisbee High School is a high school in Bisbee, Arizona Bisbee is a city in and the county seat of Cochise County in southeastern Arizona, United States. It is southeast of Tucson and north of the Mexican border. According to the 2020 censu ...

) *

Bowie Unified District Bowie School District 14 is a school district in Cochise County, Arizona Cochise County () is a county in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is named after the Native American chief Cochise. The population was 125,447 ...

Douglas Unified District Douglas School District 27 is a school district in Cochise County, Arizona Cochise County () is a county in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is named after the Native American chief Cochise. The population was 125,44 ...

* Fort Huachuca Accommodation District *

San Simon Unified District San Simon School District 18 is a school district in Cochise County, Arizona Cochise County () is a county in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is named after the Native American chief Cochise. The population was 125 ...

St. David Unified District St David School District 21 is a school district in Cochise County, Arizona Cochise County () is a county in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is named after the Native American chief Cochise. The population was 125,44 ...

* Sierra Vista Unified District *

Tombstone Unified District The Tombstone Unified School District is the school district for Tombstone, Arizona and surrounding areas. It was organized in 1922. The superintendent is Robert Devere. Schools operated *Huachuca City Elementary *Walter J. Meyer Elementary * To ...

Willcox Unified District The Willcox Unified School District is the school district for Willcox, Arizona and the surrounding areas. It operates an elementary school, a middle school, and Willcox High School Willcox High School is a high school in Willcox, Arizona. It i ...

Secondary: *

Valley Union High School District Valley Union High School District 22 is a school district in Cochise County, Arizona Cochise County () is a county in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is named after the Native American chief Cochise. The population ...

Elementary: * Apache Elementary District * Ash Creek Elementary District * Cochise Elementary District *

Double Adobe Elementary District Double Adobe School District 45 is a school district in Cochise County, Arizona. References External links

* School districts in Cochise County, Arizona {{Arizona-school-stub ...

Elfrida Elementary District Elfrida Elementary School District 12 is a school in Cochise County, Arizona Cochise County () is a county in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is named after the Native American chief Cochise. The population was 125,44 ...

* McNeal Elementary District *

Naco Elementary District Naco School District 23 is a school district in Cochise County, Arizona Cochise County () is a county in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is named after the Native American chief Cochise. The population was 125,447 a ...

Palominas Elementary District Palominas School District 49 is a school district in Cochise County, Arizona Cochise County () is a county in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is named after the Native American chief Cochise. The population was 125,4 ...

Pearce Elementary District Pearce School District 22 is a school district in Cochise County, Arizona Cochise County () is a county in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is named after the Native American chief Cochise. The population was 125,44 ...

Pomerene Elementary District Pomerene School District 64 is a school district in Cochise County, Arizona Cochise County () is a county in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is named after the Native American chief Cochise. The population was 125,4 ...

* Rucker Elementary District The Rucker Elementary School district, in 2002, operated no schools and sent its elementary students to the Elfrida district. The Rucker district had a bus driver and an administrator as employees. The residents liked the arrangement as they could pay less tax.
Clipping
from Newspapers.com.

References

External links

County website

Official Tourism Council Site
{{authority control 1881 establishments in Arizona Territory Populated places established in 1881 Arizona placenames of Native American origin Cochise County conflict