Pima 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 south central region of the U.S. state of

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,043,433, making it Arizona's second-most populous county. 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 Tucson, where most of the population is centered. The county is named after the Pima Native Americans who are indigenous to this area. Pima County includes the entirety of the Tucson

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 as a city or tow ...

, and it is the third largest metropolitan area in the

Southwestern United States The Southwestern United States, also known as the American Southwest or simply the Southwest, is a geographic and cultural region of the United States that generally includes Arizona, New Mexico, and adjacent portions of California, Colorado, N ...

. Pima County contains parts of the Tohono O'odham Nation, as well as all of the San Xavier Indian Reservation, the

Pascua Yaqui Indian Reservation The Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizonais a federally recognized tribe of Yaqui Native Americans in state of Arizona. Descended from the Yaqui people whose original homelands include the Yaqui River valley in western Sonora, Mexico and southern Arizo ...

, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument,

Ironwood Forest National Monument Ironwood Forest National Monument is located in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona. Created by Bill Clinton by Presidential Proclamation 7320 on June 9, 2000, the monument is managed by the Bureau of Land Management, an agency within the United Stat ...

and Saguaro National Park. The vast majority of the county population lies in and around the city of Tucson (2021 city population: 543,242), filling much of the eastern part of the county with urban development. Tucson, Arizona's second largest city, is a major commercial and academic center. Other urban areas include the Tucson suburbs of

Marana Marana may refer to: * Maraña, a village in León, Spain * Maraṇa, the Pali/Sanskrit term for death * Marana, Arizona, a town in Pima County, Arizona, United States * Marana, Estonia, a village in Estonia * Marana, Syria, a village in Syria ...

(population 44,792), Oro Valley (population 44,350), Sahuarita (population 29,318), and South Tucson (population 5,643), a large ring of unincorporated urban development, and the growing satellite town Green Valley. The rest of the county is sparsely populated; the largest towns are Sells, the capital of the Tohono O'odham Nation, and Ajo in the county's far western region.

History

Pima County, one of the four original counties in Arizona, was created by the 1st Arizona Territorial Legislature with land acquired through the

Gadsden Purchase The Gadsden Purchase ( es, region=MX, la Venta de La Mesilla "The Sale of La Mesilla") is a region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico that the United States acquired from Mexico by the Treaty of Mesilla, which took effe ...

from

Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...

in 1853. The original county consisted of all of Arizona Territory east of longitude 113° 20' and south of the

Gila River The Gila River (; O'odham ima Keli Akimel or simply Akimel, Quechan: Haa Siʼil, Maricopa language: Xiil) is a tributary of the Colorado River flowing through New Mexico and Arizona in the United States. The river drains an arid watershed of ...

. Soon thereafter, the counties of Cochise,

Graham Graham and Graeme may refer to: People * Graham (given name), an English-language given name * Graham (surname), an English-language surname * Graeme (surname), an English-language surname * Graham (musician) (born 1979), Burmese singer * Clan ...

and Santa Cruz were carved from the original Pima County.

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. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.02%) is water.

Topographic features

* Mountains of Pima County *

Fresnal Canyon Fresnal Canyon is a canyon in the Baboquivari Mountains in Pima County, Arizona. This locale has been a notable place for the archaeological recovery of pre-ceramic Native American habitation.Vorsila L. Bohrer. 2007 This canyon has a number of ...

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 p ...

Interstate 19 * US 80 (AZ historic)

Historic U.S. Route 80 * Arizona 77

State Route 77 * Arizona 83

State Route 83 * Arizona 85

State Route 85 * Arizona 86

State Route 86 * Arizona 210

State Route 210 * Arizona 989

State Route 989

Adjacent counties and municipalities

* Yuma County – west * Maricopa County – north * Pinal County – north * Graham County – northeast *

Cochise County 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 at the 2020 census. The county seat is Bisbee and the most populous city ...

– east * Santa Cruz County – southeast east and south * Altar, Sonora, Mexico – south * Caborca, Sonora, Mexico – south * General Plutarco Elías Calles, Sonora, Mexico – south * Sáric, Sonora, Mexico – south

National protected areas

Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge (Buenos Aires NWR) provides of habitat for threatened and endangered plants and animals. This refuge, in Pima County, Arizona, was established in 1985. Natural history The semidesert grassland supports the r ...

* Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge (part) * Coronado National Forest (part) *

(part) *

Las Cienegas National Conservation Area (part) * Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument * Saguaro National Park

Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan

The Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan (SDCP) is Pima County's plan for desert conservation.

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 inc ...

of 2000, there were 843,746 people, 332,350 households, and 212,039 families living in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 92 people per square mile (35/km²). There were 366,737 housing units at an average density of 40 per square mile (15/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 75.1%

White White is the 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 reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 3.0%

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 ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 3.2% Native American, 2.0% Asian, 0.1%

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 O ...

, 13.3% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. 29.3% 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. 22.8% reported speaking Spanish at home. There were 332,350 households, out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.06. In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 10.9% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,758, and the median income for a family was $44,446. Males had a median income of $32,156 versus $24,959 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 $19,785. About 10.5% of families and 14.7% 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 19.4% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 980,263 people, 388,660 households, and 243,167 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 440,909 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 74.3% white, 3.5% black or African American, 3.3% American Indian, 2.6% Asian, 0.2% Pacific islander, 12.3% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 34.6% of the population. The largest ancestry groups were: * 30.8% Mexican * 16.2% German * 10.6% Irish * 9.9% English * 4.5% Italian * 3.1% French * 2.8% American * 2.7% Polish * 2.4% Scottish * 1.8% Scotch-Irish * 1.7% Norwegian * 1.6% Dutch * 1.6% Swedish * 1.1% Russian Of the 388,660 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.4% were non-families, and 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.06. The median age was 37.7 years. The median income for a household in the county was $45,521 and the median income for a family was $57,377. Males had a median income of $42,313 versus $33,487 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,093. About 11.2% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.

Metropolitan Statistical Area

The

United States Office of Management and Budget The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is the largest office within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP). OMB's most prominent function is to produce the president's budget, but it also examines agency programs, pol ...

has designated Pima County as the Tucson, AZ Metropolitan Statistical Area. The

ranked the Tucson, AZ Metropolitan Statistical Area as the 53rd most populous

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 as a city or tow ...

of the United States as of July 1, 2012. The Office of Management and Budget has further designated the Tucson, AZ Metropolitan Statistical Area as a component of the more extensive Tucson-Nogales, AZ Combined Statistical Area, the 53rd most populous

combined statistical area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and ...

and the 59th most populous primary statistical area of the United States as of July 1, 2012.

Government, policing, and politics

Pima County is governed by a five-member Board of Supervisors who set ordinances and run services for the areas that do not fall within any city or town's jurisdiction. In Arizona, counties are creatures of the state, and do not have charters of their own. The county Board of Supervisors acts under powers delegated by state law, mainly related to minor ordinances and revenue collection. With few exceptions, these powers are narrowly construed. The state legislature devotes considerable time to local matters, with legislative approval required for many of the most basic local issues.

Board of Supervisors and elected positions

The Pima County Board of Supervisors is responsible for steering public policy in the region. The five-member board provides direction to the County Administrator, Jan Lesher, and the county's various departments as they work to ensure safe communities, nurture economic development, sustainably manage natural resources and protect public health. In addition to overseeing the delivery of a host of municipal services, from roads to parks and libraries and law enforcement, board members also are responsible for approving the county budget. Elected to four-year terms, board members also set the amount of taxes to be levied. Along with the Board of Supervisors the Arizona State Constitution allows for 7 other county elected officials.

Pima County sheriff

The

Pima County Sheriff's Department The Pima County Sheriff's Department (PCSD) is an American law enforcement agency that serves the unincorporated areas of Pima County, Arizona. It serves the seventh largest county in the nation. It operates six district offices and three smalle ...

provides court protection, administers the county jail, provides coroner service, and patrols the unincorporated parts of Pima County. It is the seventh largest sheriff's department in the nation. Incorporated towns within the county with municipal police departments are Tucson, Marana, Oro Valley, and Sahuarita.

Politics

Being home to a major population center and a major research university, Pima County is one of the most reliably Democratic counties in Arizona. After voting Democratic through 1930s and 1940s, it swung to Republican following major population increase after World War II, becoming a Republican-leaning county. However, in 1964, it rejected Arizona's native son Barry Goldwater by seven points, who won statewide by one point. However, despite the county's Republican lean, Democrats would not win 40% of the vote only twice - in 1972, when

George McGovern George Stanley McGovern (July 19, 1922 – October 21, 2012) was an American historian and South Dakota politician who was a U.S. representative and three-term U.S. senator, and the Democratic Party presidential nominee in the 1972 pr ...

lost in a 49-state landslide and due to a balloting error in the county, the Socialist Workers Party came a distant third with 18% of the vote; and in 1980, when

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 (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

, being largely insensitive to Western states' issues, also lost many votes to independent

John B. Anderson John Bayard Anderson (February 15, 1922 – December 3, 2017) was an American lawyer and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Illinois's 16th congressional district from 1961 to 1981. A member ...

. Following Bill Clinton's plurality victory by 12 points in 1992, all Democrats since 1996 have won the county by a majority and no Republican has come closer than six points in recapturing the county. In both 2016 and 2020,

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

became the first Republican since

Bob Dole Robert Joseph Dole (July 22, 1923 – December 5, 2021) was an American politician and attorney who represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the Republican Leader of the Senate during the final 11 years of his t ...

in 1996 to fail to win 40% of the county's vote.

Communities

Pima County Incorporated and Unincorporated areas

Cities

* South Tucson * Tucson (county seat)

Towns

(Partially in Pinal County) * Oro Valley * Sahuarita

Census-designated places

* Ajo * Ak Chin * Ali Chuk * Ali Chukson * Ali Molina * Anegam * Arivaca * Arivaca Junction *

Avra Valley The Avra Valley is a 50-mile (80 km) long northwest–southeast valley, bordering the west of Tucson, Arizona. The Tucson Mountains are at the valley's center-east, with suburbs ranging east of the Tucson Mountains and trending northwest to ...

* Casas Adobes * Catalina * Catalina Foothills * Chiawuli Tak * Charco * Comobabi * Corona de Tucson * Cowlic * Drexel Heights * Elephant Head * Flowing Wells * Green Valley * Gu Oidak * Haivana Nakya * J-Six Ranchettes * Kleindale * Ko Vaya * Littletown (former) * Maish Vaya * Nelson * Nolic * Picture Rocks * Pimaco Two * Pisinemo * Rillito * Rincon Valley * San Miguel *

Santa Rosa Santa Rosa is the Italian, Portuguese and Spanish name for Saint Rose. Santa Rosa may also refer to: Places Argentina * Santa Rosa, Mendoza, a city * Santa Rosa, Tinogasta, Catamarca * Santa Rosa, Valle Viejo, Catamarca *Santa Rosa, La Pampa * S ...

* Sells * South Komelik * Summerhaven *

Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for a m ...

* Tanque Verde * Three Points * Topawa * Tucson Estates *

Tucson Mountains The Tucson Mountains ( O'odham: Cuk Doʼag) are a minor mountain range west of Tucson, Arizona. The Tucson Mountains, including Wasson Peak, are one of four notable mountain ranges surrounding the Tucson Basin. The Santa Catalina Mountains l ...

Vail Vail is a home rule municipality in Eagle County, Colorado, United States. The population of the town was 4,835 in 2020. Home to Vail Ski Resort, the largest ski mountain in Colorado, the town is known for its hotels, dining, and for the numer ...

* Valencia West * Ventana * Wahak Hotrontk *

Why Why may refer to: * Causality, a consequential relationship between two events * Reason (argument), a premise in support of an argument, for what reason or purpose * Grounding (metaphysics), a topic in metaphysics regarding how things exist in vi ...

* Willow Canyon

Indian communities

Pascua Yaqui The Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizonais a federally recognized tribe of Yaqui Native Americans in state of Arizona. Descended from the Yaqui people whose original homelands include the Yaqui River valley in western Sonora, Mexico and southern Arizon ...

* San Xavier * Tohono O'odham (part)

Other communities

* Drexel-Alvernon * East Sahuarita * Kentucky Camp *

Lukeville Lukeville is a small unincorporated town An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. M ...

* Redington * Sasabe * Tortolita

Ghost towns

* Achi * Ahan Owuch * Ak Chut Vaya *

Allen Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee * Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas * Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Univer ...

* Cerro Colorado * Helvetia * Hahuul Kawuch Vay, Arizona *

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

* Pantano * Redington * San Rafael * Total Wreck * Twin Buttes * List of ghost towns in Arizona

County population ranking

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

Education

School districts with territory in the county, no matter how slight (even if the schools and administration are in other counties), include:
Text list
/ref> Unified: *

Ajo Unified School District Ajo School District 15 And 103 is a public school district in Pima County, Arizona, United States. External links * School districts in Pima County, Arizona {{Arizona-school-stub ...

* Amphitheater Unified School District * Catalina Foothills Unified School District * Flowing Wells Unified School District * Indian Oasis-Baboquivari Unified School District * Marana Unified School District * Sahuarita Unified School District *

Sunnyside Unified School District Sunnyside Unified School District is a school district in Pima County, Arizona, United States. The district extends from Tucson south to Sahuarita Sahuarita is a town in Pima County, Arizona, United States. Sahuarita is located south of th ...

* Tanque Verde Unified School District *

Tucson Unified School District Tucson Unified School District (TUSD) is the largest school district of Tucson, Arizona, in terms of enrollment. Dr. Gabriel Trujillo is the superintendent, appointed on September 12, 2017 by the Governing Board. As of 2016, TUSD had more than ...

* Vail Unified School District Elementary: * Altar Valley Elementary School District * Continental Elementary School District * Empire Elementary School District * Redington Elementary School District * San Fernando Elementary School District Arizona State Schools for the Deaf and Blind is based in Tucson.

Tourist attractions

Annual events

Pima County Fair The Pima County Fair is a funfair that happens every year in Tucson, Arizona. The fair runs for 11 days in the month of April. It features live animal shows, concerts, carnival rides and vendors. Hundreds of local groups perform every year. The ...

Locations of Interest

Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a 98-acre (40 ha) zoo, aquarium, botanical garden, natural history museum, publisher, and art gallery founded in 1952. Located just west of Tucson, Arizona, it features two miles (3.2 km) of walking paths ...

Old Tucson Studios Old Tucson (formerly Old Tucson Studios) is an American movie studio and theme park just west of Tucson, Arizona, adjacent to the Tucson Mountains and close to the western portion of Saguaro National Park. Built in 1939 for the movie '' Arizona ...

Arizona Historical Society The Arizona Historical Society (AHS) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to connect people through the power of Arizona's history. It does this through four regional divisions. Each division has a representative museum. The statewide ...

(museum) * Tucson Gem & Mineral Show *

Titan Missile Museum The Titan Missile Museum, also known as Air Force Facility Missile Site 8 or as Titan II ICBM Site 571-7, is a former ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) site located about south of Tucson, Arizona in the United States. It was constructed ...

* Pima Air and Space Museum *

Mission San Xavier del Bac Mission San Xavier del Bac ( es, La Misión de San Xavier del Bac) is a historic Spanish Catholic mission located about south of downtown Tucson, Arizona, on the Tohono O'odham Nation San Xavier Indian Reservation. The mission was founded in 16 ...

References

External links

Official website
*
Pima County Government Departments
{{Authority Control Arizona placenames of Native American origin 1864 establishments in Arizona Territory Populated places established in 1864