Cochise County, Arizona facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cochise County
|
|||
---|---|---|---|
County
|
|||
County of Cochise | |||
The art deco county courthouse in Bisbee
|
|||
|
|||
Location within the U.S. state of Arizona
|
|||
Arizona's location within the U.S. |
|||
Country | United States | ||
State | Arizona | ||
Founded | February 1, 1881 | ||
Named for | Cochise | ||
Seat | Bisbee | ||
Largest city | Sierra Vista | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 6,219 sq mi (16,110 km2) | ||
• Land | 6,166 sq mi (15,970 km2) | ||
• Water | 53 sq mi (140 km2) 0.9%% | ||
Population
(2010)
|
|||
• Total | 131,346 | ||
• Estimate
(2019)
|
125,922 | ||
• Density | 21.1201/sq mi (8.1545/km2) | ||
Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) | ||
Congressional district | 2nd |
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 131,346 at the 2010 census. The county seat is Bisbee and the most populous city is Sierra Vista.
Cochise County includes the Sierra Vista-Douglas, Arizona Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county borders southwestern New Mexico and the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora.
Contents
History
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 were Johnny Behan, 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 and lawman/outlaw Burt Alvord both served as deputies under Slaughter.
A syndicated television series 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 was the site of a series of bible colleges and similar religious organizations, founded by television evangelist A. A. Allen. In 1982, Miracle Valley and neighboring Palominas were the site of a series of escalating conflicts between a newly arrived religious community and the county sheriff and deputies that culminated in the Miracle Valley shootout.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 6,219 square miles (16,110 km2), of which 6,166 square miles (15,970 km2) is land and 53 square miles (140 km2) (0.9%) is water. Cochise County is close to the size of the States of Rhode Island and Connecticut combined.
Adjacent counties and municipios
- Santa Cruz County - southwest
- Pima County - west
- Graham County - north
- Greenlee County - northeast
- 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
Demographics
Historical population | |||
---|---|---|---|
Census | Pop. | %± | |
1890 | 6,938 | — | |
1900 | 9,251 | 33.3% | |
1910 | 34,591 | 273.9% | |
1920 | 46,465 | 34.3% | |
1930 | 40,998 | −11.8% | |
1940 | 34,627 | −15.5% | |
1950 | 31,488 | −9.1% | |
1960 | 55,039 | 74.8% | |
1970 | 61,910 | 12.5% | |
1980 | 85,686 | 38.4% | |
1990 | 97,624 | 13.9% | |
2000 | 117,755 | 20.6% | |
2010 | 131,346 | 11.5% | |
2020 | 125,447 | −4.5% | |
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2018 |
2010 census
As of the 2010 census, there were 131,346 people, 50,865 households, and 33,653 families residing in the county. The population density was 21.3 inhabitants per square mile (8.2/km2). There were 59,041 housing units at an average density of 9.6 per square mile (3.7/km2). 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 poverty line, including 23.2% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Major highways
- Interstate 10
- Historic U.S. Route 80
- U.S. Route 191
- State Route 80
- State Route 82
- State Route 83
- State Route 90
- State Route 92
- State Route 186
Airports
Bisbee Municipal Airport is owned by the City of Bisbee and located five nautical miles (9 km) southeast of its central business district
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, approximately 70 miles from Sierra Vista.
Communities
Cities
Town
Census-designated places
Other places
- Ash Creek
- Amber
- Babocomari
- Cascabel
- Charleston
- Cochise
- Contention City
- Courtland
- Dos Cabezas
- Double Adobe
- El Dorado
- Fairbank
- Gleeson
- Hereford
- Hilltop
- Hookers Hot Springs
- Kansas Settlement
- Nicksville
- Paul Spur
- Pearce
- Pomerene
- Portal
- Paradise
- Rucker
- Stewart District
- Sunnyside
- Sunsites
- Tintown
- Tres Alamos
Military sites
- Fort Huachuca
- Willcox Playa (proving ground)
County population ranking
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Cochise County.
† county seat
Rank | City/Town/etc. | Population (2010 Census) | Municipal type | Incorporated |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sierra Vista | 43,888 | City | 1956 |
2 | Douglas | 17,378 | City | 1905 |
3 | Sierra Vista Southeast | 14,797 | CDP | |
4 | † Bisbee | 5,575 | City | 1902 |
5 | Benson | 5,105 | City | 1880 (founded) |
6 | Willcox | 3,757 | City | 1915 |
7 | Whetstone | 2,617 | CDP | |
8 | Huachuca City | 1,853 | Town | 1958 |
9 | Mescal | 1,812 | CDP | |
10 | Pirtleville | 1,744 | CDP | |
11 | St. David | 1,699 | CDP | |
12 | Tombstone | 1,380 | City | 1881 |
13 | Naco | 1,046 | CDP | |
14 | Miracle Valley | 644 | CDP | |
15 | Elfrida | 459 | CDP | |
16 | Bowie | 449 | CDP | |
17 | Sunizona | 281 | CDP | |
18 | McNeal | 238 | CDP | |
19 | Palominas | 212 | CDP | |
20 | Dragoon | 209 | CDP | |
21 | San Simon | 165 | CDP |
Images for kids
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Cochise para niños