Yuma County, Arizona
| Yuma County, Arizona | |
 Location in the state of Arizona |
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 Arizona's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | November 9, 1864 |
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| Seat | Yuma |
| Largest city | Yuma |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
5,518.96 sq mi (14,294 km²) 5,514.09 sq mi (14,281 km²) 4.87 sq mi (13 km²), 0.09% |
| PopulationEst. - (2011) - Density |
200,870 35/sq mi (13.7/km²) |
| Time zone | Mountain: UTC-7 |
| Website | www.co.yuma.az.us |
Yuma County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census, its population was 195,751. The county seat is Yuma.[1]
Yuma County is part of the Yuma Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The county's southwestern Colorado River border forms a 4-state division between southeast California and southwest Arizona, and northeast Baja California state, Mexico with northwest Sonora state.
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History [edit]
Yuma County was the one of four original Arizona Counties created by the 1st Arizona Territorial Legislature. The county territory was defined as being west of longitude 113° 20' and south of the Bill Williams River.[2] Its original boundaries remained the same until 1982, when La Paz County was created from its northern half.
Geography [edit]
According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 5,518.96 square miles (14,294.0 km2), of which 5,514.09 square miles (14,281.4 km2) (or 99.91%) is land and 4.87 square miles (12.6 km2) (or 0.09%) is water.[3] The lowest point in the state of Arizona is located on the Colorado River in San Luis in Yuma County, where it flows out of Arizona and into Sonora in Mexico.
Because of its location along the U.S.-Mexico border, large numbers of illegal aliens entering the United States illegally pass through Yuma county. From October to July 2005, some 124,400 illegal foreign nationals were apprehended in the area, a 46% increase on the previous year (Economist, August 27, 2005).
Yuma County is in the west, and northwestern regions of the north-south Sonoran Desert that extends through Sonora state Mexico to the border of northern Sinaloa state. West of the county across the Colorado River in southeast California is the Colorado Desert, (a northwestern subregion of the Sonoran Desert). North of the county, with La Paz County the regions merge into the southeastern Mojave Desert. Southwest of Yuma County, is the entirety of Northwest Mexico, at the north shoreline of the Sea of Cortez, and the outlet of the Colorado River into the Colorado River Delta region, now altered with lack of freshwater inputs. Notable mountains in Yuma County include the Gila Mountains and the Tule Mountains.
Major highways [edit]
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Adjacent counties [edit]
- Pima County, Arizona - east
- Maricopa County, Arizona - east
- La Paz County, Arizona - north
- Imperial County, California - west
Adjacent municipalities [edit]
- Municipality of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico - west
- San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico - south
- Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico - south
- Plutarco Elías Calles, Sonora, Mexico - south
National protected areas [edit]
- Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge (part)
- Imperial National Wildlife Refuge (part)
- Kofa National Wildlife Refuge (part)
Government [edit]
Of the several departments and services of Yuma County government,[4] the Board of Supervisors is the governing body of the county and a number of special districts. The Board adopts ordinances, establishes programs, levies taxes, appropriates funds, appoints certain officials, and zones property and regulates development in the unincorporated area. In addition, members of the Board represent the County on numerous intergovernmental agencies.
Demographics [edit]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1870 | 1,621 |
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| 1880 | 3,215 | 98.3% | |
| 1890 | 2,671 | −16.9% | |
| 1900 | 4,145 | 55.2% | |
| 1910 | 7,733 | 86.6% | |
| 1920 | 14,904 | 92.7% | |
| 1930 | 17,816 | 19.5% | |
| 1940 | 19,326 | 8.5% | |
| 1950 | 28,006 | 44.9% | |
| 1960 | 46,235 | 65.1% | |
| 1970 | 60,827 | 31.6% | |
| 1980 | 90,554 | 48.9% | |
| 1990 | 106,895 | 18.0% | |
| 2000 | 160,026 | 49.7% | |
| 2010 | 195,751 | 22.3% | |
| Est. 2011 | 200,870 | 2.6% | |
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2011 estimate |
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As of the 2000 census, there were 160,026 people, 53,848 households, and 41,678 families residing in the county. The population density was 29 people per square mile (11/km²). There were 74,140 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.3% White, 2.2% Black or African American, 1.6% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 23.6% from other races, and 3.2% from two or more races. 50.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 43.7% reported speaking Spanish at home [1].
There were 53,848 households out of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.3% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.6% were non-families. 18.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.27.
In the county the population was spread out with 28.9% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 102.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $32,182, and the median income for a family was $34,659. Males had a median income of $27,390 versus $22,276 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,802. About 15.5% of families and 19.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.9% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.
Communities [edit]
Cities [edit]
Town [edit]
Census-designated places [edit]
Other communities [edit]
Major highways [edit]
Adjacent counties [edit]
- La Paz County, Arizona- north
- Maricopa County, Arizona- northeast
- Pima County, Arizona- east
- Baja California, Mexico- west-(State)
- Sonora, Mexico- south-(State)
- Imperial County, California- west
- Riverside County, California- west/northwest
- San Bernardino County, California- northwest
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ Wagoner, Jay J. (1970). Arizona Territory 1863-1912: A Political history. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. p. 58. ISBN 0-8165-0176-9.
- ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. Retrieved 2011-02-13.
- ^ http://www.co.yuma.az.us/index.aspx?page=3 | Yuma County, Departments and Services
- "Cross-Border, Cross-Purposes". The Economist. August 27-September 2, 2005.
- Yuma County official web site
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Imperial County, California | La Paz County | |
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| Baja California, Mexico with Municipality of Mexicali |
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Maricopa County Pima County |
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| State of Sonora, Mexico |
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Coordinates: 32°47′13″N 113°58′58″W / 32.78694°N 113.98278°W
