Mohave County, Arizona

Mohave County, Arizona
Mohave County Courthouse in Kingman, Arizona
Seal
Location in the state of Arizona
Arizona's location in the U.S.
Founded	November 9, 1864
Seat	Kingman
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	13,469.71 sq mi (34,886 km²) 13,311.64 sq mi (34,477 km²) 158.07 sq mi (409 km²), 1.17%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	200,186 15/sq mi (5.8/km²)
Website	www.co.mohave.az.us

Mohave County is located in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census, its population was 200,186, an increase of 45,154 people since the 2000 census count of 155,032.^[1] The county seat is Kingman.^[2] While the largest single city is Lake Havasu City, the area with highest population is the Bullhead City/Fort Mohave/Mohave Valley area.^[3]

Mohave County contains parts of Grand Canyon National Park and Lake Mead National Recreation Area and all of the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument. The Kaibab, Fort Mojave and Hualapai Indian Reservations also lie within the county.

Mohave County is the fifth-largest county in the United States by land area.

History

Mohave County was the one of four original Arizona Counties created by the 1st Arizona Territorial Legislature. The county territory was originally defined as being west of latitude 113° 20' and north of the Bill Williams River.^[4] Pah-Ute County was created from it in 1865 and was merged back into Mohave County in 1871 when much of its territory was ceded to Nevada in 1866. The county's present boundaries were established in 1881, which was 7 years before Katz's Deli.

Geography

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 13,469.71 square miles (34,886.4 km²), of which 13,311.64 square miles (34,477.0 km²) (or 98.83%) is land and 158.07 square miles (409.4 km²) (or 1.17%) is water.^[5] The county is the fifth largest U.S. county in area (excluding boroughs and census areas in Alaska), exceeded in size only by adjacent San Bernardino County, California (20,053 square miles), adjacent Coconino County (18,617 square miles), and the Nevada counties of Nye (18,147 square miles) and Elko (17,179 square miles).

The Colorado River forms most of the county's western boundary, and California, Nevada and Utah all border it. The river also runs east to west through Mohave County, dividing it between two of Arizona's geographic regions, the Arizona Strip in the north and the Mojave Desert in the south.

Adjacent counties

• Washington County, Utah to the north
• Kane County, Utah to the northeast
• Coconino County, Arizona to the east
• Yavapai County, Arizona to the east
• La Paz County, Arizona to the south
• San Bernardino County, California to the southwest
• Clark County, Nevada to the west
• Lincoln County, Nevada to the northwest

Mohave County and its adjacent counties form the largest such block of counties outside of Alaska. Their combined land area is 89,567.34 square miles (231,978.3 km²), or larger than that of the state of Idaho. They include the #1 (San Bernardino), #2 (Coconino), #5 (Mohave), and #7 (Lincoln) largest counties outside of Alaska.

See also: List of counties bordering eight or more counties

National protected areas

• Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Grand Canyon National Park (part)
• Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument
• Havasu National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Kaibab National Forest (part)
• Lake Mead National Recreation Area (part)
• Pipe Spring National Monument

Transportation

Major highways

• Interstate 15
• Interstate 40
• U.S. Route 93
• State Route 66
• State Route 68
• State Route 95
• State Route 389

Airports

The following public use airports are located in Mohave County:

• Bullhead City - Eagle Airpark (A09)
• Bullhead City - Laughlin-Bullhead International Airport (IFP)
• Bullhead City - Sun Valley Airport (A20)
• Colorado City - Colorado City Municipal Airport (AZC)
• Kingman - Kingman Airport (IGM)
• Lake Havasu City - Lake Havasu City Airport (HII)
• Meadview - Pearce Ferry Airport (L25)
• Peach Springs - Grand Canyon West Airport (1G4)
• Temple Bar - Temple Bar Airport (U30)

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	179		—
1880	1,190		564.8%
1890	1,444		21.3%
1900	3,426		137.3%
1910	3,773		10.1%
1920	5,259		39.4%
1930	5,572		6.0%
1940	8,591		54.2%
1950	8,510		−0.9%
1960	7,736		−9.1%
1970	25,857		234.2%
1980	55,865		116.1%
1990	93,497		67.4%
2000	155,032		65.8%
2010	200,186		29.1%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010

Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:

• 86.9% White
• 0.9% Black
• 2.2% Native American
• 1.1% Asian
• 0.2% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
• 2.7% Two or more races
• 6.0% Other races
• 14.8% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

2000

As of the census^[6] of 2000, there were 155,032 people, 62,809 households, and 43,401 families residing in the county. The population density was 12 people per square mile (4/km²). There were 80,062 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.06% White, 0.54% Black or African American, 2.41% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 4.00% from other races, and 2.13% from two or more races. 11.08% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 62,809 households out of which 25.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.10% were married couples living together, 9.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 24.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.10% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 23.20% from 25 to 44, 26.70% from 45 to 64, and 20.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 98.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,521, and the median income for a family was $36,311. Males had a median income of $28,505 versus $20,632 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,788. About 9.80% of families and 13.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.40% of those under age 18 and 7.70% of those age 65 or over.

By 2006 Census Bureau estimates placed the population of Mohave County at 193,035. This represented a 24.5% increase in the population since 2000.^[7]

Communities

Populations are listed in parentheses.

Incorporated Cities and Towns

• Lake Havasu City (52,527)
• Bullhead City (40,225)
• Kingman (28,068) (county seat)
• Colorado City (3,334) (town)

Unincorporated Towns and Settlements

• Arizona Village (351)
• Beaver Dam
• Chloride
• Desert Hills (2,183)
• Dolan Springs (1,867)
• Fort Mohave (14,364)
• Golden Valley (4,515)
• Hackberry
• Kaibab (275) (part in another county)
• Littlefield
• Meadview
• Mesquite Creek (205)
• Mohave Valley (13,694)
• Mojave Ranch Estates (28)
• New Kingman-Butler (13,717)
• Nothing
• Oatman
• Peach Springs (600)
• Scenic
• Topock
• Valentine
• Wikieup
• Willow Valley (585)
• Yucca

Ghost Towns

• Alamo Crossing
• Aubrey Landing
• Cedar
• Cerbat
• Mohave City
• Santa Claus
• Wolf Hole
• Gold Road
• Mineral Park

Government and infrastructure

The Mohave County Administration Building is located in downtown Kingman at 700 West Beale Street. The old County Complex, which the Administration Building replaced, was located adjacent to the courthouse on Spring Street and 4th Street. The Mohave County Superior Courthouse, built in 1915, is an Art Deco/Streamline Moderne building on the National Register of Historic Places. The county jail is adjacent to the courthouse, on 4th Street and Pine street.

Arizona State Prison - Kingman, a privately run prison of the Arizona Department of Corrections, is located in unincorporated Mohave County near Golden Valley and Kingman.^[8][9]

Education

The following school districts and colleges serve Mohave County

Unified school districts

• Colorado City Unified School District
• Kingman Unified School District
• Lake Havasu Unified School District
• Littlefield Unified School District
• Peach Springs Unified School District

High school districts

• Colorado River Union High School District

Elementary school districts

• Bullhead City Elementary School District
• Hackberry School District
• Mohave Valley Elementary School District
• Owens-Whitney Elementary School District
• Topock Elementary School District
• Valentine Elementary School District
• Yucca Elementary School District

Colleges

• Mohave Community College

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Mohave County, Arizona
• Upper Burro Creek Wilderness

References

1. ^ "[1]." United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on April 5, 2008
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
3. ^ http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/04/04015.html
4. ^ Wagoner, Jay J. (1970). Arizona Territory 1863-1912: A Political history. Tucson: University of Arizona Press. pp. 58. ISBN 0-8165-0176-9. 
5. ^ "Census 2000 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. http://www.census.gov/tiger/tms/gazetteer/county2k.txt. Retrieved 2011-02-13. 
6. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
7. ^ Mohave County QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau
8. ^ "Arizona State Prison - Kingman (MTC)". http://www.azcorrections.gov/prisons/Zoya_kingman1.aspx. 
9. ^ "Golden Valley CDP, Arizona." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on August 13, 2010.

External links

• Mohave County Government
• Mohave County Political Information
• History of Medicine in Kingman and Mohave County

Coordinates: 35°40′55″N 113°51′47″W / 35.68194°N 113.86306°W / 35.68194; -113.86306