Southern Arizona

Southern Arizona is a region of the United States. It is the southernmost portion of the 48th state, Arizona. Southern Arizona's boundaries are not well defined, but certainly include all of present-day Cochise County, Pima County, Graham County, and Santa Cruz County. It also borders the Mexican states of Sonora and Baja California.

The principal cities of the area include Tucson, Sierra Vista, Oro Valley, Nogales, Marana, Safford, Bisbee (Bisbee's Population varies by season) and Douglas. There are no other cities in the area with more than 10,000 persons. A large Native American reservation, the Tohono O'odham nation, lies in the western desert portions of the area.

The region includes many small mountain ranges including the Chiricahua Mountains, Huachuca Mountains, Santa Ritas, the Santa Catalinas, the Rincons, the Piñalenos, and others.

History

Southern Arizona has been inhabited for several millennia. In ancient times, inhabitants included the Patayan in the west, the Hohokam in the central area, and the Mogollon in the east. In more recent times, indigenous inhabitants have included the Western Apache and the Chiricahua Apache in the east, the O'odham in the central area, and various Yuman groups in the west.

Much of Southern Arizona was part of the territory gained by the United States during the Gadsden Purchase.