Yuma, Arizona

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Location of Yuma, Arizona
Yuma Crossing and RR bridge in 1886. The bridge was built in 1877.
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Yuma Crossing and RR bridge in 1886. The bridge was built in 1877.
Yuma-ferry in year 1889
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Yuma-ferry in year 1889

Yuma is a city in and county seatGR6 of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 84,688.[1]

Contents

[edit] Geography

Yuma is located at 32°41′32″N, 114°36′55″W (32.692148, -114.615389)GR1, close to the border with California to the West and with Mexico to the South. Yuma is just west of the Gila and Colorado River confluence.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 276.4 km² (106.7 mi²). 276.2 km² (106.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.07%) is water.

[edit] History

Initially there were several tribes of Native Americans in Yuma.

  • Quechan Indians have a reservation here, across the Colorado River north of downtown Yuma.
  • Cocopah Indians also have a reservation, in three separate parts. One is WNW of the city, right on the Colorado River where it borders Arizona, California and Mexico; one further south along the river; and one south of Yuma.

In 1540 expeditions under Hernando de Alarcon and Melchior Diaz visited here and immediately saw the natural crossing of the Colorado River was an ideal spot for a city.

From the 1850s through the 1870s, the Yuma Crossing was known for its steamboat crossing, and spot for them to stop on the way up and down the river. The steamboats transported passengers and equipment for the various mines and military outposts. Yuma served as the gateway to the new western territory of California, as it was one of the few natural spots to cross the (at that point in time) very wide Colorado River. The Southern Pacific Railroad bridged the river in 1870 and helped continue Yuma as a major hub in the desert southwest. Yuma became the county seat for the area in 1864.

In 1997, the desert city sustained a full tropical storm after Hurricane Nora made landfall at the mouth of the Colorado River and quickly moved due north along it. The extraordinarily rare event cut power to 12,000 customers in Yuma, and dropped 3.59 inches or over 90mm of rain at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma.

[edit] Demographics

Yuma is now the metropolitan division (along with El Centro, California) of a MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area), one of three in Arizona. There are 160,000 people in the Yuma MSA. This number rose by fifty percent between 1990 and 2000. The MSA also includes Imperial County, California.

Over 85,000 winter visitors make Yuma their annual winter residence, making Yuma one of North America's premier winter vacation spots.

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 77,515 people, 26,649 households, and 19,613 families residing in the city. The population density was 280.6/km² (726.8/mi²). There were 34,475 housing units at an average density of 124.8/km² (323.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.33% White, 3.21% Black or African American, 1.51% Native American, 1.50% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 21.36% from other races, and 3.90% from two or more races. 45.67% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 26,649 households out of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.6% under the age of 18, 11.9% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,374, and the median income for a family was $39,693. Males had a median income of $29,465 versus $23,847 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,730. About 12.1% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.3% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over. In addition to low income, some Yuma residents are also below the poverty line because Yuma ranks at number 20 in CareerBuilder.com's list of 20 U.S. cities with the highest unemployment rates.[1]

[edit] Climate

Yuma is one of the hottest cities of any size in the United States, with average July high temperatures of 107 degrees Fahrenheit. (By way of comparison, the corresponding figure for Death Valley is 115 degrees.) Average January highs are around 69 degree. According to the book Guinness World Records, Yuma is the sunniest place on earth. Of the possible 4,456 hours of daylight each year, the sun shines in Yuma for roughly 4,050 hours, or about 90% of the time. The near perfect flying weather year round attracts military interest in training their pilots here.

On July 28, 1995 Yuma reached its all-time high at 124 degrees.

[edit] Sites of interest

Desert near Yuma in 2005.
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Desert near Yuma in 2005.

Yuma contains the historical Yuma Territorial Prison, the Yuma Crossing Historic Park, and the great downtown area; Yuma is an Arizona Main Street City. Around Yuma are the Kofa Mountain Range and wildlife refuge, Martinez and Mittry lakes, as well as the Algodones Dunes, which draw tens of thousands of visitors every year. Winter holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving are very popular. Thousands of people Camp out at the "dunes" each year. Unfortunately, due to careless driving and the use of alcohol while driving, many end up spending their holiday at Yuma Regional Medical Center.

There are many hunting and fishing opportunities in Yuma, as uninhabited areas of the county offer a home for a variety of game and fish. Mule Deer and Desert Bighorn Sheep can be found in surrounding areas. Coyotes can be found throughout the area and even in city limits. Dove and quail seasons are popular sporting occasions each autumn, the Mourning dove being a byproduct of the extensive Colorado river–irrigated agriculture lands.

The city is also host to Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, which conducts an annual air show and many large scale military exercises.

Another site of interest in Yuma is the Colorado River which runs along the west side of town dividing Arizona and California.

Nearby is the town of Los Algodones, Baja California which has become a very popular spot for tourists to shop and eat.

[edit] Birds of southwest Arizona (Yuma region)

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Arizona (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division (June 21, 2006). Retrieved on November 14, 2006.

[edit] External links


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