Cochise County, Arizona

Cochise County, Arizona
County
County of Cochise
The art deco county courthouse in Bisbee
Seal
Location in the U.S. state of Arizona
Arizona's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 1, 1881
Named for	Cochise
Seat	Bisbee
Largest city	Sierra Vista
Area
• Total	6,219 sq mi (16,107 km2)
• Land	6,166 sq mi (15,970 km2)
• Water	53 sq mi (137 km2), 0.9%
Population (est.)
• (2016)	125,770
• Density	21/sq mi (8/km²)
Congressional district	2nd
Time zone	Mountain: UTC-7
Website	www.cochise.az.gov

Cochise County is a county located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. The population was 131,346 at the 2010 census.^[1] The county seat is Bisbee.^[2]

Cochise County comprises the Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county borders southwestern New Mexico and northwestern Sonora in Mexico.

History

Cochise County was created on February 1, 1881, out of the eastern portion of Pima County.^[3] It took its name from the legendary Chiricahua Apache war chief Cochise.^[4][5] 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.^[6] Cochise County is close to the size of the States of Rhode Island and Connecticut combined.

Adjacent counties and municipios

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%
Est. 2016	125,770	[7]	−4.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790–1960[9] 1900–1990[10] 1990–2000[11] 2010–2016[1]

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 117,755 people, 43,893 households, and 30,768 families residing in the county. The population density was 19 people per square mile (7/km²). There were 51,126 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile (3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 76.66% White, 4.52% Black or African American, 1.15% Native American, 1.65% Asian, 0.26% Pacific Islander, 12.05% from other races, and 3.72% from two or more races. 30.69% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 25.35% reported speaking Spanish at home, while 1.31% speak German .

There were 43,893 households out of which 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.10% were married couples living together, 11.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.90% were non-families. 25.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the county, the population was spread out with 26.30% under the age of 18, 9.30% from 18 to 24, 26.00% from 25 to 44, 23.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.70% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 101.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $32,105, and the median income for a family was $38,005. Males had a median income of $30,533 versus $22,252 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,988. About 13.50% of families and 17.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.80% of those under age 18 and 10.40% of those age 65 or over.

In 2000, the largest denominational group was the Catholics (with 25,837 adherents) and Evangelical Protestants (with 12,548 adherents).^[12] The largest religious bodies were The Catholic Church (with 25,837 members) and The Southern Baptist Convention (with 5,999 members).^[12]

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 131,346 people, 50,865 households, and 33,653 families residing in the county.^[13] 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).^[14] 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.^[13] 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

2.2% Spanish

2.1% Scottish

2.0% Dutch

1.9% Scotch-Irish

1.9% Polish

1.5% Norwegian

1.1% Puerto Rican

1.1% Swedish

^[15]

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.^[13]

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.^[16]

Politics

Cochise County vote
by party in presidential elections^[17][18]

Year	Republican	Democrat	Others
2016	56.2% 28,092	34.9% 17,450	9.0% 4,473
2012	60.0% 29,497	37.7% 18,546	2.4% 1,158
2008	59.1% 29,026	38.6% 18,943	2.3% 1,112
2004	59.6% 26,556	39.3% 17,514	1.2% 525
2000	54.7% 18,180	40.2% 13,360	5.1% 1,701
1996	45.0% 14,365	43.2% 13,782	11.8% 3,776
1992	36.8% 12,202	38.3% 12,701	24.9% 8,247
1988	56.4% 15,815	42.1% 11,812	1.5% 423
1984	62.3% 16,405	36.7% 9,671	1.1% 279
1980	59.5% 13,351	31.3% 7,028	9.2% 2,066
1976	49.9% 9,921	46.7% 9,281	3.4% 681
1972	64.0% 11,706	32.9% 6,023	3.1% 570
1968	45.6% 7,619	39.5% 6,597	14.9% 2,495
1964	45.8% 7,644	54.2% 9,045	0.1% 8
1960	50.5% 7,572	49.4% 7,419	0.1% 16
1956	56.4% 6,893	43.6% 5,328	0.1% 9
1952	53.5% 6,495	46.5% 5,640
1948	37.2% 3,854	59.8% 6,198	3.1% 318
1944	32.7% 3,371	67.2% 6,935	0.1% 13
1940	26.5% 3,170	73.2% 8,748	0.3% 32
1936	19.9% 2,092	77.4% 8,130	2.6% 277
1932	25.3% 2,838	69.5% 7,798	5.2% 580
1928	57.3% 5,776	42.3% 4,262	0.5% 45
1924	38.3% 3,712	36.0% 3,496	25.7% 2,491
1920	54.7% 5,341	45.3% 4,430
1916	31.6% 3,203	60.4% 6,115	8.0% 814
1912	8.7% 403	42.7% 1,973	48.6% 2,243[lower-alpha 1]

Cochise County leans strongly towards the Republican Party in Presidential elections. Although Bill Clinton carried the county narrowly in 1992, it has supported the Republican candidate by large margins in every other election since 1968, except for 1996 and 1976 when Clinton and Jimmy Carter each lost only narrowly. Although the county includes the relatively liberal town of Bisbee, as well as the city of Douglas, which has a large Latino population, this is outweighed by the heavily Republican tilt of the more populous Sierra Vista, which is adjacent to Fort Huachuca and thus has a heavy military presence.

In the United States House of Representatives, the county is part of Arizona's 2nd congressional district, which is represented by Republican Martha McSally; the majority of the district’s population is in Tucson and its suburbs, which tend to be more moderate than Cochise County. In the Arizona Legislature, the county is part of the 14th district and is represented by Republican Gail Griffin in the State Senate and Republicans David Gowan and David Stevens in the State House of Representatives. This district also includes the entirety of Graham County and Greenlee County, as well as portions of Pima County.

Transportation

Major highways

• Interstate 10
• U.S. Route 191
• State Route 80
• State Route 82
• 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^[19]

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 Fort Huachuca in Sierra Vista, a city and U.S. Army installation in Cochise County, Arizona, United States. 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

• Benson
• Bisbee (county seat)
• Douglas
• Sierra Vista
• Tombstone
• Willcox

Town

• Huachuca City

Census-designated places

Other places

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.^[20][21]

† 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

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Cochise County, Arizona

Notes

References

External links

• County website
• Official Tourism Council Site

Adjacent places of Cochise County, Arizona
		Graham County	Greenlee County
	Pima County		Hidalgo County, New Mexico
		Cochise County, Arizona
	Santa Cruz County	Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico, Cananea, Sonora, Mexico, Naco, Sonora, Mexico, and Santa Cruz, Sonora, Mexico

Coordinates: 31°52′50″N 109°45′13″W / 31.88056°N 109.75361°W / 31.88056; -109.75361