Graham County, Arizona facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Graham County
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Graham County Courthouse in Safford
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Location within the U.S. state of Arizona
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 Arizona's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
| State |  Arizona |
| Founded | March 10, 1881 |
| Named for | Mount Graham |
| Seat | Safford |
| Largest city | Safford |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4,641 sq mi (12,020 km2) |
| • Land | 4,623 sq mi (11,970 km2) |
| • Water | 19 sq mi (50 km2) 0.4%% |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 38,533 |
| • Estimate
(2023)
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39,525  |
| • Density | 8.3027/sq mi (3.2057/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (Mountain) |
| Congressional districts | 2nd, 6th |
Graham County is a county in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,533, making it the third-least populous county in Arizona. The county seat is Safford.
Graham County composes the Safford, Arizona Micropolitan Statistical Area.
The county is home to several organizations including Eastern Arizona College and the Mount Graham International Observatory, which includes one of the world's largest and most powerful telescopes. Graham County is also home to the Arizona Salsa Trail and the annual Salsa Fest.
Graham County contains part of the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation.
Contents
History
Joseph Knight Rogers, an early settler in the area, and a member of the Arizona Territorial Legislature, is known as the father of Graham County. He introduced the bill in the territorial legislature creating Graham County. Graham County was created from southern Apache County and eastern Pima County on March 10, 1881. Initially, the county seat was located in the city of Safford but was later moved to Solomonville in 1883. This change was undone in 1915, returning the county seat to Safford.
Graham County is named after the mountain by the same name which was named after Lt. Col James Duncan Graham, and was the first Arizona county to break the tradition of naming counties for Native Americans.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 4,641 square miles (12,020 km2), of which 4,623 square miles (11,970 km2) is land and 19 square miles (49 km2) (0.4%) is water. The county has various mountain peaks including Mount Graham, which is the highest mountain in the Pinaleno Mountains.
Adjacent counties
- Cochise County — south
- Pima County — southwest
- Pinal County — west
- Gila County — northwest
- Navajo County — north
- Apache County — north
- Greenlee County — east
National protected areas
- Coronado National Forest (part)
- Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area (part)
Major highways
U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 191
State Route 266
State Route 366
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 5,670 | — | |
| 1900 | 14,162 | 149.8% | |
| 1910 | 23,999 | 69.5% | |
| 1920 | 10,148 | −57.7% | |
| 1930 | 10,373 | 2.2% | |
| 1940 | 12,113 | 16.8% | |
| 1950 | 12,985 | 7.2% | |
| 1960 | 14,045 | 8.2% | |
| 1970 | 16,578 | 18.0% | |
| 1980 | 22,862 | 37.9% | |
| 1990 | 26,554 | 16.1% | |
| 2000 | 33,489 | 26.1% | |
| 2010 | 37,220 | 11.1% | |
| 2020 | 38,533 | 3.5% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 39,525 | 6.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020 |
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2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 37,220 people, 11,120 households, and 8,188 families living in the county. The population density was 8.1 inhabitants per square mile (3.1 inhabitants/km2). There were 12,980 housing units at an average density of 2.8 units per square mile (1.1 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 72.1% white, 14.4% American Indian, 1.8% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 8.2% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 30.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 16.1% were English, 9.2% were German, 6.9% were Irish, and 4.3% were American.
Of the 11,120 households, 41.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 26.4% were non-families, and 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.50. The median age was 31.6 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $41,683 and the median income for a family was $48,005. Males had a median income of $41,732 versus $25,990 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,644. About 15.9% of families and 20.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.3% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.
Communities
City
- Safford (county seat)
Towns
Census-designated places
- Bryce
- Bylas
- Cactus Flats
- Central
- Fort Thomas
- Peridot (partially in Gila County)
- San Jose
- Solomon
- Swift Trail Junction
Unincorporated communities
Ghost towns
Indian communities
County population ranking
The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Graham County.
† county seat
| Rank | City/Town/etc. | Population (2010 Census) | Municipal type | Incorporated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | † Safford | 9,566 | City | |
| 2 | Thatcher | 4,865 | Town | |
| 3 | Swift Trail Junction | 2,935 | CDP | |
| 4 | Pima | 2,387 | Town | |
| 5 | Bylas | 1,962 | CDP | |
| 6 | Cactus Flats | 1,518 | CDP | |
| 7 | Peridot (Partially in Gila County) | 1,350 | CDP | |
| 8 | Central | 645 | CDP | |
| 9 | San Jose | 506 | CDP | |
| 10 | Solomon | 426 | CDP | |
| 11 | Fort Thomas | 374 | CDP | |
| 12 | Bryce | 175 | CDP |
Notable people
- Charles Stevens, Apache/Mexican actor
- Lynda Carter, actress/singer
- Charles Dudley (né Heaslip) born Fort Grant, film actor and make-up artist
- Sarah Yeiser Mason, Academy Award-winning screenwriter
- Spencer W. Kimball, former President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was raised in Thatcher, and lived and operated a business in Safford between 1927 and 1943.
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Graham (Arizona) para niños
