Graham County, Arizona Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Graham County
U.S. county
Graham County Courthouse in Safford
Location within the U.S. state of Arizona
Arizona's location within the U.S.
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)
• Total	38,533
• Estimate (2023)	39,525
• Density	8.3027/sq mi (3.2057/km²)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
Congressional districts	2nd, 6th
Website	www.graham.az.gov

The Large Binocular Telescope on the summit ridge of the Pinaleno Mountains, Graham County

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.

History
Geography
Demographics
- 2010 census
Communities
Notable people
See also

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 it. The new 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 of the same name which was, in turn, named after Lt. Col James Duncan Graham. The county was the first in Arizona 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

Roper Lake, south of Safford

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

Locations of incorporated and unincorporated areas as well as Indian reservations in Graham County

City

Safford (county seat)

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Linarite specimen from the old Grand Reef mine near Klondyke

Ghost towns

Indian communities

San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation

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
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.

Graham County, Arizona facts for kids

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