Mohave County, Arizona facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mohave County
U.S. county
Mohave County Courthouse in Kingman
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Arizona
Arizona's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Arizona
Founded	November 9, 1864
Named for	Fort Mohave
Seat	Kingman
Largest city	Lake Havasu City
Area
• Total	13,461 sq mi (34,860 km2)
• Land	13,311 sq mi (34,480 km2)
• Water	150 sq mi (400 km2)  1.1%
Population  (2020)
• Total	213,267
• Estimate  (2023)	223,682
• Density	15.8433/sq mi (6.11714/km2)
Time zone	UTC−7 (Mountain)
Congressional districts	2nd, 9th

Mohave County is a large county located in the northwest part of Arizona, a state in the United States. In 2020, about 213,267 people lived here. The main city and county seat is Kingman. The biggest city in the county is Lake Havasu City. Mohave County is one of the largest counties in the entire United States by land area.

This county is part of a larger area called the Lake Havasu City–Kingman, Arizona Metropolitan Statistical Area. It also connects to the Las Vegas-Henderson, Nevada-Arizona Combined Statistical Area.

Mohave County is home to parts of famous places like Grand Canyon National Park and Lake Mead National Recreation Area. It also includes all of the Grand Canyon–Parashant National Monument. You can also find parts of the Kaibab, Fort Mojave, and Hualapai Indian Reservations within the county's borders.

History of Mohave County

Mohave County was one of the first four counties created in Arizona. This happened on November 9, 1864, by the first Arizona Territorial Legislature. Its original borders were set to the west of a certain longitude and north of the Bill Williams River.

In 1865, a new county called Pah-Ute County was formed from part of Mohave County. However, in 1871, Pah-Ute County was merged back into Mohave County. This happened after a lot of its land was given to Nevada in 1866. The county's current borders were decided in 1881.

Mohave County has had five different county seats, which are the main towns where the county government is located:

• Mohave City (1864–1867)
• Hardyville (1867–1873)
• Cerbat (1873–1877)
• Mineral Park (1877–1887)
• Kingman (1887–present)

Geography and Natural Wonders

Mohave County covers a huge area of about 13,461 square miles. Most of this (13,311 square miles) is land, and about 150 square miles (1.1%) is water. It is the second-largest county in Arizona. It is also the fifth-largest county in the contiguous United States (the 48 states that touch each other).

The county is split into two parts by the amazing Grand Canyon. There is no direct road that connects these two sections.

• The northern part is smaller and has fewer people. It's part of the Arizona Strip and borders Utah and Nevada.
• The larger southern part borders Nevada and California. The Colorado River forms most of its western edge. This southern section includes Kingman, the county seat, and other cities. It also has a large part of the Mojave Desert.

Neighboring Counties

Mohave County shares borders with many other counties:

• Washington County, Utah – to the north
• Kane County, Utah – to the northeast
• Coconino County – to the east
• Yavapai County – to the east
• La Paz County – to the south
• San Bernardino County, California – to the southwest
• Clark County, Nevada – to the west
• Lincoln County, Nevada – to the northwest

Together, Mohave County and its neighbors form a very large area. This combined land is bigger than the entire state of Idaho. It includes some of the biggest counties outside of Alaska.

Protected Natural Areas

Mohave County is home to many beautiful protected natural areas. These areas help protect wildlife and nature.

• Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Grand Canyon National Park (part)
• Grand Canyon–Parashant National Monument
• Havasu National Wildlife Refuge (part)
• Kaibab National Forest (part)
• Lake Mead National Recreation Area (part)
• Pipe Spring National Monument

There are also 18 official wilderness areas in Mohave County. These are special places where nature is kept wild and untouched. Most of these are managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Some are part of the larger protected areas listed above.

Population and People

In 2010, there were 200,186 people living in Mohave County. There were 82,539 households and 54,036 families. The county had about 15 people per square mile.

Most people in the county (86.9%) were white. About 2.2% were American Indian, and 1.1% were Asian. People of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 14.8% of the population. Many people had German (23.1%), Irish (16.2%), or English (15.6%) backgrounds.

About 24.5% of households had children under 18 living with them. The average age of people in Mohave County was 47.6 years old.

The average income for a household was $39,785. For families, it was $47,530. About 16.1% of the population lived below the poverty line. This included 24.7% of those under 18 years old.

Education in Mohave County

Mohave County has many schools and colleges for students of all ages.

K-12 Schools

Several school districts serve students from kindergarten through 12th grade:

Unified School Districts (K-12)

• Colorado City Unified School District
• Fredonia-Moccasin Unified District
• Kingman Unified School District
• Lake Havasu Unified School District
• Littlefield Unified School District
• Peach Springs Unified School District (high school students go to other districts)

High School Districts

• Colorado River Union High School District

Elementary School Districts (K-8)

• Bullhead City Elementary School District
• Hackberry School District
• Mohave Valley Elementary School District
• Owens-Whitney Elementary School District
• Topock Elementary School District
• Valentine Elementary School District
• Yucca Elementary School District

There is also a charter school called Kingman Academy of Learning.

Colleges and Higher Education

For students who want to continue their education after high school, Mohave County offers:

• Mohave Community College
• Arizona State University Lake Havasu City Campus

Public Libraries

The Mohave County Library system has ten different branches. These libraries offer books, computers, and other resources for everyone. The branches in Bullhead City, Kingman, and Lake Havasu City are open for many hours each week.

Getting Around Mohave County

Main Roads and Highways

State Route 389 in Mohave County

• Interstate 15
• Interstate 40
• Historic U.S. Route 66
• U.S. Route 93
• State Route 66
• State Route 68
• State Route 95
• State Route 389

Airports

Mohave County has several public airports. These airports help people travel by air and connect the county to other places.

• Bullhead City – Eagle Airpark (A09)
• Bullhead City – Laughlin-Bullhead International Airport (IFP)
• Bullhead City – Sun Valley Airport (A20)
• Colorado City – Colorado City Municipal Airport (AZC)
• Kingman – Kingman Airport (IGM)
• Lake Havasu City – Lake Havasu City Airport (HII)
• Meadview – Pearce Ferry Airport (L25)
• Peach Springs – Grand Canyon West Airport (1G4)
• Temple Bar – Temple Bar Airport (U30)

Cities, Towns, and Communities

Mohave County has several cities, one town, and many smaller communities.

Cities

• Bullhead City
• Kingman (This is the county seat)
• Lake Havasu City

Town

• Colorado City

Census-Designated Places (CDPs)

These are areas that are like towns but are not officially incorporated as cities or towns.

Ghost Towns

These are towns that used to be active but are now mostly abandoned.

Native American Communities

• Fort Mojave Indian Reservation
• Kaibab Indian Reservation
• Hualapai Indian Reservation

Population Ranking of Communities

This table shows the population of the main communities in Mohave County, based on the 2010 census. † indicates the county seat.

Economy and Resources

Mining in Mohave County

Mining has been an important part of Mohave County's economy. One notable mining area is the Artillery Peak mine.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Mohave para niños