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Prescott, Arizona

30 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1887 and the latest in 1981. It stands in the Prescott census division. It lies in ZIP code area 86303. It stands on Miller Creek. The Survey maps it on the Prescott quadrangle. 45,827 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 5,374 feet above sea level.

Research this city

Prescott within Yavapai County

On record in Prescott

Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.

On the National Register 12 of 70 shown

Every listing in Yavapai County

Surveyed buildings and structures 5 records

Population over time

2 figures

Prescott grew from 39,843 to 45,827 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
201039,843
202045,827+5,984 (+15%)

Topographic sheets covering this place

14 surveys from 30 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Photographs

6 photographs, 2018

Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.

A portion of the in the "Granite Dells," exposed bedrock of estimated-1.4-billion-year-old igneous-rock formations north of the Central Arizona community of Prescott
A portion of the in the "Granite Dells," exposed bedrock of estimated-1.4-billion-year-old igneous-rock formations north of the Central Arizona community of Prescott
Highsmith, Carol M, 2018. Library of Congress
Roadside view along a winding, often steep mountain road in Yavapai County between Prescott , Arizona's old capital city when it was a territory, and the once-booming mining town of Jerome
Roadside view along a winding, often steep mountain road in Yavapai County between Prescott , Arizona's old capital city when it was a territory, and the once-booming mining town of Jerome
Highsmith, Carol M, 2018. Library of Congress
View of the Douglas Mansion at the Jerome State Historic Park from the historic mining town of Jerome, high atop Cleopatra Hill between Flagstaff and Prescott, Arizona
View of the Douglas Mansion at the Jerome State Historic Park from the historic mining town of Jerome, high atop Cleopatra Hill between Flagstaff and Prescott, Arizona
Highsmith, Carol M, 2018. Library of Congress
Roadside view along a winding, often steep mountain road in Yavapai County between Prescott , Arizona's old capital city when it was a territory, and the once-booming mining town of Jerome
Roadside view along a winding, often steep mountain road in Yavapai County between Prescott , Arizona's old capital city when it was a territory, and the once-booming mining town of Jerome
Highsmith, Carol M, 2018. Library of Congress
A portion of the in the "Granite Dells," exposed bedrock of estimated-1.4-billion-year-old igneous-rock formations north of the Central Arizona community of Prescott
A portion of the in the "Granite Dells," exposed bedrock of estimated-1.4-billion-year-old igneous-rock formations north of the Central Arizona community of Prescott
Highsmith, Carol M, 2018. Library of Congress
Roadside view along a winding, often steep mountain road in Yavapai County between Prescott , Arizona's old capital city when it was a territory, and the once-booming mining town of Jerome
Roadside view along a winding, often steep mountain road in Yavapai County between Prescott , Arizona's old capital city when it was a territory, and the once-booming mining town of Jerome
Highsmith, Carol M, 2018. Library of Congress

Fires near this place

433 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 433 fires within 5 miles of Prescott between 1992 and 2020, burning about 1,567 acres in total. 89 started naturally. 25 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined176
Recreation and ceremony96
Natural89
Arson/incendiarism25
Smoking16
Equipment and vehicle use12
Misuse of fire by a minor7
Debris and open burning6
Power generation/transmission/distribution3
Other causes1
Fireworks1
Railroad operations and maintenance1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
6 September 2009Naturalunder an acrePrescott National ForestAPPLE
5 September 2005Recreation and ceremonyunder an acrePrescott National ForestMORGAN
4 September 1995Recreation and ceremonyunder an acrePrescott National ForestCARNATION
30 September 2003Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acrePrescott National ForestSENATOR
30 September 2001Recreation and ceremonyunder an acrePrescott National ForestWILLOW SPRINGS
30 September 1999Recreation and ceremonyunder an acrePrescott National ForestHIGHLAND
3 September 2001Recreation and ceremonyunder an acrePrescott National ForestSLASH
28 September 2020Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreArizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management - State Officenot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Yavapai County

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 31 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 31 workings within 5 miles of Prescott: 12 past producers, 7 producers, 6 prospects, 6 unknowns. 7 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Gold, Silver, Copper. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Bullwhacker ProspectGold, Silver, CopperProducer1878, 1879, 1936
ConvergensCopper, Gold, Molybdenum, SilverPast Producer
Double L LodeGold, SilverProspect
Groom Creek PropertyLead, Gold, Silver, CopperProspect
Hoot Owl ClaimSilver, Gold, LeadProspect
Linden PropertySilver, Gold, Copper, LeadProspect
New Strike 1-7 M S 4593Silver, Zinc, Gold, Lead, CopperPast Producer
New Strike MineLead, Zinc, Copper, Silver, GoldProducer1936, 1967
Patented Claims M S 1309, 3736,Gold, Lead, Silver, CopperPast Producer
Silver Flake MineGold, Lead, Zinc, Silver, Uranium, Vanadium, Copper, CobaltProducer1885, 1895, 1954

Every working recorded in Yavapai County

Storms near this place

60 of 66 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Prescott in 66 storm reports between 1993 and 2023: 33 hail, 8 thunderstorm wind, 8 flash flood, 5 lightning. The reports record 3 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
September 1999HailPrescott2 hurt, $18,000,000no account filed
August 2004Thunderstorm WindPrescott1 hurtA micro burst pushed over a crane and it collapsed an under-construction riding arena. All the steal beams in-place for the arena fell down. The 67-year-old crane operator suffered head, back, and shoulder injuries. He was taken to a hospital for treatment.
September 2019Thunderstorm WindPrescott$50,000A thunderstorm caused lots of wind damage (mostly downed tree branches) and 0.75 to 1.10 inches of rain in the Prescott and Dewey areas.
September 2003LightningPrescott$10,000Lightning struck a radio station in Sedona and caused $10,000 damage to electrical equipment.
August 2003LightningPrescott$10,000Lightning hit a radio station and caused $10,000 damage to electrical equipment.
August 2003LightningPrescott$5,000Lightning hit an apartment building and started a fire. The fire caused $5,000 damage. Street flooding hampered firefighting efforts.
August 1998Tornado (F0)Prescott$4,000A house under construction was destroyed by an F0 tornado. A neighbour to the house under construction reported he saw a narrow, rotating cloud that extended from the ground to the base of a thunderstorm. This rotating cloud moved from about 300 yards away from the house under construction into the house under construction. The walls of the house were removed from the foundation and reduced to 2 x 4 inch stock and 4 by 8 feet sheets of plywood. This material was suspended in air about 30 seconds.
August 1997Thunderstorm WindPrescott$2,000Strong thunderstorm winds knocked down several telephone poles.
July 2023HailPrescott-A spotter relayed a picture that showed a mixture of dime, nickel, and quarter sized hail.
July 2021Flash FloodPrescott-The river gauge on Granite Creek rose 2.5 feet above base flow.
August 2020Flash FloodPrescott-Heavy rain from a thunderstorm caused Granite Creek to rise 2.9 feet in an hour at the Granite Creek Gauge (GCRA3).
June 2015Heavy RainPrescott-A train spotter reported 2.50 inches of rain in just 45 minutes just west of Prescott Valley. Seven homes had minor flooding.
July 2014Heavy RainPrescott-The Coop observer in Prescott reported 1.63 inches in about 90 minutes. Local street flooding was also observed.
July 2006HailPrescott-Nickel sized hail was reported about 10 miles south of Prescott.
September 2006Heavy RainPrescott-Heavy rain fell over a large portion of Yavapai County from Prescott to Ash Fork. A spotter in Chino Valley reported about an inch of rain in just fifteen minutes with a total of over three inches of rain. Lowland flooding was observed near Paulden. Water was running over Highway 89 and was closed in several locations between mile posts 324 and 331.
September 2006HailPrescott-Penny to Nickel sized hail fell from Prescott to one mile west of Prescott.
September 2006HailPrescott-Penny sized hail was reported in Highland Pines...about 12 miles southwest of Prescott.
July 2006Funnel CloudPrescott-A funnel cloud was seen eight to ten miles south of Prescott.
August 2004LightningPrescott-Lightning knocked out power to 4,000 customers in the Prescott area.
September 2003HailPrescott-Pea to penny sized (1/4 to 3/4 inch diameter) hail was reported in Highland Pines west of Prescott.
September 2003HailPrescott-Dime sized (3/4 inch diameter) hail was reported in Prescott.
August 2003HailPrescott-3/4 inch diameter hail was reported 10 miles northeast of Prescott.
August 2003HailPrescott-3/4 inch diameter hail was reported in Prescott.
August 2003Flash FloodPrescott-Creeks were flowing over Thumb Butte Road.
August 2003Flash FloodPrescott-Vehicles were stranded on Cherry Road in Prescott due to water across the road. Yuma Drive was also flooded.
July 2003Thunderstorm WindPrescott-A thunderstorm in northeast Prescott produced a wind gust of 61 MPH. This storm also produced two inches of rain and pea sized hail.
July 2003Flash FloodPrescott-Heavy rain caused flooding in the Prescott area. Several low water crossings were impassable. Willow Creek was flooding. A spotter in Chino Valley reported 0.60 inches of rain in just 15 minutes.
July 2002HailPrescott-One inch hail was reported in Prescott.
July 2001HailPrescott-Three-quarter inch hail covered the ground to one half inch deep in Prescott Valley.
June 2000Funnel CloudPrescott-A weather spotter in Prescott reported a funnel cloud 10 to 15 miles southwest of Prescott.
July 2000HailPrescott-A weather spotter reported 3/4 inch hail and heavy rain on the south end of Prescott.
July 2000HailPrescott-Yavapai County Sheriff reported one inch hail in Prescott.
July 2000HailPrescott-Public report of nickel sized hail.
July 2000Flash FloodPrescott-Public report of street flooding in Prescott and Granite Creek nearly out of it's banks.
July 2000HailPrescott-Sheriff's office reported quarter sized hail.
September 1999Tornado (F0)Prescott-Law enforcement officials reported a tornado touching down briefly west of the Prescott Country Club.
August 1998LightningPrescott-An isolated thunderstorm dropped heavy rain over downtown Prescott. Doppler radar estimates of 2 to 3 inches of rain fall in two hours caused widespread street flooding. Water rose just above curb level and seeped into a few downtown businesses. Lightning struck two homes, causing minor damage to one.
August 1998HailPrescott-A weather spooter reported 1.25 inch diameter hail.
August 1997Flash FloodPrescott-Minor flooding at the Castle Canyon Mesa area in Prescott Valley.
May 1995HailPrescott-Several reports of hail up to three-quarters inches. A spotter reported hail up to one-half inch in diameter covering the ground.
May 1995HailPrescott-Several reports of hail up to three-quarters inches. A spotter reported hail up to one-half inch in diameter covering the ground.
September 1995HailPrescott-Dime-size hail covered the ground 1.5 inches deep and was accompanied by heavy rain.
June 1994HailPrescott-Large limbs were snapped off trees during a thunderstorm.
June 1994HailPrescott-Large limbs were snapped off trees during a thunderstorm.
August 1993Thunderstorm WindPrescott-Thunderstorms produced heavy rains and small hail. An observer in Prescott reported a peak gust of 68 mph.
May 2002WildfirePrescott-no account filed
July 2002Heavy RainPrescott-no account filed
July 2002Thunderstorm WindPrescott-no account filed
August 2001Heavy RainPrescott-no account filed
August 2001HailPrescott-no account filed
August 2001HailPrescott-no account filed
August 2001Thunderstorm WindPrescott-no account filed
August 2001HailPrescott-no account filed
September 1999HailPrescott-no account filed
September 1999HailPrescott-no account filed
September 1999HailPrescott-no account filed
September 1999HailPrescott-no account filed
September 1999Funnel CloudPrescott-no account filed
September 1999HailPrescott-no account filed
August 1998FloodPrescott-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Yavapai County

Newspapers printed here

15,389 digitised pages

8 papers published in this town, digitised by the Library of Congress and free to read: 2,864 issues, 15,389 pages. Every page is searchable, so a name or a street can be looked for directly in what the town printed about itself at the time.

NewspaperPublished
The Weekly Arizona Miner1877 to 1885
Arizona Weekly Miner1874 to 1877
Weekly Arizona Journal-Miner1903 to 1908
Weekly Journal-Miner1908 to 1929
The Weekly Arizona Miner1868 to 1873
Arizona Weekly Journal-Miner1885 to 1903
Hoof and Horn1884 to 1889
The Pick and Drill1897 to 1899

What the paper printed

87,213 words

Front pages of the local paper, read from the Library of Congress scans: 32 issues spread across its run from 1868 to 1922, 87,213 words in total. Each is reproduced on its own page, exactly as the recogniser returned it.

These pages read less well than anything else here, and the number is worth stating: about three words in four come through cleanly, against nine in ten for the building records. An 1896 broadsheet sets eight-point type in seven columns on microfilm, which is the hardest thing in this archive to read by machine. We tested our own recognisers against the Library's and they were not better, so the Library's text is what appears, with the wholly unreadable columns removed. Read it as a guide to what the paper covered, and follow the link to the scan before quoting anything.

IssuePaper Length
1877-06-08The Weekly Arizona Miner4,241 words
1885-08-14The Weekly Arizona Miner3,774 words
1874-01-30Arizona Weekly Miner3,515 words
1874-03-06Arizona Weekly Miner3,075 words
1874-04-10Arizona Weekly Miner715 words
1874-06-05Arizona Weekly Miner4,642 words
1868-08-01The Weekly Arizona Miner4,581 words
1868-09-05The Weekly Arizona Miner1,264 words
1868-11-14The Weekly Arizona Miner3,957 words
1868-12-26The Weekly Arizona Miner828 words
1903-04-15Weekly Arizona Journal-Miner1,787 words
1903-06-17Weekly Arizona Journal-Miner5,912 words
1903-09-02Weekly Arizona Journal-Miner5,281 words
1903-11-04Weekly Arizona Journal-Miner7,635 words
1908-09-23Weekly Arizona Journal-Miner589 words
1908-09-30Weekly Journal-Miner45 words
1908-10-21Weekly Journal-Miner1,357 words
1908-11-18Weekly Journal-Miner2,382 words
1922-12-27Weekly Journal-Miner3,309 words
1886-02-24Arizona Weekly Journal-Miner3,938 words
1886-05-05Arizona Weekly Journal-Miner732 words
1886-08-04Arizona Weekly Journal-Miner3,398 words
1886-10-13Arizona Weekly Journal-Miner4,063 words
1903-03-04Arizona Weekly Journal-Miner6,062 words
1897-02-14The Pick and Drill2,207 words
1897-07-31The Pick and Drill302 words
1897-08-28The Pick and Drill111 words
1897-09-25The Pick and Drill458 words
1899-09-02The Pick and Drill1,724 words
1885-10-29Hoof and Horn1,942 words
1885-11-19Hoof and Horn1,690 words
1889-09-19Hoof and Horn1,697 words

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Miller Valley1.0 miles30
Juniper Heights1.3 miles30
Fort Whipple1.3 miles30
Whipple1.5 miles30
Oak Knoll Village2.1 miles30
Forbing Park2.3 miles30
Rancho Vista Estates2.5 miles27
Wildwood Estates3.2 miles27

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on PrescottAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q79931The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 33189. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.