Sells, Arizona
17 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1941 and the latest in 1996. It stands in the Tohono O'odham Nation census division. It lies in ZIP code area 85634. It lies near Suwuk Tontk. The Survey maps it on the Sells West quadrangle. 2,121 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 2,392 feet above sea level.
On record in Sells
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
Surveyed buildings and structures 2 records
- Building 9, Cactus Circle, Sellsfederal building survey, 1 photograph
- Pancho Family Farm, East of Indian Route 20, Sellsfederal building survey, 1 photograph
Population over time
3 figuresSells fell from 2,799 to 2,121 between 2000 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.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2,799 | |
| 2010 | 2,495 | -304 (-11%) |
| 2020 | 2,121 | -374 (-15%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
9 surveys from 17 printed sheetsMatched 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.
- 1941 USGS Sells quadrangle1:62500
- 1943 USGS Fresnal quadrangle1:125000
- 1943 USGS Sells quadrangle1:62500, 4 printings
- 1956 USGS Nogales quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1958 USGS Nogales quadrangle1:250000
- 1959 USGS Nogales quadrangle1:250000
- 1979 USGS Sells West quadrangle1:24000, 2 printings
- 1994 USGS Sells quadrangle1:100000, 2 printings
- 1996 USGS Sells West quadrangle1:24000
Fires near this place
173 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 173 fires within 5 miles of Sells between 1992 and 2015, burning about 271 acres in total. 6 started naturally. 5 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/undetermined | 86 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 31 |
| Debris and open burning | 18 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 8 |
| Natural | 6 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 6 |
| Smoking | 5 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 5 |
| Other causes | 4 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 September 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1.0 acres | Papago Agency | ARTESIA |
| 18 September 2003 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 2.0 acres | Papago Agency | LEWISFIRE |
| 16 September 2005 | Misuse of fire by a minor | under an acre | Papago Agency | ARTESIA |
| 12 September 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 1.0 acres | Papago Agency | TOPD WASH |
| 9 August 2009 | Debris and open burning | under an acre | Papago Agency | VAMORI FIRE |
| 8 August 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | under an acre | Papago Agency | SUNDAY |
| 6 August 1997 | Misuse of fire by a minor | under an acre | Papago Agency | SELLS08 |
| 30 August 1997 | Arson/incendiarism | under an acre | Papago Agency | SELLS10 |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
9 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 9 workings within 5 miles of Sells: 6 occurrences, 2 past producers, 1 producer. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Geothermal, Lead, Silver, Gold, Lead, Gold, Silver. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Card Mine | Gold, Copper, Silver | Past Producer | ||
| Midnight Mine | Lead, Silver, Gold | Producer | 1942 | |
| Midnight Mine | Lead, Gold, Silver | Past Producer | ||
| Unknown | Geothermal | Occurrence | ||
| Unknown | Geothermal | Occurrence | ||
| Unknown | Geothermal | Occurrence | ||
| Unknown | Geothermal | Occurrence | ||
| Unknown | Geothermal | Occurrence | ||
| Unknown | Geothermal | Occurrence |
Storms near this place
26 since 2000Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Sells in 26 storm reports between 2000 and 2024: 11 flash flood, 11 thunderstorm wind, 3 hail, 1 lightning. The reports record 2 deaths. 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.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2005 | Flash Flood | Sells | 1 killed, $5,000 | Two to four inches of rainfall near the Village of Sells, caused several of the washes in the area to flood. A vehicle entered into the Artesa wash, which at the time was running very high with water, and became stuck. Family members tried to get everyone out of the car and to safety but a one-year-old girl could not be rescued and was later found downstream. |
| August 2014 | Lightning | Sells | 1 killed | Local law enforcement reported that a maintenance worker was struck by lightning while outside the middle school in Sells. The individual was flown to a Tucson area hospital and later succumbed to injuries sustained from the strike. |
| August 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sells | $35,000 | Thunderstorm winds snapped several power poles southwest of Sells and damaged homes in Big Fields. Three of the homes sustained major roof damage. |
| July 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sells | $30,000 | Very strong thunderstorm winds caused several power poles to be downed in the Village of Sells, along with several trees. |
| August 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sells | $25,000 | Power lines were blown down and a roof was reported blown off a house in Sells. |
| July 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sells | $20,000 | Tohono O'odham Emergency Manager reported structural damage to two homes in Sells with estimated winds near 50 knots (58 mph). The homes both suffered partial roof collapses. |
| July 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sells | $10,000 | A power pole was knocked down due to thunderstorm winds on Hwy 86 near the Assembly of God Church. |
| January 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sells | $10,000 | Damaging thunderstorm winds downed the main transmission power line on the Tohono Oodham Nation, at approximately 9 PM. A major power failure resulted, affecting over 15,000 people. Mesonet at Sasabe measured a thunderstorm wind gust of 58 mph at 9:33 PM MST. |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sells | $7,000 | Severe thunderstorm downburst winds downed several power poles and 10 power lines west of Sells. This caused a power disruption to the Papago Farms, Pisinimo, and Hickiwan areas. |
| September 2006 | Flash Flood | Sells | $5,000 | A county official reported that Highway 86 was closed at the Sikul Himath Wash due to flooding. The bridge at this wash was overtopped causing large volumes of water to flow across Highway 86. Additionally, a swift water rescue was performed on Route 19 due to a flooded roadway. |
| September 2005 | Flash Flood | Sells | $5,000 | Heavy rain over Central Pima County caused Route 19 to be closed from milepost 10 to 20. Additionally, a vehicle was stuck in a wash along Route 19. |
| August 2005 | Flash Flood | Sells | $5,000 | Heavy rain caused flooded roadways which led to a swift water rescue in a flooded wash near the Village of Sells. There were no injuries. |
| June 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sells | $4,500 | no account filed |
| August 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sells | $3,000 | Thunderstorm winds downed two power poles near Sells. |
| July 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sells | $1,000 | Law enforcement reported windows blown out of a house in Sells. |
| July 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sells | $1,000 | A tin roof was blown off of a Carport at Santa Rosa Ranch on the Tohono O'odham Nation due to strong winds from thunderstorms. |
| July 2006 | Hail | Sells | - | A member of the public reported nickel size hail, 0.55 inch, along Highway 86 east of the Village of Sells. |
| July 2006 | Flash Flood | Sells | - | A trained spotter reported that 2 feet of water was flowing over Route 86. Route 86 was impassable from mile post 97 to mile post 108. |
| September 2005 | Hail | Sells | - | A county official for Central Pima County reported near golf ball size hail (1.75 inches) at the Village of South Komelick along Indian Route 19, 5 miles north of Coulic. |
| July 2004 | Flash Flood | Sells | - | Law enforcement reported that the road between Topowa Village and Fresnal Canyon were impassible due to high water. |
| September 2004 | Flash Flood | Sells | - | Law Enforcement reported that several washes were overflowing near milepost 21 and 22 of Indian Route 15. |
| September 2004 | Flash Flood | Sells | - | Tohono O'ohdam sheriff dispatch reported that Route 19 was closed due to high water. |
| June 2000 | Flash Flood | Sells | - | 3 Feet of water covering highway 19 south of Sells. |
| June 2000 | Flash Flood | Sells | - | Several roads closed due to flooding. |
| August 2000 | Flash Flood | Sells | - | Vamori wash had a 5 foot wall of water moving downstream. Low water corssings on highway 19 were covered and impassable. |
| September 2002 | Hail | Sells | - | no account filed |
Newspapers printed here
1,197 digitised pages2 papers published in this town, digitised by the Library of Congress and free to read: 110 issues, 1,197 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.
| Newspaper | Published |
|---|---|
| Papago Indian News | 1954 to 19?? |
| Papago Newsletter | 1953 to 19?? |
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 | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artesa | 1.8 miles | 17 | |
| Ali Chukson | 4.3 miles | 17 | |
| Chukson | 4.5 miles | 17 | |
| Chiawuli Tak | 5.6 miles | 17 | |
| Ali Molina | 5.7 miles | 17 | |
| Wickchoupai | 6.7 miles | 18 | |
| Topawa | 7.4 miles | 16 | |
| Santa Cruz | 8.6 miles | 18 |
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 Sells | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q2140577 | The 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 11073. 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.








