Mohave County, Arizona

History

Mohave County was the one of four original Arizona Counties created by the 1st Arizona Territorial Legislature. The county territory was originally defined as being west of longitude 113° 20' and north of the Bill Williams River. Pah-Ute County was created from it in 1865 and was merged back into Mohave County in 1871 when much of its territory was ceded to Nevada in 1866. The county's present boundaries were established in 1881. Mohave County has had five county seats: Mohave City (1864-1867), Hardyville (1867-1873), Cerbat (1873-1877), Mineral Park (1877-1887), and Kingman (1887–Present).

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 13,461 square miles (34,860 km²), of which 13,311 square miles (34,480 km²) is land and 150 square miles (390 km²) (1.1%) is water. It is the second-largest county by area in Arizona and the fifth-largest in the contiguous United States.

The county consists of two sections divided by the Grand Canyon, with no direct land communication between them. The northern section, smaller and less populated, forms the western part of the Arizona Strip, bordering Utah and Nevada. The larger southern section, borders Nevada and California across the Colorado River, which forms most of the county's western boundary. The southern section includes Kingman, the county seat, and other cities, as well as part of the Mojave Desert.

Adjacent counties

Mohave County and its adjacent counties form the largest such block of counties outside of Alaska. Their combined land area is 89,567.34 square miles (231,978.3 km²), or larger than that of the state of Idaho. They include the #1 (San Bernardino), #2 (Coconino), #5 (Mohave), and #7 (Lincoln) largest counties outside of Alaska.

National protected areas

There are 18 official wilderness areas in Mohave County that are part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Most of these are managed by the Bureau of Land Management, but some are integral parts of the preceding protected areas, or have shared jurisdiction with the BLM. Some extend into neighboring counties (as indicated below) All wilderness areas within Grand Canyon-Parashant NM are managed by BLM, although the National Monument shares management with the National Park Service:

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 155,032 people, 62,809 households, and 43,401 families residing in the county. The population density was 12 people per square mile (4/km²). There were 80,062 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile (2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 90.06% White, 0.54% Black or African American, 2.41% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 4.00% from other races, and 2.13% from two or more races. 11.08% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 62,809 households out of which 25.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.10% were married couples living together, 9.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 24.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.10% under the age of 18, 6.50% from 18 to 24, 23.20% from 25 to 44, 26.70% from 45 to 64, and 20.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 98.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.80 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $31,521, and the median income for a family was $36,311. Males had a median income of $28,505 versus $20,632 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,788. About 9.80% of families and 13.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.40% of those under age 18 and 7.70% of those age 65 or over.

By 2006 Census Bureau estimates placed the population of Mohave County at 193,035. This represented a 24.5% increase in the population since 2000.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 200,186 people, 82,539 households, and 54,036 families residing in the county. The population density was 15.0 inhabitants per square mile (5.8/km²). There were 110,911 housing units at an average density of 8.3 per square mile (3.2/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.9% white, 2.2% American Indian, 1.1% Asian, 0.9% black or African American, 0.2% Pacific islander, 6.0% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 14.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 23.1% were German, 16.2% were Irish, 15.6% were English, 5.7% were Italian, and 4.5% were American.

Of the 82,539 households, 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.5% were non-families, and 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 47.6 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,785 and the median income for a family was $47,530. Males had a median income of $36,222 versus $28,060 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,523. About 11.6% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

Politics, government and infrastructure

Mohave County, in accordance with its cultural ties with conservative Mormon Utah, is powerfully Republican. No Democratic presidential nominee has carried Mohave County since Lyndon Johnson – ironically against Arizona native Barry Goldwater – did so in 1964, and even Johnson won by only 152 votes. In recent elections it has become common for Democratic nominees to receive less than thirty percent of the county’s vote, and Hillary Clinton in 2016 received less than 22 percent. Since 2008, Mohave has taken over from Graham and Yavapai as the “reddest” county in the state, and in 2016 it stood as such by twenty percentage points.

The Mohave County Administration Building is located in downtown Kingman at 700 West Beale Street. The old County Complex, which the Administration Building replaced, was located adjacent to the courthouse on Spring Street and 4th Street. The Mohave County Superior Courthouse, built in 1915, is an Art Deco/Streamline Moderne building on the National Register of Historic Places. The county jail is adjacent to the County Administration Building at 501 S. Highway 66.

Arizona State Prison - Kingman, a privately run prison of the Arizona Department of Corrections, is located in unincorporated Mohave County near Golden Valley and Kingman.

Education

The following school districts and colleges serve Mohave County

Unified school districts

High school districts

Elementary school districts

Colleges

Airports

The following public use airports are located in Mohave County:

Cities

Towns

Unincorporated communities

Indian reservations

County population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Mohave County.

† county seat