Gila County, Arizona

Gila County ( ) is a county in the central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,272. The county seat is Globe.

Gila County comprises the Payson, Arizona micropolitan statistical area which is included in the greater Phoenix–Mesa, AZ combined statistical area.

Gila County contains parts of Fort Apache Indian Reservation and San Carlos Indian Reservation.

History

The county was formed from parts of Maricopa and Pinal counties on February 8, 1881. The boundary was then extended eastward to the San Carlos River by public petition in 1889. The original county seat was in the mining community of Globe City, now Globe.

Popular theory holds that the word "Gila" was derived from a Spanish contraction of Hah-quah-sa-eel, a Yuma word meaning "running water which is salty".

In the 1880s, a long, range war broke out in Gila County resulting in an almost complete annihilation of the families involved. The Pleasant Valley War (also sometimes called the Tonto Basin Feud or Tonto Basin War) matched the cattle-herding Grahams against the sheep-herding Tewksburys. Once partisan feelings became tense and hostilities began, Frederick Russell Burnham, who later became a celebrated scout and the inspiration for the boy scouts, was drawn into the conflict on the losing side.

Burnham shot many men in the feud, and was himself nearly killed by a bounty hunter. Tom Horn, an infamous assassin, was known to have taken part as a killer for hire, but it is unknown which side employed him. Both sides suffered fatalities. No one was ever charged or prosecuted.

In the 1960s, it was home of Gerald Gault, who was the subject of the 1967 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, in re Gault, that stated juveniles have the same rights as adults when arrested: to be notified of the charges against them, their rights to attorneys, for family members to be notified of their arrests, to confront their accusers and to not be punished more harshly than adults who are convicted of the same crime, especially if an adult's penalty for the crime would be less than that accorded a juvenile convict.

Geography

thumb|Pinto Creek Bridge on US 60

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.8%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Yavapai County – northwest-north
Maricopa County – west
Pinal County – south
Graham County – south
Navajo County – east, northeast
Coconino County – north

National protected areas

Coconino National Forest (part)
Tonto National Forest (part)
Tonto National Monument

Demographics

Transportation

Major highways

20px U.S. Route 60
20px U.S. Route 70
20px State Route 77
20px State Route 87
25px State Route 188
25px State Route 260

Airports

The following public-use airports are located in the county:

Payson Airport in Payson
San Carlos Apache Airport near Globe

Communities

right|thumb|300px|Map of the [[Municipal corporation|incorporated and major unincorporated areas in Gila County. Also shown are borders for Indian reservations in the county.]]

City

Globe (county seat)

Towns

Hayden (partly in Pinal County)
Miami
Payson
Star Valley
Winkelman (partly in Pinal County)

Census-designated places

Bear Flat
Beaver Valley
Canyon Day
Carrizo
Cedar Creek
Central Heights-Midland City
Christopher Creek
Claypool
Copper Hill
Cutter
Deer Creek
Dripping Springs
East Globe
East Verde Estates
El Capitan
Flowing Springs
Freedom Acres
Geronimo Estates
Gisela
Haigler Creek
Hunter Creek
Icehouse Canyon
Jakes Corner
Kohls Ranch
Mead Ranch
Mesa del Caballo
Oxbow Estates
Peridot
Pinal
Pine
Rock House
Roosevelt
Roosevelt Estates
Round Valley
Rye
San Carlos
Six Shooter Canyon
Strawberry
Tonto Basin
Tonto Village
Top-of-the-World
Washington Park
Wheatfields
Whispering Pines
Young

Other communities

Inspiration
Punkin Center

Ghost towns

Bellevue
McMillenville

Indian communities

Fort Apache Indian Reservation
San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation
Tonto Apache

County population ranking

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

† county seat

{| class="wikitable sortable"

!Rank

!City/Town/etc.

!Population (2010 Census)

!Municipal type

!Incorporated

|- style="background-color:#BBFFBB;"

| 1

| Payson

| 15,301

| Town

|- style="background-color:#FFFF54;"

| 2

| † Globe

| 7,532

| City

| 1875 (founded)

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 3

| San Carlos

| 4,038

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 4

| Central Heights-Midland City

| 2,534

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#BBFFBB;"

| 5

| Star Valley

| 2,310

| Town

| 2005

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 6

| Pine

| 1,963

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#BBFFBB;"

| 7

| Miami

| 1,837

| Town

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 8

| Claypool

| 1,538

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 9

| Tonto Basin

| 1,424

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 10

| Peridot

| 1,350

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 11

| Canyon Day

| 1,209

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 12

| Six Shooter Canyon

| 1,019

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 13

| Strawberry

| 961

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 14

| Wheatfields

| 785

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 15

| Mesa del Caballo

| 765

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 16

| Icehouse Canyon

| 677

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 17

| Young

| 666

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#BBFFBB;"

| 18

| Hayden (partially in Pinal County)

| 662

| Town

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 19

| Gisela

| 570

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 20

| Round Valley

| 487

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 21

| Pinal

| 439

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#BBFFBB;"

| 22

| Winkelman (partially in Pinal County)

| 353

| Town

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 23

| Cedar Creek

| 318

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 24

| Tonto Village

| 256

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 25

| Dripping Springs

| 235

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| t-26

| Beaver Valley

| 231

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| t-26

| Top-of-the-World

| 231

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 27

| East Globe

| 226

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 28

| Oxbow Estates

| 217

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 29

| Deer Creek

| 216

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 30

| East Verde Estates

| 170

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 31

| Christopher Creek

| 156

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 32

| Whispering Pines

| 148

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 33

| Carrizo

| 127

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 34

| Copper Hill

| 108

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 35

| Freedom Acres

| 84

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 36

| Rye

| 77

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 37

| Jakes Corner

| 76

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 38

| Cutter

| 74

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 39

| Washington Park

| 70

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 40

| Geronimo Estates

| 60

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 41

| Rock House

| 50

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 42

| Hunter Creek

| 48

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 43

| Kohls Ranch

| 46

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 44

| Flowing Springs

| 42

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 45

| Mead Ranch

| 38

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 46

| El Capitan

| 37

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 47

| Roosevelt

| 28

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 48

| Haigler Creek

| 19

| CDP

|- style="background-color:#DBE9F4;"

| 49

| Bear Flat

| 18

| CDP

Education

School districts include:

Unified school districts:

Globe Unified School District
Hayden-Winkelman Unified School District
Miami Unified School District
Payson Unified School District
San Carlos Unified School District
Whiteriver Unified School District

Elementary school districts: