Pinal County ( ) is a county in the central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. According to the 2020 census, the population of the county was 425,264, making it Arizona's third-most populous county. The county seat is Florence. The county was established in 1875.
Pinal County contains parts of the Tohono Oʼodham Nation, the Gila River Indian Community and the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, as well as all of the Ak-Chin Indian Community.
Pinal County is included in the Phoenix–Mesa–Chandler, Arizona Metropolitan Statistical Area. Suburban growth southward from greater Phoenix has begun to spread into the county's northern parts; similarly, growth northward from Tucson is spreading into the county's southern portions. Pinal County has five cities: Maricopa, Casa Grande, Apache Junction, Eloy, and Coolidge. There are also many unincorporated areas, which have shown accelerated growth patterns in recent years.
The Pinal County Sheriff's Office runs a weekly mini series called Fridays with Frank on YouTube and Facebook which features Deputy Sheriff Frank Sloup conducting traffic stops in an entertaining and educational manner.
History
Pinal County was carved out of neighboring Maricopa County and Pima County on February 1, 1875, during the Eighth Legislature. In the August 18, 1899, issue of The Arizona Magazine, the name "Pinal" is said to come from the pine-clad Pinal Mountains. Pinal County was the second-fastest-growing county in the U.S. between 2000 and 2010.
In 2010, CNN Money named Pinal County as the second fastest growing county in the USA.
Geography
thumb|Picketpost Peak, a prominent landmark above [[Superior, Arizona|Superior]]
thumb|upright|Spring wildflowers in the [[Sonoran Desert National Monument]]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is water.
Mountain ranges
- Mineral Mountains
- Sacaton Mountains
- Superstition Mountains
- Waterman Mountains
Adjacent counties
- Maricopa County – west, north
- Gila County – north
- Graham County – east
- Pima County – south
Major highways
- 20px Interstate 8
- 20px Interstate 10
- 20px U.S. Route 60
- 20px Historic U.S. Route 80
- 20px State Route 24
- 20px State Route 77
- 20px State Route 79
- 20px State Route 84
- 20px State Route 87
- 25px State Route 177
- 25px State Route 187
- 25px State Route 238
- 25px State Route 287
- 25px State Route 347
- 25px State Route 387
- 25px State Route 587
National protected areas
- Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
- Coronado National Forest (part)
- Hohokam Pima National Monument
- Ironwood Forest National Monument (part)
- Sonoran Desert National Monument (part)
- Tonto National Forest (part)