Prescott, Arizona
Prescott, pronounced locally as "press-kit" instead of "press-caught," is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, USA. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 40,360.[1] The city is the county seat of Yavapai CountyTemplate:GR, and in 1863 this then remote and lightly populated town was designated as the original capital of the Arizona Territory in order to keep the seat of government far from Confederate sympathizers prevalent in the southern part of the state. The Territorial Capital was moved to Tucson in 1867. Prescott again became the Territorial Capital in 1877, until the capital was changed to Phoenix in 1889.
The towns of Prescott Valley (7 miles east) and Chino Valley (16 miles north), and Prescott, together make up the area known locally as the "Tri-City". The Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe reservation is located next to, and partially within, the borders of Prescott. These four government entities sometimes work together on projects of mutual interest; at other times, however, they come into conflict. An example is the ongoing fight over Prescott buying the water rights of Chino Valley's rich Verde River watershed. The area is growing rapidly, and lately (2005) one begins to hear the term "Quad-City" for the area. The villages of Dewey and Humboldt voted to incorporate as a town, known as Dewey-Humboldt. This area is getting a lot of moderate and upper-level housing developments, because it is close to Prescott and has land area. The weather conditions are favorable owing to the altitude of 5354 ft, being significantly cooler than the lower southern areas of the state and yet without the harsh winters found at higher altitudes.
History
Prescott began as a mining town with the discovery of gold on nearby Lynx Creek in 1863. During the nineteenth century, Prescott, Arizona did not experience the anti-Mexican or anti-Chinese sentiments that other communities did. In fact, when the mining district was set up its laws in 1863 the officers specifically mentioned that "Senorians" and “Asiatics” meaning Mexicans and Chinese, were free to mine and work in the region. In 1863 Arizona became a territory and Prescott was the Territorial Capital between then and 1867, and again from 1877 until 1889. The Sharlot Hall Museum houses much of Prescott's territorial history, and the Smoki and Phippen museums also maintain local collections. Whiskey Row in Downtown boasts many historic buildings, including the Palace, Arizona's oldest restaurant and bar, and many other buildings that have been converted to boutiques, art galleries, bookstores, and restaurants. The City is named after author William H. Prescott, whose writings were popular during the Civil War.
After major fires in the early part of the century, downtown Prescott was rebuilt with brick. The central courthouse plaza, a lawn under huge old elm trees, is a good gathering and meeting place. Cultural events and performances are available many nights in the summer on the plaza.
Culture
Prescott features the famous old Western Whiskey Row and many Victorian homes. It has been remarked to be the most Midwestern-appearing city in the Southwest, and it has 525 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.
Prescott is home to the historical area known as "Whiskey Row", up until 1956 a notorious red-light district. There was a great fire in 1900 that destroyed most of the buildings on Whiskey Row. As legend has it, the patrons of the various bars simply took their drinks across the street to the Courthouse square and watched it burn. At the time of the fire the entire bar and back-bar of the Palace Hotel removed by the patrons as the fire approached, and re-installed after the gutted brick structure was rebuilt. (The size of the back-bar is impressive, and appears not easilly moved, even by many hands.) Whiskey Row runs north and south on N. Montezuma between Gurley and E. Goodwin St., directly west of the county courthouse. The row has been the home of the St. Michael's Hotel and the Palace Hotel since the late 1800's along with more colorful purveyors of night-life. This block was also the site of merchant Sam Hill's hardware store, famous for its extensive stock in its downtown location and out of town warehouse.[2]
The movies Junior Bonner and Billy Jack were filmed in Prescott at the Palace Hotel. The remake of The_Getaway_(1994_film) was partially filmed in Prescott at locations such as Watson Lake and many of the downtown area streets.
Yearly, Prescott hosts Frontier Days, The World's Oldest Rodeo, the Bluegrass Festival, Earth Day, Tsunami on the Square, art festivals, a Cinco de Mayo celebration, Shakespeare Festival, Navajo Rug Auction, World’s Largest Gingerbread Village, Prescott Film Fest, Folk Arts Fair, parades, the Acker Music Festival, The Cowboy Poets Gathering, the Prescott Highland Games and several marathons. Also located in Prescott is the Heritage Park Zoo.
Geography
Prescott is located at 34°34′6″N 112°27′41″W / 34.56833°N 112.46139°WInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (34.568210, -112.461482)Template:GR. Prescott is 55 mi WNW of the State of Arizona's geographic center.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 96.6 km² (37.3 mi²). 96.0 km² (37.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (0.64%) is water.
Prescott is considered part of North Central Arizona.
Climate
Prescott is located in the Bradshaw Mountains of central Arizona, at an altitude of 5400 feet. The town has a four-season climate with relatively mild winters. Average annual precipitation is 19.32 inches; average snowfall is 25.4 inches. There has been a severe drought from 1999 to present (2007); precipitation has dropped dramatically. One evidence of this is the lack of snowpack in the Bradshaw mountains. Local creeks do not contain water except immediately after the rare rains. Nevertheless, at the start of 2007, lakes were reported as full. The winter of 2005-2006 had less than 3" of snow, compared to an average snowfall of 24".[3]
Education
Prescott is the home of Prescott College, the western campus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Yavapai Community College. Northern Arizona University and Old Dominion University also have speciality campuses here as well as the online university, Northcentral University.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 33,938 people, 15,098 households, and 8,968 families residing in the city. The population density was 353.5/km² (915.6/mi²). There were 17,144 housing units at an average density of 178.6/km² (462.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.93% White, 0.50% Black or African American, 1.27% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 2.77% from other races, and 1.63% from two or more races. 8.17% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 15,098 households out of which 18.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.62.
In the city the population was spread out with 15.9% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 18.9% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 26.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 48 years. For every 100 females there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,446, and the median income for a family was $46,481. Males had a median income of $31,834 versus $22,982 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,565. About 7.4% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.
The city also boasts a municipal airport, Ernest A. Love Field, located seven miles north of the downtown courthouse.
Notes and references
- ^ "Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Arizona" (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. June 21 2006. Retrieved November 14.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=and|year=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help)CS1 maint: year (link) - ^ A volunteer docent statement from the free official downtown Prescott guided historical and architectural tour claims that this is the origin of the phrase, "Where in the Sam Hill did you get that?". This may not be accurate since "Sam Hill" is also a euphemistic reference to Hell predating Prescott, being a polite way of saying "Where in the Hell did you get that?". However, there was indeed a Sam Hill Hardware store, attested to by the bronze letters embedded in the concrete sidewalk spelling out "SAM HILL" inset in the sidewalk at each boundary of the property.
- ^ http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/wrh/techMemos/TM-274.pdf
External links
- Prescott Astronomy Club
- About Prescott Arizona
- City of Prescott, Arizona Official Web Site
- Prescott Arizona Chamber of Commerce
- Heritage Park Zoo
- Sharlot Hall Museum
- PrescottCity.com
- The Prescott Directory
- Arizona Classical Theatre home of the Arizona Shakespeare Festival
- Prescott Highland Games
- [1] Tintle, Rhonda. "A History of Chinese Immigration Into Arizona Territory: A Frontier Culture in the American West" deals with Prescott's Historic Chinatown.
- [2] ALVIE SELF Well known Musician
