Gila

Formed February 8, 1881 (9^th county)

Gila County (53,273), Globe (7,246), Payson (16,353)

The new 1976 tan brick courthouse replaced an adobe structure.  The courthouse was built on Ash Street at Monroe Street.  Ash Street is United States Highway 60 passing through the city.  The building designer is Anne Nicholas Rysdale for this Modern style courthouse.  The structure features a metal roof.  There was a 1905 courthouse also in Globe.  Globe has been the county seat since formation.  The county gets its name from the Gila River which is Native American for “running water which is salty.”  Gila County was the birthplace of 1 Arizona Governor, Rose P. Mofford.  Globe got its name for a sphere-shaped silver nugget.  The county was formed on February 8, 1881 from parts of Maricopa and Pinal counties as the 9^th county.  San Carlos and Gila rivers form part of the southern border. 

Gila County government consists of a sheriff, manager, and assessor (executive).  It has 3 supervisors (legislative.)  Three Superior Court Judges and Two Justice Court Judges, a County Clerk and an Attorney serve Gila County (judicial.)  The county is in eastern Arizona east of Phoenix, Arizona.  The center of the county is 40.4 miles Northeast of Globe nearer San Carlos.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Coconino, Navajo, Graham, Pinal, Maricopa, and Yavapai counties.  A folding chair missing its back leg could describe the county’s shape.  Globe is in the southern quarter of the county.  Payson is located in the extreme northwest corner of the county.  Globe is the county seat and Payson is the largest city.  Globe is 13.6% of the county population while Payson is 30.7% of the county population.  The county is pronounced HEE-LA. 

The area of the county is 4796 square miles.  It is 11 of 15 in size.  It ranks 11 out of 15 in population in the state.  It has a density of 11.1 persons per square mile making it 9 out of 15 in the state.  Gila County has 53.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 60 enters from the northeast, Navajo County, and exits to the southwest, Pinal County.  United States Highway 70 enters from Graham County and terminates in the county.  The county is in the Payson Micropolitan Statistical Area.