Pima

Formed November 9, 1864 (2^nd county)

Pima County (1,043,434), Tucson (542,656)

The Native American history of this county is evident in the mosaic dome of the courthouse.  It is located at Congress Street and Church Avenue.  The site is six blocks east of Interstate Highway 10 and 1 block north of Arizona State Highway 17.  It was built in 1928 using the Spanish Colonial Revival and Moorish designs of Roy W. Place.  An 1881 version of the courthouse also was in Tucson as Tucson is the only county seat.  A Courts Building was added in 1973.  The county was named for the Native American tribe.  Tucson is a Spanish variation of the Native American phase meaning “settlement at the base of the black mountain.”  Pima County was an original county formed in 1864.  It was created on November 9, 1864 as the 2^nd county. 

Pima County government consists of a sheriff and assessor (executive).  It has 5 supervisors (legislative.)  Thirty-two Superior Court Judges and One Justice Court Judge, a County Clerk and an Attorney serve Pima County (judicial.)  It is located on the southern border with Mexico.  Phoenix, Arizona is North and El Paso, Texas is Southeast of the county.  The center of the county is 49.4 miles West-Southwest of Tucson nearer Sells.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Pinal, Graham, Cochise, and Santa Cruz counties and Mexico and Yuma and Maricopa counties.  The county is shaped like a Native American mask lying face down.  Tucson is in the extreme east of the county.  Tucson is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 52.0% of the county population.  The county is pronounced PEE-MUH.

The area of the county is 9189 square miles.  It is 7 of 15 in size.  It ranks 2 out of 15 in population in the state.  It has a density of 113.6 persons per square mile making it 2 out of 15 in the state.  Pima County has 65.2% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 10 crosses from east to north, Cochise County to Pinal County.  Interstate Highway 17 originates in the county and heads south to terminate at the Mexican border.  The county is in the Tucson Metropolitan Statistical Area.