Pima

Pima County, the second largest of the four original counties, was created in 1864 and included approximately all of southern Arizona acquired from Mexico by the Gadsen Purchase.  Settlement of the region goes back to the arrival in the 1690s of the Spanish who encountered Native Americans already living there.

The Royal Presidio de San Augustin del Tucson was completed by 1781, and it remained the northern-most outpost of Mexico until the arrival of American soldiers in 1856.  From a population of 395 in 1820, Tucson has grown to be the second largest city in Arizona.  It has always served as the Pima County seat and was the Arizona Territorial capital from 1867 to 1877.  Tucson is home to the University of Arizona and offers many historical and cultural attractions.

Although greatly reduced from its original size, Pima County still covers 9,184 square miles.  It ranges in elevation from 1,200 feet to the 9,185-foot peak of Mount Lemmon.  The San Xavier, Pascua Yaqui and Tbhono O'odham reservations together account for ownership of 42.1 percent of land located in Pima County.  The state of Arizona owns 14.9 percent; the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management, 12.1 percent; other public lands, 17.1 percent; and individual or corporate ownership, 13.8 percent.  Pima County has Enterprise Zones in the central areas of the cities of Tucson and South Tucson and a central portion of Pima County.

Pima County Libertarian Party