Mohave County, Arizona


Mohave County is in the northwestern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census, its population was 200,186. The county seat is Kingman, and the largest city is Lake Havasu City.
Mohave County includes the Lake Havasu City–Kingman, Arizona Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Las Vegas-Henderson, Nevada-Arizona Combined Statistical Area.
Mohave County contains parts of Grand Canyon National Park and Lake Mead National Recreation Area and all of the Grand Canyon–Parashant National Monument. The Kaibab, Fort Mojave and Hualapai Indian Reservations also lie within the county.

History

Mohave County was the one of four original Arizona Counties created by the 1st Arizona Territorial Legislature. The county territory was originally defined as being west of longitude 113° 20' and north of the Bill Williams River. Pah-Ute County was created from it in 1865 and was merged back into Mohave County in 1871 when much of its territory was ceded to Nevada in 1866. The county's present boundaries were established in 1881. The county is also notable for being home to a large polygamous Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints sect located in Colorado City.
Mohave County has had five county seats: Mohave City, Hardyville, Cerbat, Mineral Park, and Kingman.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. It is the second-largest county by area in Arizona and the fifth-largest in the contiguous United States.
The county consists of two sections divided by the Grand Canyon, with no direct land communication between them. The northern section, smaller and less populated, forms the western part of the Arizona Strip, bordering Utah and Nevada. The larger southern section borders Nevada and California across the Colorado River, which forms most of the county's western boundary. The southern section includes Kingman, the county seat, and other cities, as well as part of the Mojave Desert.

Adjacent counties

Mohave County and its adjacent counties form the largest such block of counties outside of Alaska. Their combined land area is, or larger than that of the state of Idaho. They include the #1, #2, #5, and #7 largest counties outside of Alaska.

National protected areas

There are 18 official wilderness areas in Mohave County that are part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Most of these are managed by the Bureau of Land Management, but some are integral parts of the preceding protected areas, or have shared jurisdiction with the BLM. Some extend into neighboring counties All wilderness areas within Grand Canyon–Parashant National Monument are managed by BLM, although the National Monument shares management with the National Park Service:

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 155,032 people, 62,809 households, and 43,401 families living in the county. The population density was 12 people per square mile. There were 80,062 housing units at an average density of 6 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 90.1% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 2.4% Native American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 4.0% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. 11.1% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 62,809 households out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.9% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.87.
In the county, the population was spread out with 23.1% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 23.2% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 98.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.80 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $31,521, and the median income for a family was $36,311. Males had a median income of $28,505 versus $20,632 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,788. About 9.8% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.4% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 200,186 people, 82,539 households, and 54,036 families living in the county. The population density was. There were 110,911 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 86.9% white, 2.2% American Indian, 1.1% Asian, 0.9% black or African American, 0.2% Pacific islander, 6.0% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 14.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 23.1% were German, 16.2% were Irish, 15.6% were English, 5.7% were Italian, and 4.5% were American.
Of the 82,539 households, 24.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.5% were non-families, and 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age was 47.6 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,785 and the median income for a family was $47,530. Males had a median income of $36,222 versus $28,060 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,523. About 11.6% of families and 16.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

Politics, government, and infrastructure

Since 2008, Mohave has taken over from Graham and Yavapai as the “reddest” county in the state, and in 2016 it stood as such by twenty percentage points. No Democratic presidential nominee has carried Mohave County since Lyndon Johnson – ironically against Arizona native Barry Goldwater – did so in 1964, and even then by only 152 votes. In recent elections it has become common for Democratic nominees to receive less than thirty percent of the county's vote, and Hillary Clinton in 2016 received less than 22 percent.
YearRepublicanDemocraticOthers
201672.9% 58,28221.8% 17,4555.3% 4,206
201269.9% 49,16827.8% 19,5332.3% 1,627
200865.2% 44,33332.5% 22,0922.3% 1,570
200463.5% 36,79435.4% 20,5031.1% 618
200055.3% 24,38639.6% 17,4705.2% 2,285
199643.3% 17,99740.0% 16,62916.6% 6,907
199233.7% 13,68432.6% 13,25533.7% 13,677
198862.4% 17,65136.1% 10,1971.6% 438
198469.3% 17,36429.7% 7,4361.1% 272
198068.9% 13,80924.4% 4,9006.7% 1,345
197651.9% 7,60144.4% 6,5043.7% 535
197268.9% 6,75526.4% 2,5884.7% 458
196851.6% 3,20834.0% 2,10914.4% 895
196448.2% 2,09151.7% 2,2430.1% 5
196055.6% 1,64144.1% 1,3030.3% 8
195661.0% 1,52338.8% 9680.2% 6
195262.1% 1,74637.9% 1,066
194843.0% 1,16755.3% 1,4991.7% 46
194442.6% 97457.1% 1,3030.3% 7
194037.2% 1,19862.8% 2,0240.1% 2
193624.1% 60971.7% 1,8144.2% 106
193223.5% 53772.7% 1,6603.8% 86
192860.3% 1,12739.0% 7280.7% 13
192438.0% 73824.5% 47537.5% 729
192058.0% 99642.0% 722
191628.9% 64360.0% 1,33511.1% 248
19128.6% 6939.7% 32051.7% 417

The Mohave County Administration Building is located in downtown Kingman at 700 West Beale Street. The old County Complex, which the Administration Building replaced, was located adjacent to the courthouse on Spring Street and 4th Street. The Mohave County Superior Courthouse, built in 1915, is an Art Deco/Streamline Moderne building on the National Register of Historic Places. The county jail is adjacent to the County Administration Building at 501 S. Highway 66.
Arizona State Prison - Kingman, a privately run prison of the Arizona Department of Corrections, is located in unincorporated Mohave County near Golden Valley and Kingman.

Education

The following school districts and colleges serve Mohave County

Unified school districts

The Mohave County Library has ten branches. The branches in Bullhead City, Kingman and Lake Havasu City are open 56 hours a week. The branch in Mohave Valley is open 40 hours a week. Branches in Chloride, Dolan Springs, Golden Shores, Golden Valley, Meadview and Valle Vista are open 15 hours a week.

Transportation

Major highways

The following public use airports are located in Mohave County:

Cities

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Mohave County.
† county seat
RankCity/Town/etc.Population Municipal typeIncorporated
1Lake Havasu City52,527City1978
2Bullhead City39,540City1984
3† Kingman28,068City1952
4Fort Mohave14,364CDP
5New Kingman-Butler12,134CDP
6Golden Valley8,370CDP
7Colorado City4,821City1913
8Mohave Valley2,616CDP
9Desert Hills2,245CDP
10Golden Shores2,047CDP
11Dolan Springs2,033CDP
12Beaver Dam1,962CDP
13Valle Vista1,659CDP
14Scenic1,643CDP
15Centennial Park1,264CDP
16Meadview1,224CDP
17Peach Springs1,090CDP
18Willow Valley1,062CDP
19Arizona Village946CDP
20Walnut Creek562CDP
21So-Hi477CDP
22Cane Beds448CDP
23Lazy Y U428CDP
24Mesquite Creek416CDP
25White Hills323CDP
26Littlefield308CDP
27Crystal Beach279CDP
28Chloride271CDP
29Pinion Pines186CDP
30Clacks Canyon173CDP
31Pine Lake138CDP
32Oatman135CDP
33Truxton134CDP
34Wikieup133CDP
t-35Antares126CDP
t-35Yucca126CDP
36Kaibab 124CDP
37Katherine103CDP
38Moccasin89CDP
39McConnico70CDP
40Hackberry68CDP
41Mojave Ranch Estates52CDP
42Valentine38CDP
43Crozier14CDP
44Topock10CDP
45Grand Canyon West2CDP