List of cities and towns in Arizona

Phoenix is the capital and the largest city in Arizona.

As of 2009, there are 90 incorporated cities and towns in the U.S. state of Arizona. Incorporated places in Arizona are those that have been granted home rule, possessing a local government in the form of a city or town council. 2008 U.S. Census estimates put 5,218,713 of the state's 6,500,180 residents within these 90 cities and towns, accounting for 80.3% of the population. Most of the population is concentrated within the Phoenix metropolitan area, with an estimated 2008 population of 4,281,899.^[1]

All 90 incorporated cities and towns are included in the following list. The oldest is Tucson, which was incorporated in 1877, and the most recent was the town of Star Valley (previously named Diamond Star), which was incorporated in 2005.^[2] As of 2009, Phoenix, the capital and largest city in Arizona, is ranked as the fifth most populous city in the United States. Other Arizona cities among the 100 most populous in the country are Tucson, Mesa, Glendale, Chandler and Scottsdale.

Unincorporated communities are not included on this list. For a listing of every populated place in Arizona, see List of localities in Arizona.

Municipal incorporation

Photograph of a street near downtown Tucson, taken in 1880. Incorporated in 1877, Tucson is Arizona's oldest city.

The Arizona Constitution has, since its ratification in 1912, allowed for the creation of municipal corporations in any community with a population of 3,500 or greater.^[3] According to the constitution, a municipal charter cannot be created by special laws or by the legislature, but rather by the communities themselves as provided by general law.^[4] The population limit specified by the constitution was lowered by state law to a minimum of population of 1,500 for most locations, and further reduced to 500 for communities located within 10 miles (16 km) of a national park or national monument.^[5] State law further restricts the incorporation of new municipalities within urbanized areas, which are defined as a specific buffer zone surrounding existing cities and towns.^[6]

State law allows for the incorporation of a community as either a city or a town; the only additional requirement to incorporate as a city is a minimum population of 3,000.^[7] Cities and towns in Arizona function largely in an identical manner, but cities are provided with additional powers that a town charter does not provide, limited primarily to certain powers regarding the regulation of utilities and construction within the city limits.^[8] State law allows adjoining towns to merge and it allows a city to annex a town, but it does not allow cities to merge.^[9][10] Additionally, a town may change its form of government to a city upon reaching the minimum population of 3,000.^[11] There are, however, large communities that have remained incorporated as a town in spite of attaining a large population; Gilbert, with more than 200,000 residents, remains incorporated as a town.

Twenty Arizona municipalities were incorporated before 1912, when the state was admitted to the Union. As such, these cities and towns were incorporated by means other than those stipulated by current state law and the constitution. Phoenix, for example, was incorporated in 1881 by an act of the territorial legislature.^[12]

Incorporated places

Flagstaff is Arizona's highest city at 6,910 feet (2,110 m).

Jerome is the smallest incorporated place in the state.

Bisbee, like many of Arizona's earlier settlements, has retained much of its historical architecture.

The first capital of Arizona Territory, shown above, was located in Prescott. Prescott served as the capital of the territory twice, from 1864 to 1867 and 1877 to 1879.^[13]

Maricopa, incorporated in 2003, grew by over 800% in its first five years as a city. Its population explosion is typical of suburban Arizona cities in the early 2000s, resulting in urban sprawl.

Tombstone, incorporated in 1881, is one of the oldest cities in Arizona, as well as being the smallest place incorporated as a city.

Notes

Arizona portal

• ^ a:         indicates this city or town is the county seat of its respective county.
  
• ^ b: The municipal boundaries of Peoria, Apache Junction, Queen Creek and Sedona cross the county border into, respectively: Yavapai County, Maricopa County, Pinal County and Coconino County. The above table lists the primary county in which each of these cities and towns is located.
  
• ^ c: Because Dewey-Humboldt, Maricopa and Star Valley were incorporated after the 2000 Census, their areas are not included. The 2000 areas of the Census-designated places corresponding to these cities are 22.9 sq mi (59 km²), 4 sq mi (10 km²) and 6.4 sq mi (17 km²). The City of Maricopa has annexed beyond the boundaries of the former CDP and reports an area (as of 2008^[update]) of approximately 59 sq mi (150 km²).^[18]
  

References

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