Yuma, Arizona

Official name	City of Yuma, Arizona
Native name
Map caption	Location of Yuma, Arizona
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name	United States
Subdivision type1	State
Subdivision name1	Arizona
Subdivision type2	County
Subdivision name2	Yuma
Leader title	Mayor
Leader name	Alan L. Kreiger (R)
Established title2	Incorporated
Established date2	1914
Established title3
Unit pref
Area total km2	276.4
Area land km2	276.2
Area water km2	0.2
Area total sq mi	106.7
Area land sq mi	106.7
Area water sq mi	0.1
Area water percent	0.07
Population as of	2008
Settlement type	City
Population total	90041
Population density km2	280.6
Population density sq mi	726.8
Population urban	94,842
Timezone	MST (no DST)
Utc offset	-7
Area code	928 928
Gnis id	14111
Coordinates display	inline,title
Coordinates type	region:US_type:city
Elevation footnotes
Elevation m	43
Elevation ft	138
Area code	928
Gnis id	14111
Website	http://www.YumaAZ.gov/
Blank name	FIPS code
Blank info	04-85540

Yuma () is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of the state, and the population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2008 Census Bureau estimated population of 90,041.

Yuma is the principal city of the Yuma, Arizona Metropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Yuma County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the 2008 estimated population of the Yuma MSA is 194,322, though more than 85,000 retirees make Yuma their winter residence.

History

The area's first settlers were Native American tribes whose descendants now occupy the Cocopah and Quechan reservations. In 1540, expeditions under Hernando de Alarcon and Melchior Diaz visited the area and immediately saw the natural crossing of the Colorado River as an ideal spot for a city, as the Colorado River narrows to slightly under 1000 feet wide in one small point. Later military expeditions that crossed the Colorado River at the Yuma Crossing include Juan Bautista de Anza (1774), the Mormon Battalion (1848) and the California Column (1862).

Following the establishment of Fort Yuma, a town sprang up on the New Mexico Territory (now Arizona) side of the Colorado. The townsite was duly registered in San Diego, demonstrating that both banks of the Colorado River just below its junction with the Gila were recognized as being within the jurisdiction of California. The county of San Diego collected taxes from there for many years. The town, initially called Colorado City, was renamed Arizona City in 1858. The city was almost completely destroyed by the Great Flood of 1862 and had to be rebuilt on higher ground. It took the name Yuma in 1873.

From the 1850s through the 1870s, the Yuma Crossing was known for its ferry crossing. From 1852 it was the major steamboat stop on the way up and down the Colorado River. The steamboats transported passengers and equipment for the various mines and military outposts along the Colorado and into New Mexico Territory. They offloaded them from ships at the the mouth of the Colorado River at Robinson's Landing and from 1864 at Port Isabel. From 1864, the Yuma Quartermaster Depot, today a state historic park, supplied all forts in present-day Arizona, as well as large parts of New Mexico, Colorado, New Mexico. Yuma served as the gateway to the new Republic (later State) of California, as it was one of the few natural spots where travelers could cross the otherwise very wide Colorado River. After Arizona became a separate territory, Yuma became the county seat for the area in 1864. The Southern Pacific Railroad bridged the river in 1877, and aquired George Alonzo Johnson's Colorado Steam Navigation Company, the only steamboat company on the river. Yuma became the head of navigation on the river, ending the need for Port Isabel, which was abandoned in 1879.

Geography

Yuma is located at (32.692148, -114.615389), near the borders of California to the west and Mexico to the south, and just west of the Gila River's confluence with the Colorado. The city is approximately 60 miles from the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez), a branch of the Pacific Ocean.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 106.7 square miles (276.4 km²), of which, 106.6 square miles (276.2 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.07%) is water.

Climate

Yuma features a desert climate (Köppen climate classification BWh), with extremely hot summers and warm winters. Yuma is one of the hottest cities of any size in Arizona, with average July high temperatures of . Average January highs are around . According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Yuma is the sunniest place on earth. Of the possible 4,456 hours of daylight each year, the sun shines in Yuma for roughly 4,174 hours, or about 94% of the time. The near perfect flying weather year round attracts military interest in training their pilots here. On average Yuma receives about 3 inches of rain annually.

On July 28, 1995, Yuma reached its all-time high of . The lowest recorded temperature fell to on the Yuma mesa in January 2007. The temperature fell to for approximately 2 hours and was detrimental to the many crops grown in and around Yuma. The crop that suffered the most damage was the citrus on the Yuma mesa, most notably the lemon crop which suffered a 75% to 95% loss of not only crop, but trees as stated by the Arizona Department of Agriculture in a February 2007 report.

In 1997, the desert city sustained a full tropical storm after Hurricane Nora made landfall at the mouth of the Colorado River and quickly moved due north along it. The extraordinarily rare event cut power to 12,000 customers in Yuma, and dropped 3.59 inches or over 91 mm of rain at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 77,515 people, 26,649 households, and 19,613 families residing in the city. The population density was 726.8 people per square mile (280.6/km²). There were 34,475 housing units at an average density of 323.3 per square mile (124.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 68.33% White, 3.21% Black or African American, 1.51% Native American, 1.50% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 21.36% from other races, and 3.90% from two or more races. 45.67% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 26,649 households out of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.4% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the city the population was spread out with 29.6% under the age of 18, 11.9% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 99.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.

According to the 2006 American Community Survey estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $39,885, and the median income for a family was $41,588. Males had a median income of $35,440 versus $27,035 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,393. About 14.1% of families and 16.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.4% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over. The high poverty rate may be due to unemployment, as Yuma tops CareerBuilder.com's list of 20 U.S. cities with the highest unemployment rates.

High unemployment remains an issue in Yuma. Citing April 2009 data, the Bureau of Labor Statistics ranked Yuma as #2 among the 13 U.S. cities that post unemployment rates above 15 percent. Yuma came in at 20.3 percent, under the 26.9 percent in El Centro, California. Yuma's agricultural workforce, which adjusts to the picking season, is cited as the reason for the high unemployment by the Arizona Department of Commerce.

Notable natives and residents

Cesar Chavez, a Mexican American civil rights leader

Cain Velasquez, current UFC Heavyweight Champion and a two-time All-American collegiate wrestler.

Bobby Pacho, a 1930's professional boxer and Welterweight world title contender.

Chance Farrar, a WEC fighter in the Featherweight division and a NAIA national champion Collegiate wrestling.

Efrain Escudero, a UFC fighter, in the Lightweight division.

Edgar Garcia, a UFC fighter, in the Welterweight division.

Irving Garcia, a Major League Soccer player, for the New York Red Bulls.

Germán Altamírano, two-time Arizona amateur champion and a professional boxer.

Bengie Molina, Major League Baseball catcher for the Texas Rangers.

Curley Culp, former professional American football player.

Mike Marshall, a Manager of the Yuma Scorpions. Won two World Series rings with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Economy

Top employers

According to the City's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the Yuma Metropolitan Statistical Area are:

! #	! Employer	! # of Employees
1	Marine Corps Air Station Yuma	5,586
2	Yuma Proving Ground	3,000
3	Yuma Regional Medical Center	2,037
4	Yuma Elementary School District One	1,700
5		1,400
6	Growers Company	1,200
7	United States Border Patrol	1,064
8	City of Yuma	1,014
9		1,000
10	Yuma Union High School District	950

Other large employers include Bose, Dole Fresh Vegetables and Shaw Industries.

Arts and culture

Yuma contains the historical Yuma Territorial Prison*, the Yuma Quartermaster Depot State Historic Park* (formerly known as the Yuma Crossing Historic Park), and a historic downtown area. Yuma is an Arizona Main Street City. * - because of budget cutbacks, Arizona State Parks no longer operates the Territorial Prison and Quartermaster Depot. They are now operated by the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area and the City of Yuma. The Yuma Visitors Bureau oversees the Welcome Center at the Quartermaster Depot and is the official Visitors Center for the Yuma Community.

Near Yuma are the Kofa Mountain Range and wildlife refuge, Martinez and Mittry Lakes, and the Algodones Dunes.

The city is the location of the Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, which conducts an annual air show and many large-scale military exercises. There is also the Yuma Proving Ground, an Army base which tests new military equipment.Yuma Proving Ground is also home to the Special Operations Free Fall School, which provides training in Free fall parachute operations to Special Forces units in all branches of service, as well as those of other nations.

The Colorado River runs along the north and west side of town, and serves as the border between Arizona and California. Yuma is an important station for trucking industry movement of goods between California, Arizona, and Mexico.

The Rialto movie theater once owned a Kilgen pipe organ, one of the most expensive pipe organs to have been made. Originally played as accompaniment to silent films, it has been relocated to the Yuma Theater.

Every February Yumans enjoy the annual rodeo, the Yuma Jaycees Silver Spur Rodeo. A parade opens the events. Cowboys and cowgirls from all over the country compete in the festivities.

The Yuma County fair takes place annually in the Spring at the fairgrounds in Yuma.

Sports

Yuma has a minor league ballpark, Desert Sun Stadium home to the Yuma Scorpions of the North American League and site of home games of two (was four) teams for the Arizona Winter League. The San Diego Padres used the field as a spring training facility from 1969 until 1993. and a Japanese baseball team, the Yakult Swallows used the field for spring training for 20 years. Many local club sports exist in the area as well, including the Yuma Sidewinders Rugby Football club. The rugby team participates in the Division III Arizona Men's Rugby League, and travels throughout Arizona, California, and Nevada, as well as playing home games in Yuma.

Education

The city is zoned to the Yuma Union High School District. The Yuma area has 9 high schools: Yuma Union High School (or simply Yuma High), Kofa High School, Cibola High School, the newly built Gila Ridge High School, the private Yuma Catholic High School and Calvary Baptist School, as well as the San Luis area San Luis High School. Yuma also has three special program and charter high schools: Vista High School, Carpe Diem Collegiate High School, and YPIC Charter High School. Yuma has two main elementary school districts, District One and Crane District, which include several schools as well as junior high schools.

Arizona Western College is Yuma's community college serving primarily as a choice for transfer students and those with shorter career goals.

Northern Arizona University has a branch campus in Yuma. As well as University of Phoenix.

Yuma is served by the Yuma County Library District which consists of a Main Library and several branches including locations in Somerton, Wellton, the Foothills, and San Luis. A new main state of the art library is now open.

Media

KECY-TV FOX, ABC, CW and Telemundo Affiliate

Yuma Sun newspaper

KYMA NBC Affiliate

KSWT CBS Affiliate

Bajo el Sol newspaper in Spanish

KBLU 560 AM Talk Radio

KYRM 91.9 FM Radio Manantial

KTTI 95.1 FM Country Radio

KQSR 100.9 FM Soft Rock Radio

KLJZ 93.1 FM Soft Rock Radio

KJOK 1400 AM Country Radio

KAWC 1320 AM & 88.9 FM Public Radio (Arizona Western College)

Transportation

Yuma County Area Transit

Yuma International Airport

Yuma (Amtrak station)

International relations

Twin towns - Sister cities

Frankfurt an der Oder, Germany (since 1997) Słubice, Poland (since 2000) San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico

See also

Imperial Sand Dunes

Winterhaven, California

Yuma Territorial Prison

References

External links

Yuma County Government Website

City of Yuma Website

Yuma Convention and Visitors Bureau Website

MCAS Yuma Official Website

Yuma Stats

Northern Arizona University, Yuma Campus

Category:Populated places established in 1864 Category:Cities in Arizona Category:Metropolitan areas of Arizona Category:Communities in the Lower Colorado River Valley Category:Populated places in the Sonoran Desert Category:Lower Colorado River Valley Category:Sonoran Desert Category:Populated places in Yuma County, Arizona Category:County seats in Arizona