Prescott, Arizona

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Prescott is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, USA. Locals prefer to pronounce the name PRES-skit. It is also Arizona's official Christmas City. According to 2009 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 43,217. The city is the county seat of Yavapai County. In 1864 Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona Territory, replacing the temporary capital at Fort Whipple. The Territorial Capital was moved to Tucson in 1867. Prescott again became the Territorial Capital in 1877, until Phoenix became the capital in 1889. The towns of Prescott Valley (7 miles east) and Chino Valley (16 miles north), and Prescott, together comprise what is locally known as the "Tri-City" area. This also sometimes refers to in general central Yavapai County, which would include the towns of: Dewey-Humboldt, Mayer, Paulden, Wilhoit, and Wlliamson Valley. Combined with these smaller communities the Tri-City area as of 2007 has a population of 103,260. Prescott is the center of the Prescott Metropolitan Area, defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as all of Yavapai County. In 2009, Yavapai County was estimated to have 229,640 residents by the U.S. Census Bureau, making Prescott the third-largest metropolitan area in Arizona, after Phoenix (4.2 million) and Tucson (1 million). Prescott's four-season climate is generally mild, owing to the altitude of 5,354 ft (1,632 m), being significantly cooler than the lower southern areas of the state and yet without the harsher winters found at higher altitudes. The Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe reservation is located next to, and partially within, the borders of Prescott.