Coconino County, carved out of Yavapai County, was created by the 16th Territorial Assembly in 1891. That same year, an election was held to determine the permanent county seat. Flagstaff, which had been designated the temporary county seat, won out over Williams by a vote of 419 to 97. Flagstaff, home of Northern Arizona University, remains the county seat. The original county courthouse, with additions, is still in use.

Coconino County lies in the central region of northern Arizona, which was crossed by Spanish expeditions going back to the 16th century, and by fur trappers and traders in the 1820s and 1830s. Cattle and sheep ranching started in the 1870s and, when the railroad began serving the area a decade later, the lumber business boomed. The county is a year-round mecca for outdoor activities.

With 18,661 square miles, Coconino is the second largest county in the United States and the largest in Arizona, but is one of the most sparsely populated. It is characterized by rugged mountains, deep canyons and thick forests of pine, spruce, piñon, aspen and oak. Within its borders are many scenic sites – the most popular and impressive is Grand Canyon National Park. Other attractions are Oak Creek Canyon, Sunset Crater National Monument, prehistoric Indian ruins at Wupatki, Walnut Canyon, the Navajo National Monument, the San Francisco Peaks, Arizona’s highest point at 12,633 feet, and Lake Powell, with 1,960 miles of shoreline.

Indian reservations comprise 38 percent of the land and are home to the Navajo, Hopi, Paiute, Havasupai and Hualapai tribes. The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management control 32 percent of the land; the state of Arizona owns 10 percent; other public lands comprise 7 percent; and the remaining 13 percent is owned by individuals or corporations.

Population

  2000 2010 2023
Arizona 5,130,632 6,401,569 7,285,370
Coconino County 116,320 134,679 147,434
Incorporated Cities & Towns
   Flagstaff 52,894 65,985 76,960
   Sedona 10,192 10,020 9,784
   Page 6,809 7,253 7,618
   Williams 2,842 3,032 3,384
   Fredonia 1,036 1,312 1,374
   Tusayan 0 558 614

Office of Economic Opportunity

Age Distribution

0-14 18.0%
15-24 23.9%
25-44 24.2%
45-64 23.1%
65+ 10.9%

American Community Survey

Distance to Major Cities (from Flagstaff)

Phoenix 142 miles
Tucson 257 miles
Los Angeles 467 miles
San Diego 492 miles
Las Vegas 252 miles

Labor Force

  Labor Force Unemployment Rate
Arizona 3,312,720 4.9%
Coconino County 72,223 6.0%
Incorporated Cities & Towns
   Flagstaff 40,905 4.2%
   Sedona 5,173 4.1%
   Page 3,742 7.4%
   Williams 1,610 4.8%
   Fredonia 553 3.1%
   Tusayan 233 0.0%

Office of Economic Opportunity

Employment by Sector (in thousands)

Education, health care & social assistance 18.6 28.3%
Arts, entertainment, food & recreation services 12.4 18.8%
Retail trade 7.7 11.7%
Professional, scientific, & administrative services 5.2 7.9%
Manufacturing 4.8 7.3%
Construction 3.9 5.9%
Public administration 3.7 5.6%
Other services, except public administration 2.6 4.0%
Transportation, warehousing, & utilities 2.6 4.0%
Finance, insurance & real estate 2.2 3.4%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting, & mining 0.9 1.3%
Wholesale trade 0.7 1.0%
Information 0.6 0.9%

American Community Survey

Property Tax

  Schools City/Fire County Total
Flagstaff 5.62 1.65 2.31 9.57
Fredonia 4.64 0.00 2.31 6.94
Page 4.23 0.00 2.31 6.54
Sedona (Coconino County) 3.63 2.45 2.31 8.39
Tusayan 13.45 3.25 2.31 19.01
Williams 4.42 1.50 2.31 8.23

Arizona Dept. of Revenue & Arizona Tax Research Association

SALES TAX / TRANSACTION PRIVILEGE TAX

  City County State Total
Flagstaff 2.05% 1.30% 5.60% 8.95%
Fredonia 4.00% 1.30% 5.60% 10.90%
Page 3.00% 1.30% 5.60% 9.90%
Sedona (Coconino County) 3.00% 1.30% 5.60% 9.90%
Tusayan 2.00% 1.30% 5.60% 8.90%
Williams 3.50% 1.30% 5.60% 10.40%

Arizona Dept. of Revenue & Arizona Tax Research Association

CONTACT INFORMATION

Arizona Commerce Authority
Phone: 602-845-1200
Website: www.azcommerce.com
Local First Arizona
Phone: 602-956-0909
Website: www.localfirstaz.com
City of Flagstaff
Phone: 928-213-2906
Website: www.flagstaff.az.gov
ECONA
Phone: 928-707-7527
Website: econa-az.com
Flagstaff Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 928-774-4505
Website: www.flagstaffchamber.com
Town of Fredonia
Phone: 928-643-7922
Website: www.fredoniaaz.net
Coconino County Arizona
Phone: 928-679-7134
Website: www.coconino.az.gov
Fredonia Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 928-643-7241
Website: http://www.fredoniaaz.net/Tourism/ChamberofCommerce.aspx
City of Page
Phone: 928-645-4210
Website: www.cityofpage.org
Page/Lake Powell Chamber of
Commerce

Phone: 928-645-2741
Website: www.pagelakepowellchamberofcommerce.wpcomstaging.com/
City of Sedona
Phone: 928-203-5117
Website: www.sedonaaz.gov
Sustainable Economic Development
Initiative of Northern Arizona

Phone: 928-233-8680
Website: www.sedinaz.org
Sedona Chamber of Commerce
Phone: 928-204-1123
Website: www.sedonachamber.com
Town of Tusayan
Phone: 928-638-9909
Website: www.tusayan-az.gov
Williams-Grand Canyon Chamber
of Commerce

Phone: 928-635-0273
Website: www.williamschamber.org
City of Williams
Phone: 928-635-4451
Website: http://www.williamsaz.gov