Prescott, Arizona

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Quick answer

Prescott sits at 5,367 feet in the Bradshaw Mountains, founded in 1864 as the first territorial capital. The city centers on the Yavapai County Courthouse Plaza and Whiskey Row on Montezuma Street. Population is about 46,000. Phoenix is two hours south, Sedona ninety minutes northeast.

Where Prescott sits

Prescott is the Yavapai County seat at the southwest edge of the Colorado Plateau. The 5,367-foot elevation gives it four mild seasons that no other Arizona city of its size enjoys. Phoenix is 100 miles south on I-17, Sedona 60 miles northeast on AZ-89A, and Flagstaff 90 miles north.

A quick history

Prescott was selected as the Arizona Territorial Capital in 1864 by Abraham Lincoln's appointees, who wanted distance from Confederate sympathies in Tucson. The capital later moved to Phoenix in 1889. The 1900 fire wiped out most of Whiskey Row, though several originals survived. Frontier Days, the oldest rodeo in the country, has run every July since 1888.

Downtown and the plaza

The Yavapai County Courthouse, finished in 1916, anchors a one-square-block plaza ringed by restaurants, antique shops, and bars. Whiskey Row is the single block of Montezuma Street facing the plaza. Most independent businesses in town sit within a five-minute walk of the plaza grass.

Outdoors and the lakes

Watson Lake, five miles north off AZ-89, sits inside the Granite Dells. Lynx Lake, ten minutes southeast in Prescott National Forest, allows fishing and boating. Goldwater Lake, fifteen minutes south, is the only nearby lake with a roped swimming area. The 1.25-million-acre Prescott National Forest surrounds the city on three sides.

Weather and seasons

Summer highs sit in the mid-80s with afternoon monsoon storms in July and August. Winter lows reach the 20s with occasional snow that melts within a day. Spring and fall are the headline seasons: clear skies, low humidity, and 70-degree afternoons.

Getting around

A car helps for everything outside the downtown core. The Prescott Municipal Airport (Ernest A. Love Field) runs a daily flight to Los Angeles. Most visitors fly into Phoenix Sky Harbor and drive up I-17 to AZ-69.