Prescott, city, seat of Yavapai County, central Arizona; incorporated 1881. Situated at an altitude of about 1630 m (about 5350 ft), it is a mining, ranching, and resort center, with some manufacturing industries. Products include firearms, plastic goods, and aerospace equipment. In the city are Prescott College (1975), a school of aeronautics, a large junior college, and the headquarters of Prescott National Forest. Tourist attractions in the city include Sharlot Hall Museum, featuring displays on Arizona history; the Smoki Museum, containing Native American artifacts; and the annual Prescott Frontier Days Rodeo (first held 1888). The community was founded in 1864, shortly after the discovery of gold in the region, and is named for the historian William Hickling Prescott. The community was the capital of the Arizona Territory from 1864 to 1867 and again from 1877 to 1889, when it was replaced by Phoenix. Population 20,055 (1980); 26,455 (1990); 33,938 (2000).
