The Prescott area has it all! Part of the charm is the mingling of Old West and mid-west. Located in Arizona’s Central Mountains 95 miles from Grand Canyon National Park, amid the largest stand of ponderosa pines in the world, Prescott's four mild seasons offer just enough variation to make the weather interesting.

With occasional light snows in winter, the Prescott area becomes a picture postcard setting that fits perfectly in a holiday season filled with a variety of celebrations. Summers are warm and sunny, with occasional cooling thunderstorms. Autumns are cool, crisp and golden, typical of its southwestern location. The Prescott area's moderate year-round climate adds up to more than 300 days of sunshine a year.

Prescott, Arizona Prescott is home of the world's oldest rodeo, and is Arizona's first territorial capital. It was founded in 1864, and then incorporated into Arizona in 1881. The city was named for William Hickling Prescott, a noted Arizona historian.

Prescott is rich with culture, containing nearly 800 buildings in the National Register of Historic Places, including many beautifully restored Victorian-era homes and bungalows. Its territorial heritage is preserved in historic districts containing lovely Victorian homes.

Prescott is Arizona's Christmas City where it, and the surrounding communities have a plethora of holiday activities, for children and for adults, for free and for not-so-free. One activity is the Holiday Light Parade on the Saturday after Thanksgiving on the Courthouse Square.

The discovery of gold in 1861 brought national attention to what later became the territory of Arizona. These discoveries drew the attention of President Abraham Lincoln who was looking for possible sources of funding for the North during the Civil War. Arizona became a Territory February 24, 1863. John Goodwin, was the first Territorial Governor, established Prescott as the first Territorial Capital.

Prescott developed rapidly, and in 1865 it was described as being built exclusively of wood and in habited almost entirely by Americans. Both of these facts made it unique among early communities. Prescott lost its title as the Capital of Arizona to Tucson and finally to Phoenix in 1889.

In 1900, a divesting fire burned a large portion of downtown Prescott to the ground. Many of the buildings you see today were rebuilt following the fire. Today, many of Prescott's residential streets are lined with tall trees and pitched-roof frame houses, including turreted Victorians.

Prescott has over 700 homes and businesses listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Its granite courthouse set among green lawns and spreading trees reflects the Mid western and New England background of Prescott's early pioneers, thus coining the phrase, "Everybody's Hometown."