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Town of Payson Website

Located in the forested Rim Country of Central Arizona. (Population: 12,000)

An Introduction to Payson

Community Profile

Community Profile 2

Lifestyle and Culture

Town of Payson Website

Chamber of Commerce Website

Photos of Payson, Arizona

Campgrounds

Campgrounds: Table & Phone Nos.

Best Fishing Areas Around Payson

Bowling Leagues in Payson

Recreation Opportunities

Payson's Calendar Of Events

Restaurant Directory

Places to Eat

Mazatzal Casino

Places To Stay

Places To Stay 2

Payson Airport

Payson Airport 2

Where is Payson?

ADOT Road Conditions

Important Payson Phone Numbers

Rim Country Business Roster

Local Contact Addresses

Payson Area Business E-mail Addresses

Payson Area Individuals E-mail Addresses

Payson Area Community Assistance Phone Nos.

Local, State and National Government Information

Payson Area Communities Populations and Altitudes

Geographic Location/Recreation/Transportation

World's Oldest Continuous Rodeo

Payson Area AA Schedule

Schools In Payson

Payson Economy and Infrastructure

Payson Regional Economic Development

Real Estate Services

Architectural Drafting & Payson Builders

Payson Region Building Construction

The Payson Roundup Newspaper archive

The Payson Roundup - Newspaper

Rim Country Gazette - Newspaper

MyPayson.com

Payson and Rim Country Weather

Click for Payson, Arizona Forecast

View of Payson High School and the 
Mogollon Rim of the Colorado Plateau


An Introduction To Payson, Arizona

The Rim country and its prehistoric people are named for Juan Ignacio Flores Mogollon, a Spanish colonial governor - hence the name of the Mogollon Rim, the key geographic feature of the northeastern and eastern mountain belt.

Prospectors came to the Payson area in the late 1800s, although little gold was found. However, the area's rich grazing land attracted cattlemen, and its pine forests led to logging and milling industries. Payson soon became a supply center. The community, nestled in the rolling mountains south of the Mogollon Rim, was first known as Green Valley, but, because of its size and shape, was sometimes called Long Valley or Big Valley. When the town was platted in 1882, it was called Union Park, population 40.

In 1884, the town's name was changed to Payson in honor of Congressman Louis Edward Payson of Chicago, who helped the settlement obtain a post office. (There's also a Payson, Utah, named after the congressman for the same reason.) Western author Zane Grey came to the area in the early 1920s and built a cabin. Several of his novels, including "Under the Tonto Rim," were written there.

Today, tourism is the primary industry of the area, although ranching, mining and smelting remain important elements of the area's economic base. Payson sits at the edge of the world's largest stand of Ponderosa pine. The clean air, mild climate and outdoor recreation in the Tonto National Forest attract visitors year-round. And retirees, attracted for the same reasons, are an important part of the community's population.

Globe, the county seat of Gila County, is 80 miles southeast of Payson. The Tonto Apache Tribe, which has a reservation located 1/2 mile south of Payson, operates the Mazatzal Casino, which has become a major employer in the Payson area. Over 270 people were employed by the casino as of January 1998.

The name "Mazatzal" comes from the Mazatzal mountain range, located just southwest of Payson. The word means, roughly, "place where deer gather," and is Aztec Indian in origin. It is unclear how the word came to be used as the name of these mountains.

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