The Mogollon Rim, the southern boundary of the Colorado Plateau, lies to the north of Payson, with elevations exceeding 7,500 feet (2,300 m) there are many cold water lakes on top of the rim. Located in northern Gila County at an elevation of 5,000 feet (1,500 m), the town has a total area of 19.5 square miles (51 km 2).

On July 15, 2017, heavy rains from upstream of the creek and river caused the waterways to swell, subsequently leading to downstream flooding which crucially affected the popular Water Wheel swimming hole where 10 people were killed and 4 others were injured during the flood event. The highway, State Route 87 (also known as the 'Beeline Highway'), was later expanded to four lanes.Įllison Creek & East Verde River flooding Throughout the 1950s work on a paved road from Phoenix to Payson progressed, and the road was completed in 1958. At that time the town was very isolated, with a trip from Phoenix to Payson taking eight to twelve hours.

ĭuring the 1930s an effort was begun to establish a better road from Payson to connect it to the outside world. The transactions took place on historic Bootleg Alley. Grey wrote numerous books about the area and also filmed some movies, such as To the Last Man, in the Payson area in the 1920s.ĭuring Prohibition the manufacture, sale, and distribution of liquor was plentiful. He would visit with regularity through 1929, and would purchase two plots of land near Tonto Creek, including 120 acres (49 ha) from Sampson Elam Boles under Myrtle Point. In 1918 author Zane Grey made his first trip to the area surrounding Payson. The town declares the competition to be the world's oldest and continuous rodeo as it has been held every year since.

In honor of the representative's help, the town's name was changed to 'Payson'. On March 3, 1884, a post office was established with the help of Illinois Representative Levi Joseph Payson. The founding year of Payson is considered to be 1882, at which time the town was known as 'Green Valley'. Payson boasts a lively festival calendar, including the World's Oldest Continuous Rodeo, established in 1884 and the Old Time Fiddlers Contest which celebrates the area's musical heritage.Īs of the 2020 census, the population of Payson was 16,361. The town is surrounded by the Tonto National Forest, the largest of the six national forests in Arizona and is the ninth largest national forest in the United States. Due to Payson's location being very near to the geographic center of Arizona, it has been called 'The Heart of Arizona'. Payson is a town in northern Gila County, Arizona, United States.

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