Prescott is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the city's population was 39,843. The city is the county seat of Yavapai County. In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona Territory, replacing the temporary capital of Fort Whipple. The Territorial Capital was moved to Tucson in 1867. Prescott again became the Territorial Capital in 1877, until Phoenix became the capital in 1889.
The towns of Prescott Valley, 7 miles east; Chino Valley, 16 miles north; Dewey-Humboldt, 13 miles east, and Prescott comprise what is locally known as the "Quad-City" area. This also sometimes refers to central Yavapai County in general, which would include the towns of: Mayer, Paulden, Wilhoit, and Williamson Valley. Combined with these smaller communities the area had a population of 103,260 as of 2007. Prescott is the center of the Prescott Metropolitan Area, defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as all of Yavapai County.
The Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe reservation is adjacent to and partially within the borders of Prescott.