Cottonwood Arizona Map

About Cottonwood, Arizona

Cottonwood is a locality in Apache County, Arizona, United States. Cottonwood is located at 36.0731°N, 109.8923°W. It observes the Mountain Standard Time — no DST (America/Phoenix) timezone. ZIP code: 86326.

Cottonwood, Arizona, unfolds under a vast, cerulean sky, a landscape painted in ochre and sagebrush where the earth itself seems to exhale a dry, warm breath. It lies 103.5 miles west-south-west of Farmington, NM (from Farmington, NM: bearing 245°T), and is situated 19.8 miles west-south-west of Chinle. The land here is an ancient canvas, sculpted by the patient hands of wind and water into low mesas and sprawling arroyos that catch the sun’s fierce embrace. Sparse, hardy vegetation clings to the soil – tenacious cottonwood trees, their leaves a vibrant emerald against the muted tones of the desert, stand sentinel along the intermittent washes, offering pockets of cool shade. The air, especially as the day ripens towards evening, carries a fine, silken dust, and the silence is profound, broken only by the whisper of the breeze or the distant cry of a hawk circling overhead. The story of Cottonwood is inextricably bound to the verdant ribbon of the Verde River, a lifeblood that has drawn settlers and sustained communities for generations. This area, once home to the Sinagua people whose ancient dwellings still whisper of their presence, later saw the rise of ranching and agriculture, its fertile banks yielding crops under the relentless Arizona sun. In more recent times, Cottonwood has embraced its role as a gateway to the wonders of central Arizona, its economy now a blend of tourism drawn to the nearby red rock formations and the charm of its historic downtown, where echoes of its frontier past mingle with the gentle hum of everyday life. The distinctive character of Cottonwood is one of resilience and understated beauty, a place where the stark grandeur of the desert meets the quiet persistence of human endeavor.

About This Cottonwood Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Cottonwood, Arizona — switch between views using the small square in the bottom left-hand corner of the map. Coordinates: 36.073059, -109.892337. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service, with current observations and a 7-day forecast also powered by Open-Meteo. Real-time local news and world news feeds keep the page current, while a Wikipedia summary or an editorially written description provides background on Cottonwood and Apache County.

Detailed location data for Cottonwood includes the ZIP code (86503), telephone area code (480, 928), county seat of Apache County (St. Johns), and school district assignment (Mingus Union High School District). These are among the most commonly searched location details for any US city or town.

Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity — ensuring the correct Cottonwood is identified even where the name is shared across multiple counties or states. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.