Welcome to Payson ...
The town of Payson is located in Gila County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Payson, you might consider that their post office opened in 1884.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Payson has a population of 15,825 people<2> (see below for details).
Payson is 5,000 feet [1,524 m] above sea level.<3> In other words, the altitude of Payson is about 1 mile [or ~1½ km] above sea level.
Time Zone: Payson lies in the Mountain Standard Time Zone (MST) and does not observe daylight saving time
Area Code for Payson: 928
The ZIP codes for Payson: 85541, 85547<4>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Payson had an population of 15,825 people. This is an increase of 3.42% since the 2010 Census (or an increase of 16.19% since the 2000 Census).
At the time of the 2010 Census, Payson had a population of 15,301 people (which is 28.57% of the total population of Gila County). This makes Payson the county's most populous community.
The population of Payson represents 0.24% of the total population of Arizona (which has 6,392,017 people), making it the state's 36th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 15,301 people, the population of Payson increased 12.34% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 13,620 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Payson.
Communities Also Named Payson ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 3 communities that are also named Payson - they are located in Illinois, Oklahoma and Utah.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Payson.
Websites for Payson ...
Official Website: www.ci.payson.az.us/
Chamber of Commerce: www.rimcountrychamber.com/
Communities near Payson ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Payson.
- Oxbow Estates
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Oxbow Estates
- Oxbow Estates is located in Gila County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Oxbow Estates
- From Payson to Oxbow Estates
- Flowing Springs
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Flowing Springs
- Flowing Springs is located in Gila County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Flowing Springs
- From Payson to Flowing Springs
- Freedom Acres
(5 miles [8 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Freedom Acres
- Freedom Acres is located in Gila County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Freedom Acres
- From Payson to Freedom Acres
- Geronimo Estates
(8 miles [12.9 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Geronimo Estates
- Geronimo Estates is located in Gila County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Geronimo Estates
- From Payson to Geronimo Estates
- Gisela
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south) - Rye
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rye
- Rye is located in Gila County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rye <6>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Rye
- From Payson to Rye
- Whispering Pines
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the north)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Whispering Pines
- Whispering Pines is located in Gila County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Whispering Pines
- From Payson to Whispering Pines
- Tonto Village
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Tonto Village
- Tonto Village is located in Gila County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Tonto Village
- From Payson to Tonto Village
- Deer Creek
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the south)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Deer Creek
- Deer Creek is located in Gila County
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Deer Creek
- From Payson to Deer Creek
- Pine
(12 miles [19.3 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pine
- Pine is located in Gila County
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pine <6>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Pine
- From Payson to Pine
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Payson. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Payson.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Payson. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Payson.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Payson. Our list includes 24 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Payson.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Payson ...
Looking for more information about Payson? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Payson, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Payson.
Adding Payson to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Payson in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Payson was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
X2X - From that list, the Payson post office opened in 1884.
We also found Payson in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Payson.
Off-the-Road Links ...
The official website for Payson: www.ci.payson.az.us/
The official website for Gila County: www.co.gila.az.us/
The official website for State of Arizona: https://az.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Arizona's counties, including Gila, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Payson. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Payson - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a town (such as Payson). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Payson or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <5> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <6> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |