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History · Sonoita

Half of Sonoita’s homes were built after 2001

Most of Sonoita was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2001. Below: maps from 1932 on and the census since 2000.

0on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0

What stands out about Sonoita’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Sonoita are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Sonoita’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Sonoita’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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The story so far

Sonoita, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Sonoita yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Sonoita (; O'odham: Ṣon ʼOidag) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, United States. The population was 803 at the 2020 census. The origin of the name of the CDP is the O'odham Ṣon ʼOidag, which may be best translated as "spring field".

Its population held steady between the last two censuses: 818 in 2010, 803 in 2020.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

Sonoita, decade by decade

Today6 recent
SONOITA, ARIZONA2012SONOITA, ARIZONANear2012NearSpider butterfly equals dinner2011Spider butterfly equals dinnerSonoita Arizona2010Sonoita ArizonaSonoita Inn2009Sonoita InnSonoita Hills2007Sonoita Hills
On the map

Sonoita on the map, 1932 to 1996

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Sonoita. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Sonoita on the 1932 USGS mapSonoita on the 1948 USGS mapSonoita on the 1958 USGS mapSonoita on the 1983 USGS mapSonoita on the 1996 USGS map1932Elgin sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Sonoita.

People over time

Sonoita, census by census

020040060080020002020Peak: 826

Between 803 and 826 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Sonoita’s Wikipedia page.

Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Hacienda Los Encino

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Sonoita’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (6), U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.