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Contention City

Ghost town · Cochise County, Arizona

St. David quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1922, 1:62,500)
St. David quadrangle, USGS topographic map (1922, 1:62,500) · U.S. Geological Survey, Historical Topographic Map Collection · Public domain

Contention City is a ghost town in Cochise County, Arizona. It is one of 15 former communities in Cochise County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 2nd among the 15 Arizona counties with a vanished settlement on record.

Contention City was established in 1880, in the late 19th century.

The U.S. Geological Survey lists Contention City as a historical populated place: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 31.7689° N, 110.2020° W.

Key facts

Founded1880
Peak population0
Last recorded population0
Elevation3,796 ft
Nearest living townWhetstone, AZ
Distance to it6.3 miles
Coordinates31.76890, -110.20200

Open the location on a map

What's there now

Contention City is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Whetstone, AZ (population 2,840), about 6.3 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 3,796 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.

Images

Mason's Western Hotel, Contention City, Arizona, 1880.
Mason's Western Hotel, Contention City, Arizona, 1880. · Unknown. 19th Century Photo (1880). More than 120 years since its creation in 1880. / Wikimedia Commons · public-domain

Nearby places

Questions

Where is Contention City?

Contention City is in Cochise County, Arizona, at 31.7689, -110.2020.

How many ghost towns are in Cochise County?

Cochise County, Arizona has 15 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.

Sources and licences

Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.