Yuma

Understand

Yuma bills itself as the "Sunniest City on Earth", with weather (and weather records) to match: of any populated place in the contiguous United States, Yuma is the driest, the sunniest, and the least humid, has the lowest frequency of precipitation, and has the highest number of days per year – 175 – with a daily high temperature of 90°F or above. Within the U.S., perhaps only Death Valley rivals it for extreme weather. Mix in tropical storms (Hurricane Nora, 1997), the rare dusting of snow (Dec 1932, Jan 1937, Dec 1967) and earthquakes thanks to lying along a fault zone (the Algodones fault in the Yuma Desert; record magnitude 7.1 in 1915), and it's not much of a stretch to claim that Yuma is a place of extremes.

The weather makes it a draw for out-of-state visitors and temporary winter residents (called "snow birds") and a year-round agricultural center. The Yuma area grows over 175 types of crops, ranging from citrus, alfalfa, cotton, wheat and other grains, dates - and the largest of which is lettuce. Yuma County grows 90% of all leafy vegetables in the U.S.

Aside from agriculture and tourism, there also is a large military presence, rounding out the top three industries for Yuma.

A number of movies have been shot in the area, most utilizing the desert landscapes.

Get in

By car

• Yuma is at the mid-point of Interstate 8, half way between San Diego and Casa Grande, each about 170 mi, about a 2 hour 45 minute drive from Yuma. Interstate 8 terminates at the junction with Interstate 10 at Casa Grande, between Phoenix and Tucson.
• U.S. Route 95 (US 95) runs from the Arizona-Sonora border in San Luis south of Yuma, and north to Quartzsite, Kingman, crossing over the Colorado River by Hoover Dam and into Nevada, to Las Vegas and beyond.

By plane

Go Yuma International Airport (YUM)

It is regional airport served by American Eagle, providing service with Phoenix Sky Harbor and Dallas-Fort Worth airports.

⚠ Last checked Apr 2020 — confirm before you go

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The nearest full service airports are in:

• Phoenix and San Diego, in the U.S.
• Mexicali and Tijuana, in Mexico.

By train

Yuma is served by Amtrak via its triweekly Sunset Limited route between New Orleans and Los Angeles. Additionally, the Texas Eagle provides services to and from Chicago. Westbound trains arrive around 3AM, while eastbound ones arrives late evening around 11:30PM. Delays are quite common. Yuma station, at 281 Gila Street, is an unmanned platform with no shelters or restrooms. It is a block from downtown.

By bus

Get around

By car

Streets are numbered southward from the Colorado River. However, avenues are organized into two different classifications:

• West of downtown is in numbers, but the major ones are lettered (e.g. Avenue A, B, C, etc.)
• East of downtown is also, but only, in numbers (e.g. Avenue 3 E, Avenue 5 E, etc.).

into numbers centered around Pacific Avenue The main thoroughfares within city limits are:

• 4th Avenue (I-8 Business) - runs between 32nd Street and 1st Avenue, where it then continues into Winterhaven, CA.
• 16th Street - this is U.S. 95 between Avenue 3 E and Avenue B.
• 32nd Street (partially I-8 Business) - begins all the way in Yuma County as County 11th Street, but most development exists between Avenue B and Avenue 8 1/2 E. Continues east into Fortuna Foothills as South Frontage Road.
• Avenue B - this is U.S. 95 between 16th Street and the Cocopah Casino east of Somerton.
• AZ S.R. 195 - begins as Araby Road at I-8, then travels to San Luis without going through Yuma itself.

By bus

Stay safe

Yuma is the last freight train stop before California and the Colorado River. This results in a lot of transients in this small, relatively conservative town. The police, in line with other places in Arizona, are quick to arrest 'loiterers'. If you are traveling with a backpack and don't look like a college student, be prepared to be rousted and harassed.

For more information, see: Arizona: Stay Safe > Arizona / Mexico border

Go next

Yuma is next to the Mexican border, but getting to Mexico is not quite as easy as it seems due to the Colorado River. There is no access bridge from any part of the city. Due to a geographic oddity, Mexico is both to the west (closer) and south (further). The shortest way is to go into California on I-8, then south on Algodones Road (Exit 166/California State Route 186), and cross the border into metro Mexicali. (The first town is called Los Algodones.) You can also go south on US-95 from Yuma for just over 20 miles, and cross the border into San Luis Rio Colorado.

North – Western Arizona and Northern Arizona — for more of "Old West" Arizona, cooler temperatures, Route 66, Las Vegas or the Grand Canyon:

• Quartzsite and Kingman, Arizona.
• Historic Route 66.
• The Grand Canyon – one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World.
• The bright lights of Sin City, Las Vegas.

South – Western Arizona, Northern Mexico and Baja California — for more of the Sonoran Desert, stretching to the sea in Rocky Point:

• San Luis, Arizona.
• San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora.
• Puerto Peñasco, Sonora (also known as Rocky Point) – the beach: sun, sand and sea.

East – Western Arizona, Greater Phoenix and South Central Arizona:

• Dateland and Gila Bend, Arizona – more history of southern Arizona.
• Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona – if you're done with the desert or want night light more than just the stars overhead.

West – California Desert:

• Algodones Dunes and Old Plank Road, California – for a different type of desert, with dunes you can play on.
• El Centro, California – another agricultural desert community.
• San Diego, California – the beach: sun, sand and surf.