Cochise County

Located among the scenic sky-island mountains and desert riparian preserves of southeastern Arizona, Cochise County also is a land of Old West legends. In Tombstone-"the town too tough to die"-the infamous gun battle at the OK Corral is re-enacted today. Cochise's Stronghold, the fabled hideout of the Chiricahua Apache Indians, is a hiking and rock-climbing mecca in the Dragoon Mountains near Benson-also the former railroad hub of Southern Arizona and current home of Kartchner Caverns State Park.

In the mile-high artist colony of Bisbee, history is preserved among the Victorian-era homes and mining boomtown attractions. At one of the oldest military outposts in the American West-Fort Huachuca-a statue and museum pays tribute to the contributions of America's African-American troops, the Buffalo Soldiers. Along the international border, Douglas is distinguished for its many National Register of Historic Places buildings and proximity to Mexico.

Birding is extremely popular in the 36-mile San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area where the San Pedro River supports more than 400 species. The Nature Conservancy's Ramsey Canyon Nature Preserve near Sierra Vista is a peaceful oasis where a rainbow of hummingbirds migrates seasonally, along with more than 150 other bird species. Every winter, huge populations of sandhill cranes visit the produce-farming town of Willcox.