Prescott is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, USA. The population was 33,938 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Yavapai County^GR6, and in 1863 this then remote and lightly populated town was designated as the original capital of the Arizona Territory in order keep the seat of government far from Confederate sympathizers prevalent in the southern part of the state. The Territorial Capital was moved to Tucson in 1867. Prescott again became the Territorial Capital in 1877, until the capital was changed to Phoenix in 1889. Locals pronounce the town's name as "press-kit".

The towns of Prescott Valley (7 miles east) and Chino Valley (16 miles north), and Prescott, together make up the area known locally as "Tri-City". The Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe reservation is located next to, and partially within, the borders of Prescott. These four government entities sometimes work together on projects of mutual interest; at other times, however, they come into conflict. An example is the ongoing fight over Prescott buying the water rights of Chino Valley's rich Verde River watershed. The area is growing rapidly, and lately (2005) one begins to hear the term "Quad-City" for the area. The villages of Dewey and Humboldt voted to incorporate as a town, known as Dewey-Humboldt. This area is getting a lot of moderate and upper-level housing developments, because it is close to Prescott and has land area. The weather conditions are favorable owing to the altitude of 5354 ft, being significantly cooler than the lower southern areas of the state and yet without the harsh winters found at higher altitudes.