Prescot, AZ – True West Magazine’s February 2012 issue reveals their picks for the Top Ten True Western Towns of the Year. Prescott sits atop that list at the number one position.

This year’s issue of the magazine marks the seventh year that True West has sought to identify and honor those Western communities that actively pursue the preservation of their history and cultural heritage and share it with others.

It’s that history and heritage—genuine and unmanufactured—that you can breathe in like invigorating mountain air throughout this mile-high community.

Prescott’s four museums (Sharlot Hall, Smoki, Phippen and Fort Whipple) speak to the town’s faceted past as a Territorial Capital; a land of Native American tradition; a home to mining, ranching and cowboy culture; and a Union Army post.

But, just like anywhere else, Prescott is more than a sum of its parts. While downtown’s Whiskey Row beckons with its tantalizing history of saloons and bawdy houses, and the local rodeo comes upon its 125th anniversary this summer, there is a distinct quality and appreciation of life in this community that is evidenced by the large number organizations and volunteers who work unstintingly to make Prescott a welcoming place. Historical preservation and re-enactment groups are just as popular as those that advocate for the arts and the conservation of land and natural resources.

True West Magazine also noted ten areas of Prescott that visitors should not miss: The Palace Saloon on Whiskey Row; Pearl’s Place Café for some of Arizona’s best barbecue; the award-winning Prescott Brewing Company; Prescott Courthouse Plaza, at the heart of downtown (itself named one of ten “Distinctive Destinations” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation); the so-called Antique Row along Cortez Street; the Hassayampa Inn, opened in 1927; the newly renovated Elks Opera House; the Arizona Women’s Heritage Trail; Sharlot Hall Museum (so named for poet and historian Sharlot M. Hall); and the Iron Springs Café.

Find out for yourself why Prescott is such a special place by planning a trip. More information can be found on our website at www.visit-prescott.com, on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/visitprescott, or by calling 800-266-7534.