The city was created alongside the Southern Pacific Railroad in the 1880s.

The city was primarily a stop for coal and water which were needed for trains at the time.

At its peak, the town had a population of approximately 3,000 people.

[2] In 1899, Big Nose Kate, the famed sidekick of Doc Holliday, lived in Cochise while she was working at the Cochise Hotel after Holliday's death.

[3] Cochise has the ZIP Code of 85606; in 2000, the population of the 85606 ZCTA was 1,592.