[5] According to Guinness World Records, Yuma is the "Sunniest City on Earth," promising "sunshine and warm weather at least 91% of the year.

[7] Yuma's weather also makes it an agricultural powerhouse, growing over 175 types of crops, the largest of which is lettuce.

Yuma County provides 90% of all leafy vegetables grown from November to March in the United States.

The area's first settlers for thousands of years were Native American cultures and historic tribes.

In 1540, Spanish colonial expeditions under Hernando de Alarcón and Melchior Díaz visited the area and immediately recognized the natural crossing of the Colorado River as an ideal spot for a city.

This was considered the gateway to California, as it was one of the few natural spots where travelers could cross the otherwise very wide Colorado River.

Following the United States establishing Fort Yuma, two towns developed one mile downriver.

It was for a time the larger of the two, with the Butterfield Overland Mail office and station, two blacksmiths, a hotel, two stores, and other dwellings.

Developed on the south side of the river in what is now Arizona by speculator Charles Poston, it was the site of the custom house.

[11] From 1853 a smaller settlement, Arizona City, grew up on the high ground across from the fort and was organized under the name of its post office in 1858.

They offloaded the cargo from ships at the mouth of the Colorado River at Robinson's Landing and from 1864 at Port Isabel.

From 1864, the Yuma Quartermaster Depot, today a state historic park, supplied all forts in present-day Arizona, as well as large parts of Colorado and New Mexico.

The city is approximately 60 miles (100 km) from the Gulf of California (Sea of Cortez), a branch of the Pacific.

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 sunny days per year—175—with a daily maximum temperature of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher.

Atmospheric humidity is usually very low, except during what are called "Gulf surges", when a maritime tropical air mass from the Gulf of California is drawn northward, usually in connection with the summer monsoon or the passage of a tropical storm to the south.

[15] The sun is said to shine during about 90% of the daylight hours, making Yuma one of the sunniest places in the world.

[20] In 1997, the desert city sustained a full tropical storm after Hurricane Nora made landfall at the mouth of the Colorado River and quickly moved due north along it.

People of English descent made up 5.6% of the population of the town, followed by German at 5.0%, American at 3.4%, Irish at 3.1%, Sub-Saharan African at 1.4%, Swedish at 1.4%, Italian at 1.3%, French at 0.9%, Norwegian at 0.7%, Scottish at 0.6%, and Scotch-Irish at 0.5%.

[40] Yuma's agricultural workforce, which adjusts to the picking season, is cited by the Arizona Department of Commerce as the reason for the apparent high unemployment.

[41] The Yuma Metropolitan Statistical Area has the highest unemployment rate in the United States as of 2018 at 20.9%.

[42] A large percentage of the work force is employed seasonally in agriculture, contributing to apparent unemployment.

Near Yuma are the Kofa Mountain Range and wildlife refuge, Martinez and Mittry Lakes, and the Algodones Dunes.

The Colorado River runs along the north and west side of town, serving as the border between Arizona and California.

Yuma is an important station for trucking industry movement of goods between California, Arizona and Mexico.

On New Year's Eve 2018, the town of Yuma dropped a head of iceberg lettuce from the town's water tower, to symbolize the beginning of the new year, much like the ball drop in New York City's Times Square.

Previously a baseball facility, Desert Sun Stadium was home to the Yuma Desert Rats of the North American League and site of home games of four teams for the Arizona Winter League.

The mayor has the following powers and responsibilities: act as an ex officio chairman of the city council (ensuring all ordinances thereof are enforced), call and preside over meetings, administer oaths and issue proclamations.

The current council members are Gary Knight, Leslie McClendon, Chris Morris, Ema Lea Shoop, Mike Shelton, and Karen Watts.

The next election is the August 2022 Primary for the three city council seats that are currently held by Watts, Knight, and McClendon.

All three public state universities offer undergraduate and graduate degree programs at the AWC Yuma campus.