Highway 260
Payson, AZ 85541

After years of delay and struggle, the Tonto National Forest has accepted a $4.1 million check to hand over title to 253 acres of land on which the Rim Country Educational Alliance wants to build a 6,000-student university. Payson is a town in northern Gila County, Arizona, United States. Its location puts it almost exactly in the geographic center of Arizona. It has been called "The Heart of Arizona. At an elevation of 4,921 feet (1,500 m), the town has a total area of 19.5 square miles (50.4 km²). The Mogollon Rim lies to the north. Where will the University Campus complex be located? The campus complex will span Arizona Highway 260, directly east of Payson from approximately Mud Springs Road to Tyler Parkway, South Rim Club Drive. The main campus will be on a 290-acre site on the south side of Highway 260, currently used by the US Forest Service as an administrative site. Additional educational facilities may be located on the approximately 90-acre site on the north side of Highway 260, adjacent to Gila Community College.