It is pronounced Hee la, but it's spelled with a "G"

The town of Gila City was founded in 1858 as a mining camp north of Yuma, Arizona Territory. It was near the confluence of the Gila and Colorado Rivers and almost certainly named after the river. By 1900 it was a ghost town. The river gets its name from the Tohono O'odham (People of the River) Nation. I understand it to be the river for which they get their name as a people.

The name is probably spelled with a soft "G" rather than an "H" because the land belonged to Mexico before it became part of the United States. However, I am certain that the "Mayor of Hila City" is properly rendered as "Mayor of Gila City."


The best diplomat I know is a fully charged phaser bank.