Greenlee County, Arizona

Greenlee County, Arizona
Seal
Location in the U.S. state of Arizona
Arizona's location in the U.S.
Founded	March 10, 1909
Seat	Clifton
Largest town	Clifton
Area
• Total	1,848 sq mi (4,786 km2)
• Land	1,843 sq mi (4,773 km2)
• Water	5.3 sq mi (14 km2), 0.3%
Population (est.)
• (2015)	10,555
• Density	5.1/sq mi (2/km²)
Congressional district	1st
Time zone	Mountain: UTC-7
Website	www.co.greenlee.az.us

1901 Clifton railroad station, now used by the Chamber of Commerce and other community organizations.

File:Azurite-284714.jpg

Azurite specimen from the great Morenci Mine.

Greenlee County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census its population was 8,437, making it the least populous county in Arizona. The county seat is Clifton.

The economy of Greenlee County is dominated by the Morenci Mine, the largest copper mining operation in North America, and one of the largest copper mines in the world. As of 2008, the mine complex, owned by Freeport-McMoRan, had about 4,000 employees.

History

Greenlee County was created in 1909 and named for Mason Greenlee who was an early settler in the Clifton area. It was Arizona's 14th county and formed from part of Graham County, which opposed the formation because Graham County would lose considerable revenue. Clifton has always been the county seat.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,848 square miles (4,790 km²), of which 1,843 square miles (4,770 km²) is land and 5.3 square miles (14 km²) (0.3%) is water. It is the second-smallest county by area in Arizona.

Adjacent counties

• Cochise County - south
• Graham County - west
• Apache County - north
• Catron County, New Mexico - east
• Grant County, New Mexico - east
• Hidalgo County, New Mexico - southeast

National protected areas

• Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest (part)
• Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area (part)

Major Highways

• U.S. Route 70
• U.S. Route 191
• State Route 75
• State Route 78

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1920	15,362		—
1930	9,886		−35.6%
1940	8,698		−12.0%
1950	12,805		47.2%
1960	11,509		−10.1%
1970	10,330		−10.2%
1980	11,406		10.4%
1990	8,008		−29.8%
2000	8,547		6.7%
2010	8,437		−1.3%
Est. 2014	9,346		10.8%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2014

2010

Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:

• 77.2% White
• 1.1% Black
• 2.3% Native American
• 0.5% Asian
• 0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
• 3.8% Two or more races
• 15.0% Other races
• 47.9% Hispanic or Latino (of any race)

2000

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,547 people, 3,117 households, and 2,266 families residing in the county. The population density was 5 people per square mile (2/km²). There were 3,744 housing units at an average density of 2 per square mile (1/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 74.17% White, 0.51% Black or African American, 1.66% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 20.02% from other races, and 3.45% from two or more races. 43.07% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 25.19% reported speaking Spanish at home [1].

There were 3,117 households out of which 39.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.30% were married couples living together, 9.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.30% were non-families. 24.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the county the population was spread out with 31.70% under the age of 18, 7.50% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 9.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 109.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,384, and the median income for a family was $43,523. Males had a median income of $38,952 versus $23,333 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,814. About 8.00% of families and 9.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.10% of those under age 18 and 8.70% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Greenlee County used to be the most reliably Democratic county in Arizona. It voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election from 1912 to 1996. However, it has supported the Republican candidate in each of the four most recent presidential elections.

The county is located in Arizona's 1st congressional district, which has a Cook Partisan Voting Index of R+3 and is represented by Democratic Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick. In the Arizona House of Representatives it is represented by Republican Chester Crandall and Republican Brenda Barton. In the Arizona Senate it is represented by Republican Sylvia Allen.

Communities

File:Greenlee County Incorporated and Unincorporated areas.svg

Map of incorporated and unincorporated areas in Greenlee County.

Towns

• Clifton (county seat)
• Duncan

Census-designated place

• Franklin
• Morenci
• York

Other communities

• Blue
• Blue Vista
• Hannagan Meadow
• Loma Linda
• Sheldon
• Three Way
• Verde Lee

County population ranking

The population ranking of the following table is based on the 2010 census of Greenlee County.

† county seat

Rank	City/Town/etc.	Population (2010 Census)	Municipal type	Incorporated
1	† Clifton	3,311	Town
2	Morenci	1,489	CDP
3	Duncan	696	Town	1938
4	York	557	CDP
5	Franklin	92	CDP

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Greenlee County, Arizona

External links

• County website