Coolidge, Arizona facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Coolidge
City
Original 1939 Coolidge High School
Flag
Nickname(s):  C-Town
Location of Coolidge in Pinal County, Arizona
Coolidge, Arizona Location in Arizona Show map of Arizona Coolidge, Arizona Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Arizona
County	Pinal
Founded	1925
Incorporated	1945
Government
• Type	City
Area
• Total	83.05 sq mi (215.11 km2)
• Land	82.89 sq mi (214.69 km2)
• Water	0.16 sq mi (0.42 km2)  0%
Elevation	1,424 ft (434 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	13,218
• Density	159.46/sq mi (61.57/km2)
Time zone	UTC-7 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	no DST
ZIP code	85128
Area code(s)	520
FIPS code	04-15500
GNIS ID	2410221

Coolidge is a city in Pinal County, Arizona, in the United States. In 2020, about 13,218 people lived there.

This city is famous for the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. This special place was the first historic site protected by the United States Government way back in 1892! Coolidge is also home to two important schools: Central Arizona College and the Central Arizona Valley Institute of Technology.

History of Coolidge

The area where Coolidge is now was once home to the Hohokam people. They were an ancient group from the Sonoran Desert. They built a huge complex with many structures made of a material called caliche. They lived there for over 1,000 years!

The only part of their buildings still standing and protected today is the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.

How Coolidge Started

The modern city of Coolidge grew because of farming, especially cotton. The city was founded in 1925. A man named R.J. Jones planned out the town during the building of the Coolidge Dam. This dam was built on the nearby Gila River and finished in 1930.

Both the dam and the town were named after Calvin Coolidge. He was the 30th President of the United States. The dam helped turn the sandy desert soil into very rich farmland. Soon, large areas of desert were plowed, and lots of cotton was planted. This made Coolidge a major center for the cotton industry in Arizona. The city officially became a city in 1945.

A Union Pacific Railroad bridge in Coolidge

Coolidge's Economy

For a long time, until the 1950s, Coolidge's economy mostly depended on mining and cotton farming. But since then, the city's economy has grown. It now includes manufacturing (making things), regional trade (buying and selling goods), and services for farmers and their families.

In 2019, a company called Nikola Motor Company bought a large piece of land in Coolidge. They built a factory there to make zero-emissions heavy trucks. This factory can produce 2,500 trucks every year!

Geography of Coolidge

Coolidge covers about 5 square miles (13 square kilometers) of land. It is almost completely flat and has no mountains. The city sits in a fertile valley just south of the Gila River.

You can see the Sacaton Mountains to the west. The Picacho Mountains are visible to the southeast.

Getting Around Coolidge

Arizona State Route 87 and Arizona State Route 287 are main roads that go through Coolidge. These roads connect the city to the Phoenix metropolitan area, Casa Grande, and Eloy. Interstate 10 is about 10 miles (16 km) to the west.

Coolidge is about 56 miles (90 km) southeast of Phoenix. It's also 69 miles (111 km) northwest of Tucson. Casa Grande is 21 miles (34 km) northeast, and Florence is 11 miles (18 km) southwest. The Picacho Reservoir is just 11 miles (18 km) south of town.

Climate in Coolidge

Coolidge has a hot desert climate, which is typical for the Sonoran Desert.

Winters

Winters in Coolidge are usually short and mild. There's lots of sunshine. Daytime temperatures are often between 65°F (18°C) and 75°F (24°C). Nighttime temperatures are usually between 35°F (2°C) and 45°F (7°C). It freezes a few times each year. Rain doesn't happen often, usually only 2 or 3 days a month. The coldest temperature ever recorded in Coolidge was 8°F (-13°C).

Summers

Summers are long and very hot. Temperatures are often between 100°F (38°C) and 110°F (43°C) almost every day from late May to September. Sometimes, temperatures can even go above 115°F (46°C). The hottest temperature ever recorded was 123°F (51°C). Nighttime temperatures are usually above 70°F (21°C). Sometimes, they stay above 80°F (27°C).

Coolidge is affected by the North American Monsoon. This brings short, heavy rain showers and strong winds in the second half of summer. Sometimes, these storms can cause dust storms called haboobs and even flash flooding.

Population of Coolidge

In 2000, there were 7,786 people living in Coolidge. There were 2,585 households, and 1,938 families. The population density was about 1,549 people per square mile (598 per square kilometer).

About 32.9% of the people were under 18 years old. About 13.4% were 65 years or older. The average age was 31 years.

Main street of Coolidge on a Saturday afternoon during cotton harvest (ca. 1922–1953)

By 2010, the population of Coolidge had grown to 11,825 people.

Education in Coolidge

Coolidge has several schools for different age groups:

• Coolidge High School: This is a high school located in the center of the city.
• West Elementary School: This school teaches students from kindergarten to 5th grade. It's in the western part of the city.
• Imagine Schools Coolidge Elementary: This is a charter school for kindergarten to 5th grade. It's in the northern part of the city.
• Imagine Prep Coolidge: This is a charter school for grades 6 through 12. It's right next to Imagine Coolidge Elementary.
• Coolidge Junior High School: This school is for grades 6-8.
• Central Arizona College: This is a college in the area.
• Central Arizona Valley Institute of Technology: This is another important school in Coolidge.

Transportation

The City of Coolidge helps people get around.

• The Cotton Express is a local bus service that operates within the city.
• The Central Arizona Regional Transit (CART) provides transportation between Florence, Coolidge, Central Arizona College, and Casa Grande.

Coolidge used to have a train station for Amtrak, but it closed in 1996.

The Coolidge Municipal Airport is about 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the city. It has two asphalt runways. The closest major airports are Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and Tucson International Airport. You can use the Casa Grande Shuttle to get to Sky Harbor.

Notable people

Some famous people have connections to Coolidge:

• Duane Eddy – a rock & roll guitarist and record producer who graduated from Coolidge High School.
• Waylon Jennings – a famous singer who is in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
• Sammi Smith – a country music recording artist and songwriter.

Historic properties

See also

In Spanish: Coolidge (Arizona) para niños