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Greenlee County, Arizona facts for kids

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Greenlee County
Benjamin F. Billingsley House in Duncan, Arizona
Benjamin F. Billingsley House in Duncan, Arizona
Official seal of Greenlee County
Seal
Map of Arizona highlighting Greenlee County
Location within the U.S. state of Arizona
Map of the United States highlighting Arizona
Arizona's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Arizona
Founded March 10, 1909
Named for Mason Greenlee
Seat Clifton
Largest town Clifton
Area
 • Total 1,848 sq mi (4,790 km2)
 • Land 1,843 sq mi (4,770 km2)
 • Water 5.3 sq mi (14 km2)  0.3%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 9,563
 • Estimate 
(2023)
9,369 Decrease
 • Density 5.1748/sq mi (1.9980/km2)
Time zone UTC−7 (Mountain)
Congressional district 6th
Clifton, AZ train station
1901 Clifton railroad station, now used by the Chamber of Commerce and other community organizations.
Azurite-284714
Azurite specimen from the great Morenci Mine.

Greenlee County is a county in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,563, making it Arizona's least populous county. 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 2017, the mine complex, owned by Freeport-McMoRan, had about 3,300 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 United States 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

National protected areas

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

Major highways

  • US 70.svg U.S. Route 70
  • US 191.svg U.S. Route 191
  • Arizona 75.svg State Route 75
  • Arizona 78.svg 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%
2020 9,563 13.3%
2023 (est.) 9,369 11.0%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2020

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 8,437 people, 3,188 households, and 2,152 families living in the county. The population density was 4.6 inhabitants per square mile (1.8 inhabitants/km2). There were 4,372 housing units at an average density of 2.4 units per square mile (0.93 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 77.2% white, 2.3% American Indian, 1.1% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 15.0% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 47.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 12.9% were English, 12.1% were German, 10.6% were Irish, and 1.6% were American.

Of the 3,188 households, 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.5% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.5% were non-families, and 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.21. The median age was 34.8 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $48,696 and the median income for a family was $51,729. Males had a median income of $50,446 versus $34,171 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,281. About 9.4% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 17.8% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Greenlee County Incorporated and Unincorporated areas
Map of incorporated and unincorporated areas in Greenlee County

Towns

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Other locations

  • Strayhorse, a location along Route 191 in the vicinity of Strayhorse creek/canyon/campground

Ghost Towns

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

Education

School districts include:

  • Blue Elementary School District
  • Duncan Unified School District
  • Eagle Elementary District
  • Morenci Unified School District

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Greenlee para niños

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