Morenci, Arizona facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Morenci, Arizona
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Morenci, about 1910
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Location in Greenlee County and the state of Arizona
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 Morenci, Arizona
Location in Arizona
Morenci, Arizona
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Greenlee |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.93 sq mi (2.40 km2) |
| • Land | 0.91 sq mi (2.34 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.06 km2) |
| Elevation | 4,157 ft (1,267 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 2,028 |
| • Density | 2,240.88/sq mi (865.22/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-7 (MST (no DST)) |
| ZIP code |
85540
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| Area code(s) | 928 |
| FIPS code | 04-47610 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2408868 |
Morenci is a special kind of community in Greenlee County, Arizona. It's called a census-designated place (CDP), which means it's a community that looks like a town but isn't officially run by its own local government. Morenci is also known as a company town. This means a single company owns most of the homes and businesses there.
Morenci was started by the Detroit Copper Mining Company of Arizona. Today, the biggest employer and owner of the town is Freeport-McMoRan. This company runs the Morenci Mine, which is the largest copper mining operation in North America. It's also one of the biggest copper mines in the entire world!
Contents
Morenci's Location and Surroundings
Morenci is located in the middle of Greenlee County, Arizona. It sits right next to Clifton, which is the main town of the county.
Traveling Through Morenci
U.S. Route 191, also known as the Coronado Trail, goes through the northern part of Morenci. This road leads downhill to Clifton in the east. If you go north, it takes you through the beautiful Apache National Forest for about 117 miles (188 km) to Eagar.
Morenci's Size
According to the United States Census Bureau, Morenci covers a total area of about 0.98 square miles (2.55 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a very small part being water.
Morenci's Weather
Morenci has hot and dry summers. The average high temperatures are above 80°F (27°C) for seven months of the year. This type of weather is called a warm-summer Mediterranean climate.
People of Morenci
Morenci is home to many people. In 2020, about 2,028 people lived there. The population has changed over the years. In 2000, there were 2,000 residents, and in 2010, there were 1,489.
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 2000 | 2,000 | — | |
| 2010 | 1,489 | −25.5% | |
| 2020 | 2,028 | 36.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2000, there were 672 households in Morenci. Many of these households (45.7%) had children under 18 living with them. About 56.7% of households were married couples living together. The average household had 2.80 people, and the average family had 3.55 people.
The population in Morenci is quite diverse in age. About 35.6% of the people were under 18 years old. The median age was 30 years, meaning half the people were younger than 30 and half were older.
Morenci's Economy
The economy of Morenci depends almost entirely on the Morenci Mine. This mine is a huge part of the town's life.
Copper Mining Boom
Between 2003 and 2008, the price of copper around the world went up a lot. This was great for the Morenci Mine! The mine actually doubled its number of workers to 4,000 employees. It also increased how much copper ore it dug up by 55 percent. They were mining about one million tons of ore every single day!
Town Growth and Ownership
Because of the mining boom, hundreds of new homes were built in Morenci. This also helped the construction industry grow. Interestingly, all the homes in Morenci, both old and new, are still owned by the Freeport-McMoRan company.
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One of the active pits at the Morenci Mine. The horizontal shelves are the mining benches. The fan-like slopes are leached material, dumped into mined-out portions of the pit.
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This Porter 0-4-0 is an 18" gauge locomotive that was once used as a copper mining locomotive in Morenci. The locomotive is currently on exhibit in the Sahuaro Central Railroad Museum in Glendale, Az.
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Old Morenci Concentrator, 1942
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Malachite and Azurite from the Morenci Mine, which produces many fine specimens for mineral collectors.
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Azurite from Morenci
Education in Morenci
Students in Morenci attend schools within the Morenci Unified School District.
Notable People from Morenci
Some famous people have come from Morenci:
- Ettore DeGrazia – A painter known for his Southwestern Impressionist style.
- Christine Nofchissey McHorse – A Diné (Navajo) artist who creates amazing ceramic art and sculptures.
See also
In Spanish: Morenci (Arizona) para niños
