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Quartzsite, Arizona facts for kids

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Quartzsite
Quartzsite, Arizona
Abandoned mine near Quartzsite
Abandoned mine near Quartzsite
Motto(s): 
"The Rock Capital of the World"
Location of Quartzsite in La Paz County, Arizona
Location of Quartzsite in La Paz County, Arizona
Quartzsite is located in Arizona
Quartzsite
Quartzsite
Location in Arizona
Quartzsite is located in the United States
Quartzsite
Quartzsite
Location in the United States
Country United States
State Arizona
County La Paz
Incorporated 1989
Area
 • Total 36.30 sq mi (94.01 km2)
 • Land 36.30 sq mi (94.01 km2)
 • Water 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
879 ft (268 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 2,413
 • Density 66.48/sq mi (25.67/km2)
Time zone UTC-7 (MST (no DST))
ZIP codes
85346, 85359
Area code(s) 928
FIPS code 04-58010
GNIS feature ID 0009866
Website Town of Quartzsite

Quartzsite is a town in La Paz County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population was 3,677.

Interstate 10 runs directly through Quartzsite which is at the intersection of U.S. Route 95 and Arizona State Route 95 with I-10.

Geography and climate

Quartzsite is located at 33°39′54″N 114°13′15″W / 33.66500°N 114.22083°W / 33.66500; -114.22083 (33.665116, −114.220913).

According to the United States Census Bureau Quartzsite is all land and has a total area of 36.3 sq mi (94.0 km2).

Quartzsite lies on the western portion of the La Posa Plain along Tyson Wash. The Dome Rock Mountains overlook the town on the west with Granite Mountain on the southwest edge of the town and Oldman Mountain on the northwest. The Plomosa Mountains lie across the La Posa Plain to the east.

The town has a hot desert climate (Köppen BWh) with mild to warm winters from November to March and hot to extreme summers for the remainder of the year. In the middle of summer, Quartzsite is one of the hottest places in the United States and has recorded temperatures as high as 122 °F or 50.0 °C on 28 July 1995.

There is very little precipitation with only 3.51 inches (89.2 mm) falling during an average year, while in May and June more than 80 percent of years do not have measurable rainfall. Since records began in 1928 the wettest month has been September 1939 with 6.16 inches (156.5 mm) which was part of the wettest year with 11.05 inches (280.7 mm) and featuring on September 5 the wettest day with 3.00 inches (76.2 mm). This moisture was due to the remnants of a rare Gulf of California hurricane. The driest calendar year was 1928 with 0.92 inches (23.4 mm). However, between July 2001 and August 2002 as little as 0.45 inches (11.4 mm) fell over fourteen months.

Climate data for Quartzsite (1971-2000)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 87
(31)
89
(32)
97
(36)
106
(41)
112
(44)
121
(49)
122
(50)
119
(48)
115
(46)
106
(41)
93
(34)
83
(28)
122
(50)
Average high °F (°C) 65.4
(18.6)
71.1
(21.7)
76.9
(24.9)
85.6
(29.8)
93.9
(34.4)
104.0
(40.0)
107.7
(42.1)
105.8
(41.0)
100.0
(37.8)
88.2
(31.2)
74.1
(23.4)
64.9
(18.3)
86.5
(30.3)
Average low °F (°C) 40.1
(4.5)
45.1
(7.3)
50.2
(10.1)
56.4
(13.6)
65.4
(18.6)
74.3
(23.5)
81.8
(27.7)
80.4
(26.9)
73.1
(22.8)
59.7
(15.4)
46.0
(7.8)
38.7
(3.7)
59.3
(15.2)
Record low °F (°C) 15
(−9)
22
(−6)
24
(−4)
35
(2)
40
(4)
54
(12)
66
(19)
53
(12)
47
(8)
35
(2)
27
(−3)
19
(−7)
15
(−9)
Average rainfall inches (mm) 0.52
(13)
0.51
(13)
0.33
(8.4)
0.15
(3.8)
0.05
(1.3)
0.03
(0.76)
0.21
(5.3)
0.61
(15)
0.36
(9.1)
0.33
(8.4)
0.14
(3.6)
0.27
(6.9)
3.51
(88.56)
Average rainy days (≥ 0.01 inch) 2.0 3.2 2.6 1.2 0.6 0.2 1.5 2.4 1.4 1.8 1.7 2.5 21.1
Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1980 1,193
1990 1,876 57.3%
2000 3,354 78.8%
2010 3,677 9.6%
2020 2,413 −34.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,354 people, 1,850 households, and 1,176 families residing in the town. The population density was 92.4 people per square mile (35.7/km2). There were 3,186 housing units at an average density of 87.8 per square mile (33.9/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 94.5% White, 0.2% Black or African American, 1.2% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.6% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. 5.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,850 households, out of which 5.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples living together, 2.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.4% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.81 and the average family size was 2.18.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 5.7% under the age of 18, 1.8% from 18 to 24, 7.7% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 54.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 66 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $23,053, and the median income for a family was $26,382. Males had a median income of $20,313 versus $16,080 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,889. About 7.8% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.3% of those under age 18 and 10.0% of those age 65 or over.

Tourism

Quartzsite is a popular recreational vehicle camping area for winter visitors with tourism being the major contributor to Quartzsite's economy. Nine major gem and mineral shows, and 15 general swap meet shows are very popular tourist attractions, attracting about 1.5 million people annually, mostly during January and February.

The mine in the Quartzsite was owned and operated by Jack Stetler but was shut down in 1957, upon a move to Brazil for iron ore.

HadjiAliMonument20080707
Hadji Ali grave in Quartzsite, Arizona.

Quartzsite is the burial place of Hi Jolly (Hadji Ali), an Ottoman citizen of Greek-Syrian parentage, who took part in the experimental US Camel Corps as a camel driver.

Quartzsite is also the site of Joanne's Gum Museum, which is open to the public and features a large collection of gum wrappers from around the world.

The Arizona Peace Trail goes through Quartzsite.

Transportation

The Town of Quartzsite operates demand response buses under the name Camel Express that provide weekday service to Quartzsite and La Paz Valley, weekly service to Parker, twice monthly service to Yuma and Blythe, and monthly service to Lake Havasu City. Greyhound Lines serves Quartzsite on its route from Los Angeles to Dallas. Freeways and state highways in Quartzsite include:

  • I-10.svg Interstate 10
  • Arizona 95.svg State Route 95

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Quartzsite para niños

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