Thatcher, Arizona Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Thatcher, Arizona
Town
Spencer W. Kimball Childhood Home Marker
Location of Thatcher in Graham County, Arizona
Thatcher, Arizona Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Arizona
County	Graham
Government
• Type	Incorporated Town
Area
• Total	6.62 sq mi (17.14 km²)
• Land	6.60 sq mi (17.10 km²)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.04 km²)
Elevation	2,914 ft (888 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	5,231
• Density	792.22/sq mi (305.86/km²)
Time zone	UTC-7 (MST (no DST))
ZIP code	85552
Area code(s)	928
FIPS code	04-73420
GNIS feature ID	2413382
Website	Town of Thatcher

Thatcher is a town in Graham County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 4,865. It is part of the Safford Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Thatcher is the home of Eastern Arizona College (EAC), a college that offers two year degrees and includes a nursing school.

History
Geography
Demographics
Transportation
Notable people
Historic Brinkeroff Hotel and Spencer W. Kimball Childhood Home
See also

History

Thatcher was originally settled by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first settler was John M. Moody who arrived in Thatcher with his wife and children in 1881. The founding of Thatcher is attributed to Mormon pioneer Christopher Layton, who bought two thousand acres, named the acreage "Thatcher", divided them into lots, and sold those lots to Mormon settlers. Layton also bought a gristmill and built roads, canals and homes.

Eastern Arizona College traces its history to the St. Joseph Stake Academy started by the church in nearby Central. Central is also the location of the Gila Valley Arizona Temple.

Geography

The town is centered in the Upper Gila River Valley with one of Arizona's famous Madrean Sky Islands towering to the south and the Gila River to the north.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 6.7 square miles (17 km²), including 0.02 square miles (0.052 km²) of water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1890	320	—
1900	644	101.3%
1910	904	40.4%
1920	899	−0.6%
1930	895	−0.4%
1940	1,106	23.6%
1950	1,284	16.1%
1960	1,581	23.1%
1970	2,320	46.7%
1980	3,374	45.4%
1990	3,763	11.5%
2000	4,022	6.9%
2010	4,865	21.0%
2020	5,231	7.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,022 people, 1,281 households, and 927 families residing in the town. The population density was 919.4 inhabitants per square mile (355.0/km²). There were 1,427 housing units at an average density of 326.2 per square mile (125.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 84.7% White, 0.8% Black or African American, 1.8% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 9.9% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. 19.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,281 households, out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.3% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.94 and the average family size was 3.37.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.6% under the age of 18, 22.8% from 18 to 24, 18.9% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $32,412, and the median income for a family was $40,392. Males had a median income of $35,815 versus $20,964 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,961. 17.2% of the population lives below the poverty line.

Transportation

San Carlos Apache Nnee Bich'o Nii Transit provides transportation from Thatcher to the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, Safford and Globe. Greyhound Lines serves Thatcher on its Phoenix–El Paso via Globe route.

The Arizona Eastern Railway operates rail freight through town on a branch formerly operated by the Southern Pacific. Traffic is primarily copper products on the route between Bowie and Miami, AZ.

Notable people

Elliot Johnson, professional baseball player MLB
Spencer W. Kimball, former president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Don Lancaster, early print on demand and personal computer pioneer, involved in the keyboard design of the Apple I computer.
Jacque Mercer, Miss Arizona and Miss America, 1949.
Jess Mortensen, former coach and NCAA-champion track athlete from USC and former world record holder in decathlon.
Jeremy Nelson, award-winning visual effects artist.
Frank Wanlass, inventor of CMOS and pioneer in the field of solid-state electronics.