Morenci is a census-designated place (CDP) and

company town A company town is a place where practically all stores and housing are owned by the one company that is also the main employer. Company towns are often planned with a suite of amenities such as stores, houses of worship, schools, markets and re ...

Greenlee County Greenlee County is a County (United States), county in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 9,563, making it Arizona's least populous county. The county seat i ...

, Arizona, United States, and was founded by the

Detroit Copper Mining Company of Arizona The Detroit Copper Mining Company was an American copper mining and smelting operation based in Morenci, Arizona. Incorporated in July 1872, it existed as an independent company until 1897, when a controlling interest in the company was purchased ...

. The population was 2000 at the 2000 census and 1,489 at the 2010 census. The biggest employer in Morenci (and in nearby

Clifton Clifton may refer to: People *Clifton (surname) *Clifton (given name) Places Australia * Clifton, Queensland, a town **Shire of Clifton *Clifton, New South Wales, a suburb of Wollongong *Clifton, Western Australia Canada *Clifton, Nova Scotia ...

) and the owner of the town is Freeport-McMoRan, the owner of the Morenci Mine, the largest copper mining operation in North America, and one of the largest copper mines in the world. The town was a site of the Arizona Copper Mine Strike of 1983. The large open-pit mine is north of the town.

Geography

Morenci is located in central Greenlee County at (33.049804, -109.327856). It lies on the northeaster border of the town of

, the county seat.

U.S. Route 191 U.S. Route 191 (US 191) is a spur of U.S. Route 91 that has two branches. The southern branch runs for from Douglas, Arizona on the Mexican border to the southern part of Yellowstone National Park. The northern branch runs for from the north ...

(the Coronado Trail) passes through the northern part of the community, leading east and downhill into Clifton and north through the Apache National Forest to

Eagar Eagar is a town in Apache County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 4,885. Eagar was first settled in 1871. History Brothers William Walter John Thomas and Joel Sixtus settled the area under the dir ...

. According to the United States Census Bureau, the Morenci CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 2.23%, is water.

Climate

This region experiences hot and dry summers, with average monthly high temperatures above 80 °F for seven months a year. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Morenci has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,879 people, 672 households, and 454 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 754 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 68.0% White, 0.5% Black or African American, 2.1% Native American, 0.5%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 25.0% from other races, and 3.9% from two or more races. 44.5% of the population were Hispanic or

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race. There were 672 households, out of which 45.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 0.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.55. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 35.6% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 34.4% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 0.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 119.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 128.7 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $46,010, and the median income for a family was $54,583. Males had a median income of $41,875 versus $26,063 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,695. About 2.7% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The economy of Morenci as well as that of the surrounding area is almost completely dependent on the Morenci Mine.Rudolf, John Collin. "Copper's Every Dip Is Felt in Arizona." ''New York Times.'' November 27, 2008. Between 2003 and 2008, the worldwide rise in copper prices led the mine to double its work force to 4,000 employees and increase production by 55 percent to an average of one million tons of ore per day. Several hundred new homes were built, leading to a boom in the construction industry. All the homes in Morenci, new and old, remain owned by Freeport-McMoRan. Image:Morenci_Mine.jpg, 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. File: Glendale-Sahuaro Central Railroad Museum-Porter 0-4-0-1887.jpg , 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. Image:MorenciConc1942.jpg, Old Morenci Concentrator, 1942 File:Azurite-Malachite-27233.jpg, Malachite and Azurite from the Morenci Mine, which produces many fine specimens for

mineral collector Mineral collecting is the hobby of systematically collecting, identifying and displaying mineral specimens. Mineral collecting can also be a part of the profession of mineralogy and allied geologic specialties. Individual collectors often sp ...

s. File:Azurite-284714.jpg, Azurite from Morenci

Education

It is in the

Morenci Unified School District Morenci Unified School District is a school district headquartered in Morenci, Arizona, United States. In addition to Morenci, the district includes Clifton Clifton may refer to: People *Clifton (surname) *Clifton (given name) Places Au ...

Notable people

Ettore DeGrazia Ettore "Ted" DeGrazia (June 14, 1909 – September 17, 1982) was an American impressionist, painter, sculptor, composer, actor, director, designer, architect, jeweler, and lithographer. Described as "the world's most reproduced artist", DeGraz ...

, Southwestern Impressionist painter *The Marines of Morenci were the nine graduates of Morenci High who enlisted as a group in the Marine Corps. Their service began on Independence Day, 1966. Only three returned home.''The Morenci Marines: A Tale of Small Town America and the Vietnam War (Modern War Studies)''; by Kyle Longley (Author); ; Publisher: University Press of Kansas; . *

Christine Nofchissey McHorse Christine McHorse (December 21, 1948 – February 17, 2021), also known as Christine Nofchissey McHorse, was a Navajo Pottery, ceramic artist from Santa Fe, New Mexico. Early life and education Born Christine Nofchissey on December 21, 1949, in ...

, Diné ceramic artist and sculptor

References

External links

* {{authority control Census-designated places in Greenlee County, Arizona Mining communities in Arizona Safford, Arizona micropolitan area Company towns in Arizona