__NOTOC__ Sasabe ( ood, Ṣaṣawk) is a small

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

in the

Altar Valley The Altar Valley is a 45-mile (72 km) long north–south valley, trending slightly northeast from Sasabe, Arizona on the Mexico border to the Avra Valley west of the Tucson Mountains. It is delimited by Arizona State Route 86, from east-to-w ...

of southern

Pima County Pima County ( ) is a county in the south central region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,043,433, making it Arizona's second-most populous county. The county seat is Tucson, where most of the population ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

, United States, immediately north of the international border with

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

. It hosts a minor

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...

crossing, an adobe sales outlet, a public school, a guest ranch, a general store with fuel pumps, a weekend bar, and a post office serving the ZIP Code of 85633. In 2010, the population of the 85633 ZCTA, including Sasabe, was 54.

History

The name Sasabe is derived from the Native American language of the Tohono O'odham (formerly Papago) meaning "head valley". The post office was established at Sasabe in 1905. Sasabe is best known for its historic Rancho de la Osa

guest ranch A guest ranch, also known as a dude ranch, is a type of ranch oriented towards visitors or tourism. It is considered a form of agritourism. History Guest ranches arose in response to the romanticization of the American West that began to occur ...

, formerly the headquarters of a three million acre (12,000 km²) Spanish

land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

. Some ranch buildings reportedly date to the late 17th century. The guest ranch opened in 1921. Guests have included Presidents

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

and

Lyndon Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

. On average, 165 cars, trucks, or pedestrians per day passed through the

Sasabe Port of Entry The Sasabe, Arizona Port of Entry has been in existence since 1916, and was substantially renovated during the early 1990s. During the renovation, the historic 1930s-era border station, which was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic P ...

in 2011. Sasabe, Arizona is smaller than its sister community, El Sásabe,

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...

, which is known for its burnt-

adobe Adobe ( ; ) is a building material made from earth and organic materials. is Spanish for ''mudbrick''. In some English-speaking regions of Spanish heritage, such as the Southwestern United States, the term is used to refer to any kind of e ...

brickyard A brickyard or brickfield is a place or yard where bricks are made, fired, and stored, or sometimes sold or otherwise distributed from. Brick makers work in a brick yard. A brick yard may be constructed near natural sources of clay or on o ...

s. In the 2018–2019 school year, the local school served 28 children in grades K-8.

Geography

Sasabe is seated on an arid, gently rolling sand-plain relieved only by scatter shrub trees and grass hummocks. Much of the area north and east of Sasabe is within the

Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge (Buenos Aires NWR) provides of habitat for threatened and endangered plants and animals. This refuge, in Pima County, Arizona, was established in 1985. Natural history The semidesert grassland supports the r ...

. In 2006, of the refuge that border Mexico east of Sasabe were closed to public entry due to problems with smugglers and unauthorized border crossings.Closure order
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Climate

Sasabe has a

semi-arid A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of semi-ar ...

climate (

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

: ''BSh'') with mild winters and very hot summers.

References

External links

*
Sasabe at Google maps

Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge

LIFE Magazine article (Mar. 28, 1960) about town for sale
{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Pima County, Arizona History of Pima County, Arizona Unincorporated communities in Arizona

History

Geography

Climate

See also

References

External links