Tacna is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the count ...

(CDP) in Yuma County,

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. The population was 555 at the 2000 census, and 602 as of 2010. It is part of the Yuma

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

History

By 1859, the

Butterfield Overland Mail Butterfield Overland Mail (officially the Overland Mail Company)Waterman L. Ormsby, edited by Lyle H. Wright and Josephine M. Bynum, "The Butterfield Overland Mail", The Huntington Library, San Marino, California, 1991. was a stagecoach service i ...

stagecoach company had opened the Antelope Peak Station at the foot of Antelope Hill.R. Gwinn Vivian
"An archaeological survey of the lower Gila River, Arizona"
''The Kiva: Journal of the Arizona Archaeological Society'', vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 95–146, April 1965. A

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...

named Tacna was created following the building of the Southern Pacific Railroad in the 1870s, but did not last long. The name Tacna subsequently only referred to a

railroad siding A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line, branch line, or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end. Sidings often have lighte ...

serving as a watering station."Places"
''Yuma County AZGenWeb'', retrieved 23 October, 2022. The town of Tacna was founded by Max B. Noah in the early 1920s, named after the railroad stop. At the time he sold the town in 1941, it contained a post office and a restaurant called Noah's Ark. After the town's sale, the post office was relocated four miles east, and the original railroad siding was renamed to Noah. There is an apocryphal story that the name Tacna is derived from ''Tachnopolis'', a Greek priest from California who is supposed to have settled amongst the native population. This claim appears to be entirely an invention of Noah.

Geography

Tacna is located along Interstate 8 within the Mohawk Valley and just south of the Gila River.''Arizona Atlas & Gazetteer,'' DeLorme, 4th ed., 2001, p. 63, It is east of the Yuma Metropolitan Statical Area. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the CDP has a total area of , all land.

Climate

Demographics

At the 2000 census there were 555 people, 194 households, and 149 families in the CDP. The population density was . There were 281 housing units at an average density of . The

racial makeup A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...

of the CDP was 67% White, 1% Black or African American, 1% Native American, 1% Asian, 25% from other races, and 6% from two or more races. 51% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. Of the 194 households 37% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66% were married couples living together, 7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23% were non-families. 18% of households were one person and 9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.25. The age distribution was 30% under the age of 18, 8% from 18 to 24, 26% from 25 to 44, 19% from 45 to 64, and 17% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males. The median household income was $25,556 and the median family income was $26,354. Males had a median income of $26,875 versus $23,750 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $11,197. About 22% of families and 25% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 34% of those under age 18 and 14% of those age 65 or over.

References

{{authority control Census-designated places in Yuma County, Arizona