Douglas is a city in
Cochise County, Arizona
Cochise County ( ) is a county in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is named after Cochise, a Chiricahua Apache who was a key war leader during the Apache Wars.
The population was 125,447 at the 2020 census. The count ...
, United States, that lies in the north-west to south-east running
Sulphur Springs Valley. Douglas has a
border crossing
Border control comprises measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it als ...
with
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
at
Agua Prieta
Agua Prieta ("dark water") is a town in the Agua Prieta Municipality in the northeastern corner of the Mexican state of Sonora. It stands on the Mexico–U.S. border, adjacent to the town of Douglas, Arizona, Douglas, Arizona. The municipality c ...
and a history of
mining
Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...
.
The population was 16,531 in the 2020 Census.
History

The Douglas area was first settled by the Spanish in the 18th century.
Presidio de San Bernardino
The Presidio de San Bernardino, or Camp San Berdardino Springs was originally the site of a Spanish fortress built in 1776 and abandoned in 1780. It was located a few miles east of present-day Douglas, Arizona (Gerald 1968). In 1883, a temporary ...
was established in 1776 and abandoned in 1780. It was located a few miles east of present-day Douglas. The
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
established Camp San Bernardino in the latter half of the 19th century near the presidio, and in 1910 Camp Douglas was built next to the town.
Douglas was founded as an American
smelter
Smelting is a process of applying heat and a chemical reducing agent to an ore to extract a desired base metal product. It is a form of extractive metallurgy that is used to obtain many metals such as iron, copper, silver, tin, lead and zin ...
town, to treat the
copper
Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...
ores of nearby
Bisbee, Arizona
Bisbee is a city in and the county seat of Cochise County, Arizona, Cochise County in southeastern Arizona, United States. It is southeast of Tucson, Arizona, Tucson and north of the Mexican border. According to the 2020 United States census, ...
. The town is named after mining pioneer Dr.
James Douglas and was incorporated in 1905.
Two copper smelters operated at the site. The Calumet and Arizona Company Smelter was built in 1902. The Copper Queen operated in Douglas from 1904 until 1931, when the
Phelps Dodge Corporation purchased the Calumet and Arizona Company and took over their smelter. The Calumet and Arizona smelter then became the Douglas Reduction Works. Douglas was the site of the Phelps-Dodge Corporation Douglas Reduction Works until its closure in 1987. The smoke stacks of the smelter were not taken down until January 13, 1991. The town was the site of the
Arizona Copper Mine Strike of 1983.
The "Cowboys Home Saloon" was the location of the fatal shooting of bar owner Lorenzo "Lon" Bass. The accused was
Arizona Ranger William W. Webb. The date was February 8, 1903.
In 1916, the Mexican revolutionary leader
Pancho Villa
Francisco "Pancho" Villa ( , , ; born José Doroteo Arango Arámbula; 5 June 1878 – 20 July 1923) was a Mexican revolutionary and prominent figure in the Mexican Revolution. He was a key figure in the revolutionary movement that forced ...
threatened to attack Douglas, believing Americans responsible for his defeat at the
Second Battle of Agua Prieta.
On June 23, 1926, missing evangelist
Aimee Semple McPherson was found collapsed near a road at the adjacent Mexican town of
Agua Prieta
Agua Prieta ("dark water") is a town in the Agua Prieta Municipality in the northeastern corner of the Mexican state of Sonora. It stands on the Mexico–U.S. border, adjacent to the town of Douglas, Arizona, Douglas, Arizona. The municipality c ...
. She was driven into Douglas and told a story of kidnap, torture and escape as she convalesced at Calumet Hospital. There, large crowds gathered, anxious to see the famous Canadian-American celebrity minister. She had earlier disappeared from a beach near
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and was believed drowned. For a period of several weeks, Douglas enjoyed a brisk tourist boom as police, reporters and others visited the town and the nearby desert to investigate her story. The ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' wrote, "Mrs. McPherson put Douglas square on the map and the citizens here appear grateful that it was in Douglas she sought refuge."
In 1989, the
Sinaloa Cartel dug a tunnel between a house in
Agua Prieta
Agua Prieta ("dark water") is a town in the Agua Prieta Municipality in the northeastern corner of the Mexican state of Sonora. It stands on the Mexico–U.S. border, adjacent to the town of Douglas, Arizona, Douglas, Arizona. The municipality c ...
to a warehouse located in Douglas that it used to smuggle drugs across the international border. It was discovered in May 1990. Following its discovery, the Cartel refocused their smuggling operations towards
Tijuana
Tijuana is the most populous city of the Mexican state of Baja California, located on the northwestern Pacific Coast of Mexico. Tijuana is the municipal seat of the Tijuana Municipality, the hub of the Tijuana metropolitan area and the most popu ...
and
Otay Mesa, San Diego where it acquired a warehouse in 1992. Other tunnels would also later be built in Arizona including sites at
Naco and
Nogales.
The town has been physically divided from Agua Prieta with a tall
border wall built
under President George W. Bush.
Geography
Douglas is located near the southeastern corner of Arizona on the
U.S.-Mexico border, across from the city of
Agua Prieta
Agua Prieta ("dark water") is a town in the Agua Prieta Municipality in the northeastern corner of the Mexican state of Sonora. It stands on the Mexico–U.S. border, adjacent to the town of Douglas, Arizona, Douglas, Arizona. The municipality c ...
,
Sonora
Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de 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 divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...
.
U.S. Route 191 leads north from Douglas to
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...
near
Willcox.
Arizona State Route 80 leads west to
Bisbee and northeast to Interstate 10 in
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
.
Climate
Douglas has a
semi-arid
A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a aridity, dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below Evapotranspiration#Potential evapotranspiration, potential evapotranspiration, but not as l ...
steppe climate, which is cooler and wetter than a typical
arid
Aridity is the condition of geographical regions which make up approximately 43% of total global available land area, characterized by low annual precipitation, increased temperatures, and limited water availability.Perez-Aguilar, L. Y., Plata ...
climate classification. In the winter months, Douglas averages in the mid to upper 60s °F (17–21 °C), with both January and February averaging daily highs of . Lows typically settle just below the freezing mark on a majority of nights, but it is not uncommon to see temperatures tumble below on some winter nights.
On the other hand, in the summer months, highs average between , with the month of June being the hottest with an average daytime high of . Nighttime lows for the summer months remain in the upper 50s and mid 60s °F (14–18 °C) for the duration of the season. June and July typically see or more of combined rainfall, which brings the average annual
precipitation
In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, rain and snow mixed ("sleet" in Commonwe ...
for Douglas to about .
Douglas' all-time highest recorded temperature is which was reached in July 1905. The all-time low temperature was , which occurred in January 1913.
Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 17,509 people, 4,986 households, and 3,662 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 5,652 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 68.2% white, 2.8% black or African-American, 1.7% American Indian or Alaska Native, 0.5% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, 24.2% some other race, and 2.6% two or more races. 82.6% of the population were
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or Latino of any race.
There were 4,986 households, out of which 45.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were headed by married couples living together, 24.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.6% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% were someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.98, and the average family size was 3.56.
In the city, the age distribution of the population was 28.2% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 120.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 127.4 males.
For the period 2008–12, the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $28,548, and the median income for a family was $33,117. Male full-time workers had a median income of $25,853 versus $31,222 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $13,376. About 25.1% of families and 30.2% 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 ...
, including 36.8% of those under age 18 and 29.0% of those age 65 or over.
Cityscape
Arts and culture

Douglas is home to the historic
Gadsden Hotel, which opened in 1907. Named for the
Gadsden Purchase
The Gadsden Purchase ( "La Mesilla sale") is a region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico that the United States acquired from Mexico by the Treaty of Mesilla, which took effect on June 8, 1854. The purchase included lan ...
, the stately five-story, 160-room hotel became a home away from home for cattlemen, ranchers, miners, and businessmen. The hotel was leveled by fire and rebuilt in 1929. The Gadsden is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Gadsden's spacious main lobby is majestically set with a solid white Italian marble staircase and four soaring marble columns. A stained glass window mural by 5th generation Artisan Ralph Baker, who studied under Louis Comfort Tiffany, extends across the eastern wall of the massive mezzanine. The mural of the Southwest Desert is an adaptive work of art that changes colors and depths throughout the day and seasons including the sunrising on the horizon of the mural. An impressive oil painting by
Audley Dean Nicols is just below the Tiffany-style window. Vaulted stained glass skylights run the full length of the lobby.
The
San Bernardino Ranch, 14 miles east of the town of Douglas, was originally established in Mexico and covered thousands of acres. The new US-Mexico border of the Gadsden Purchase sliced through the ranch, thus reducing its US size. Today the ranch is called "Slaughter Ranch," named after the lawman
John Slaughter, who owned the ranch in the late 19th century and early 20th century.
The
El Paso and Southwestern Railroad depot was an important train station. It transported copper to large manufacturing concerns in the east. The depot is considered one of the finest examples of railway architecture of the early 20th century. The building is now used for the Douglas police station and is just one of 400 buildings on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in Douglas.
The
Douglas Grand Theatre was built in 1919 and was the largest theater between Los Angeles and
San Antonio
San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...
.
Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers (born Virginia Katherine McMath; July 16, 1911 – April 25, 1995) was an American actress, dancer and singer during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. She won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her starri ...
,
Anna Pavlova
Anna Pavlovna Pavlova. (born Anna Matveyevna Pavlova; – 23 January 1931) was a Russian prima ballerina. She was a principal artist of the Imperial Russian Ballet and the Ballets Russes of Sergei Diaghilev, but is most recognized for creating ...
and
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa ( , ; November 6, 1854 – March 6, 1932) was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic music, Romantic era known primarily for American military March (music), marches. He is known as "The March King" or th ...
are some of the famous faces to have graced the theater's stage. It also housed a tea room, candy store and barbershop in its glory days. For several Halloweens the Grand Theater was used as a "Haunted House" attraction. Today (2009) the theater is undergoing reconstruction, using private donations of money, supplies and labor.
Cemeteries
The Douglas Jewish Cemetery was founded in 1904 near the Mexican border. It has nineteen recorded graves, and thirteen of the tombstones are not necessarily on the correct grave sites due to extensive vandalism. The cemetery was in use from 1912 to 1963. The cemetery was restored, re-fenced and cleaned in 1992 by students and numerous others. The cemetery is included in the State of Arizona of Historical Places.
Government
Jose Grijalva is the 33rd Mayor of the city. He currently chairs the Finance Committee, overseeing the city's financial matters.
Transportation
The city of Douglas operates Douglas Rides, which provides local transportation. The city also operates Cochice Connection, which provides connections between Douglas,
Bisbee, and
Sierra Vista. Private shuttle services connect Douglas with
Tucson
Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...
and Phoenix.
Douglas is connected to
Agua Prieta
Agua Prieta ("dark water") is a town in the Agua Prieta Municipality in the northeastern corner of the Mexican state of Sonora. It stands on the Mexico–U.S. border, adjacent to the town of Douglas, Arizona, Douglas, Arizona. The municipality c ...
by the
Douglas, Arizona Port of Entry. Also,
Douglas Airport is located here. There are no airline services at this airport.
Education
Public schools
The
Douglas Unified School District is responsible for public education. Schools include:
* Clawson Elementary School
* Douglas High School
* Faras Elementary School
* Joe Carlson Elementary School
* Paul H. Huber Middle School
* Sarah Marley Elementary School
* Stevenson Elementary School
* Ray Borane Middle School
Private schools
* CAS Elementary, Middle, and High School
* Loretto Catholic School
* Omega Alpha Academy K-12 Charter School (Charter schools are public schools.)
Notable people
*
John D. Driggs, 50th mayor of
Phoenix
*
Manny Farber, stylist, film critic, and painter
*
Evelyn Finley, actress and Hollywood stuntwoman
*
Harold L. Humes (1926–1992), novelist and founder of ''
The Paris Review
''The Paris Review'' is a quarterly English-language literary magazine established in Paris in 1953 by Harold L. Humes, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton. In its first five years, ''The Paris Review'' published new works by Jack Kerouac, ...
'' literary magazine
*
Stan Jones (1914–1963), musician
*
Robert Krentz, rancher who was murdered in 2010 by a suspected undocumented immigrant.
*
Gil Lefebvre
Gilbert "Frenchy" Lefebvre (March 10, 1910 – May 7, 1987) was an American football player. He played professional football for the Cincinnati Reds from 1933 to 1934. In December 1933, he set an NFL record with a 98-yard punt return that was ...
(1910–1987), football player
*
Lorna E. Lockwood, first female chief justice of a state supreme court
*
Bill Melendez, animator, film producer, and film director; best known as the voice of Snoopy and Woodstock
*
Mike Pagel, former NFL quarterback
*
Jack Lund Schofield, Nevada state legislator
*
"Texas John" Slaughter, Cochise County Sheriff (1841–1922) and a champion for Arizona's statehood
*
Effie Anderson Smith (1869–1955), impressionist painter of desert landscapes
*
Thornton Wilder
Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes, for the novel ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and ''The Skin of Our Teeth'', and a U. ...
, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and novelist
In popular culture
* ''
The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean
''The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean'' is a 1972 American Western comedy film written by John Milius, directed by John Huston, and starring Paul Newman. It is loosely based on the life of American saloon-keeper and Justice of the Peace in ...
'' (1972)
* ''
Arizona Dream'' (1993)
* ''
Pontiac Moon'' (1994)
* ''
Terminal Velocity
Terminal velocity is the maximum speed attainable by an object as it falls through a fluid (air is the most common example). It is reached when the sum of the drag force (''Fd'') and the buoyancy is equal to the downward force of gravity (''FG ...
'' (1994)
References
External links
City of Douglas official websiteGreater Douglas Chamber of Commerce
"The Smelter City of the Southwest" ''National Magazine'', July 1905 (with historic photos)
{{authority control
Cities in Arizona
Cities in Cochise County, Arizona
Micropolitan areas of Arizona
Mexico–United States border crossings
Populated places established in 1905
1905 establishments in Arizona Territory