Morenci, Arizona

Morenci, Arizona
CDP
Morenci, about 1910
Location in Greenlee County and the state of Arizona Location in Greenlee County and the state of Arizona
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Arizona
County	Greenlee
Area
• Total	0.8 sq mi (2.1 km2)
• Land	0.8 sq mi (2.1 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	4,747 ft (1,447 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	1,879
• Density	2,348.8/sq mi (894.8/km2)
Time zone	MST (no DST) (UTC-7)
ZIP code	85540
Area code(s)	928
FIPS code	04-47610
GNIS feature ID	0032021

Morenci is a census-designated place (CDP) in Greenlee County, Arizona, United States. The population was 1,879 at the 2000 census. The biggest employer in Morenci (and in nearby Clifton) 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 at (33.049804, -109.327856).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²), all land.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. 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 2,317.4 people per square mile (895.7/km²). There were 754 housing units at an average density of 929.9 per square mile (359.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 67.96% White, 0.48% Black or African American, 2.13% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 24.91% from other races, and 3.94% from two or more races. 44.54% of the population were Hispanic or Latino 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 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. 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.

• 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.

• MorenciConc1942.jpg

  Old Morenci Concentrator, 1942

• Azurite-Malachite-27233.jpg

  Malachite and Azurite from the Morenci Mine, which produces many fine specimens for mineral collectors.

• Azurite-284714.jpg

  Azurite from Morenci

Notable people

• Ettore DeGrazia, Southwestern Impressionist painter.

Further reading

• The Morenci Marines: A Tale of Small Town America and the Vietnam War (Modern War Studies); by Kyle Longley (Author); ISBN 0700619348; Publisher: University Press of Kansas; ASIN: B00RKX07XU.

See also

• Phelps-Dodge Corporation, former owner of the mine, acquired by Freeport-McMoRan in 2007