Clifton is a town in and the county seat of Greenlee County, Arizona, United States, along the San Francisco River. As of the 2020 census, Clifton had a population of 3,933. It was a place of the Arizona copper mine strike of 1983.

Clifton and Morenci are thought to be an economic area by the Arizona Department of Commerce.

Geography and climate

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.46%, is water. Clifton has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh) that closely borders on both the hot desert climate and the cool semi-arid climate. There is a large degree of diurnal temperature variation. Summers are very hot and sometimes humid, with most rainfall coming from the monsoon between July and October. The wettest year was 2004 with including in August, whilst the driest year with a full record was 1924 with only including a mere between July and October. Winters are mild (though with very cold nights) and dry, with snow only recorded in fourteen years since 1892.

Demographics

Racial and ethnic composition

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Racial Makeup

|-

! Race <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small> !! % 2020 !! % 2010 !! % 2000 !! Pop. 2020 !! Pop. 2010 !! Pop. 2000

|-

| White Alone (NH) || 38%|| 35.1%|| 40.4%|| 1,493|| 1,161|| 1,048

|-

| Black Alone (NH) || 0.8%|| 0.6%|| 0.6%|| 33|| 20|| 15

|-

| American Indian Alone (NH) || 3.8%|| 2.6%|| 2.2%|| 150|| 87|| 57

|-

| Asian Alone (NH) || 0.5%|| 0.6%|| 0%|| 21|| 21|| 1

|-

| Pacific Islander Alone (NH) || 0%|| 0.1%|| 0%|| 0|| 3|| 0

|-

| Other Race Alone (NH) || 0.5%|| 0.1%|| 0.1%|| 20|| 3|| 3

|-

| Multiracial (NH) || 2.4%|| 0.8%|| 0.8%|| 96|| 25|| 22

|-

| Hispanic (Any race) || 53.9%|| 60.1%|| 55.9%|| 2,120|| 1,991|| 1,450

|}

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Clifton had a population of 3,933. The median age was 30.4 years. 33.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 8.3% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 108.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 110.7 males age 18 and over.

There were 1,336 households in Clifton, of which 46.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 49.9% were married-couple households, 26.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 17.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2000, there were 2,596 people, 919 households, and 685 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,087 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 67.1% White, 1.0 Black or African American, 2.3% Native American, <0.1% Asian, 26.7% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. 55.9% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 919 households, out of which 41.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.4% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% 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 3.27.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 32.3% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 109.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $39,786, and the median income for a family was $41,820. Males had a median income of $39,813 versus $19,485 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,313. About 8.1% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.4% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The town of Clifton operates under a council-manager form of government with seven elected council members, including a mayor and vice-mayor, and a town manager appointed by the council. Each council member is elected to a four-year term. , the mayor since 2023 has been Laura Dorrell. In 2018, Town Manager Ian McGaughey left his position. His replacement, Heather Ruder, resigned six months later. The next year, Rudy H. Perez Jr. was selected. On 15 July 2024, Perez was fired.

Transportation

Clifton is served by U.S. Route 191, Greenlee County Airport, and the Arizona Eastern Railway.

Education

Since the closure of Clifton Unified School District in 2010, it is now in the Morenci Unified School District.

<gallery class="center">

File:Hoveys_Dance_Hall_in_Clifton_Arizona_1884.jpg|Hovey's Dance Hall in Clifton in 1884

File:Clifton in 1903.jpg|Clifton in 1903

File:Clifton Cliff Jail Clifton Arizona Circa 1900.jpg|The Clifton Cliff Jail, sometime before it closed in 1906

File:Clifton Hotsprings.jpg|Clifton Mineral Hot Springs Bathhouse, which was built in 1928

File:Clifton Townsite Historic District.jpg|Clifton Townsite Historic District in 1993

</gallery>

See also

  • List of historic properties in Clifton, Arizona
  • Clifton Townsite Historic District

References

  • Clifton at Western Mining History, includes photo gallery
  • Clifton (Historic Main Street Only) – ghosttowns.com