Bisbee, Arizona
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Bisbee is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, USA, 82 miles (132 km) southeast of Tucson. It is located within a productive copper region. In 1910, 9,019 people lived here; in 1940, 5,853 people lived here. The population was 6,090 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Cochise County[Geographic references#6GR6].
History
Bisbee was founded as a copper, gold, and silver mining town in 1880, and named in honor of Judge DeWitt Bisbee, one of the financial backers of the adjacent Copper Queen Mine. Mining in the Mule Mountains proved quite successful: in the early 20th century the population of Bisbee soared. Incorporated in 1902, by 1910 its population swelled to 9,019 and it sported a constellation of suburbs, including Warren, Lowell, and San Jose, some of which had been founded on their own (ultimately less successful) mines. In 1917, open pit mining was successfully introduced to meet the heavy copper demand due to World War I. In 1917, the Phelps Dodge Corporation deported over 1000 suspected Industrial Workers of the World miners. In 1929, the county seat was moved from Tombstone, Arizona to Bisbee, where it remains.By 1950, boom times were over and the population of the City of Bisbee had dropped to less than 6,000, but the introduction of strip mining and continued underground work would see the town escape the fate of many of its early contemporaries. However, in 1974-1975, the Phelps Dodge Corporation finally halted mining operations in its massive Bisbee mine, the Lavender Pit.
The resulting exodus of mine employees might have been the end of the town. Still, as the county seat, the city's economy soldiered on. The sudden flood of real estate onto the market and crash in housing prices, coupled with an attactive climate and picturesque scenery, led to Bisbee's subsequent rebirth as an artists' colony. The rediscovery of Bisbee by baby boomers in the 1990s saw it develop a more polished look, complete with coffee shops and live theater. Many of the old houses have been renovated, and property values in Bisbee now greatly exceed those of other Southeastern Arizona cities.
Today, the original city of Bisbee is known as "Old Bisbee," and is home to a thriving downtown cultural scene. Old Bisbee is also noted for its architecture, including its Victorian houses and elegant Art Deco courthouse. The town's hilly terrain is exemplified by the old three-story high school, each floor having a ground-level entrance.
The "City of Bisbee" now includes the historic downtown Bisbee, as well as the geographically spaced but administratively combined satellite towns. Warren's small downtown is economically depressed, but its residential district houses a significant portion of the population and it boasts ownership of many public services including City Hall and the elementary and high schools. San Jose, on the southern side of the Mule Mountains, has seen the most new growth in the last two decades, as it is not restricted by mountains. It hosts many newer county government buildings and a large shopping center.
Bisbee is also known for high quality turquoise, called "Bisbee Blue".
Geography
Bisbee is located at (31.418390, -109.897772)[Geographic references#1GR1].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.5 km² (4.8 mi²), all land.
Demographics
As of the census[Geographic references#2GR2] of 2000, there were 6,090 people, 2,810 households, and 1,503 families residing in the city. The population density was 488.8/km² (1,266.3/mi²). There were 3,316 housing units at an average density of 266.2/km² (689.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.12% White, 0.46% Black or African American, 1.22% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 11.07% from other races, and 2.58% from two or more races. 34.38% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.There were 2,810 households out of which 21.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.5% were non-families. 39.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city the population was spread out with 21.6% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 24.1% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $27,942, and the median income for a family was $36,685. Males had a median income of $29,573 versus $23,269 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,129. About 12.9% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.2% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
Sites of interest
(excluding those mentioned under History)- Arizona Cactus Botanical GardenThis garden is no longer open due to the passing away of David Epple, May, 2005
- The Lavender Pit is an inactive open pit mine site in the center of the city.
- The Warren Ball Park, a baseball stadium built in 1909, has housed a number of professional teams and can make a legitimate claim as the sport's oldest park still in use.
- The Thomas Ranch a family owned and operated beef cattle ranch since 1902 the same year Bisbee was incorporated.
Sports teams
Professional:- Bisbee/Douglas Copper Kings (2003 - 2003 )Baseball
Popular culture
- On the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode originally aired December 5 2005, Bisbee is visited by Larry David. The city is misspelled "Bisby" in the episode.
- Joanna Brady is the protagonist of a series of mystery novels by author J. A. Jance, centered on the small desert town of Bisbee, Arizona.
- On the Supernatural episode "Skin," Dean claimed to be a police detective from Bisbee, Arizona.
- In 2000, the low-budget William Shatner film Groom Lake was filmed in Bisbee and surrounding areas.
- In the double-Oscar winning 1997 film L.A. Confidential, actress Kim Basinger plays Lynn Bracken, a Veronica Lake look-a-like beauty originally from Bisbee, Arizona.
- The Stephen King made-for-television 2006 movie "Desperation"[link] was filmed around Tucson and Bisbee, using several extras from Bisbee itself, including Mayor Ron Oertle and resident Betty Lindstrom, mother of football player Gabe Lindstrom.
- Actor Earl Hindman, best known for portraying Wilson W. Wilson Jr. on the sitcom Home Improvement, was born in Bisbee in 1942.
- The song "Bisbee Blue" was included on the 2006 Calexico album, Garden Ruin.
External links
- [City of Bisbee]
- [Chamber of Commerce]
- [Sierra Vista Herald/Bisbee Daily Review] (newspaper)
- [The Bisbee Observer] (newspaper)
- [The Bisbee Marquee] (web magazine)
- [Off the Wall in Bisbee Walking Tours] (historic exercise)
- [The 1917 Bisbee Deportation]
- [Bisbee photos and information at Western Mining History]
| State of Arizona |
|---|---|
| Capital
| Phoenix |
| Regions
| Grand Canyon | North Central Arizona | Northeast Arizona | Northern Arizona | Phoenix metropolitan area | Southern Arizona | Arizona Strip |
| Counties
| Apache | Cochise | Coconino | Gila | Graham | Greenlee | La Paz | Maricopa | Mohave | Navajo | Pima | Pinal | Santa Cruz | Yavapai | Yuma |
| Largest cities
| Chandler | Gilbert | Glendale | Mesa | Peoria | Phoenix | Scottsdale | Tempe | Tucson |
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