Safford, Arizona
Encyclopedia
History
Safford was founded by Joshua Eaton Bailey, Hiram Kennedy and Edward Tuttle, who came from Gila Bend, in southwestern ArizonaArizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
. They left Gila Bend in the winter of 1873-74; their work on canals and dams having been destroyed by high water the previous summer. Upon arrival early in 1874, the villagers laid out the town site, including a few crude buildings.
The town is named after Arizona Territorial Governor Anson P.K. Safford
Anson P.K. Safford
Anson Pacely Killen SaffordVarious sources give multiple variations for the spelling of Safford's two middle names. Among these are Peasley, Peacely, Keeler, and Killen. was the third Governor of Arizona Territory...
.
The Town of Safford was incorporated October 10, 1901, and changed to City of Safford in 1955.
Economy
The city's largest employers are Freeport-McMoRan Copper and GoldFreeport-McMoRan
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc., often called simply Freeport, is the world's lowest-cost copper producer and one of the world's largest producers of gold...
, Safford Unified Schools
Safford Unified School District
The Safford Unified School District is the school district that serves the City of Safford, Arizona and some minor outlying areas.-Headquarters:The SUSD Headquarters is located adjacent to the Safford Middle School campus.-Transportation:...
, and Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
. Recently, Freeport-McMoRan opened two mining facilities just north of the city that make up the largest new mining operation in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Arizona State Prison Complex - Safford
Arizona State Prison Complex - Safford
Arizona State Prison Complex – Safford is one of 13 prison facilities operated by the Arizona Department of Corrections . ASPC-Safford is located in Safford, Graham County, Arizona, 173 miles southeast from the state capital of Phoenix, Arizona....
also employs many residents, as does the Federal Correctional Institution, Safford. Agriculture is considered to be a main economic product with cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
fields and a gin
Cotton gin
A cotton gin is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed painstakingly by hand...
located in the city.
Transportation
The community is served by a freight rail line, the Arizona Eastern Railway, and hosts an air facility, Safford Regional AirportSafford Regional Airport
Safford Regional Airport is a city-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles east of the central business district of Safford, a city in Graham County, Arizona, United States. The airport is included in the FAA's National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2009–2013, which...
. Additionally the Arizona Department of Transportation
Arizona Department of Transportation
The Arizona Department of Transportation is an Arizona state government agency charged with facilitating mobility within the state. In addition to managing the state's highway system, the agency is also involved with public transportation and municipal airports...
is upgrading U.S. Route 191
U.S. Route 191
U.S. Route 191 is a spur of U.S. Route 91 that has two branches. The southern branch runs for 1,465 miles from Douglas, Arizona on the Mexican border to the southern part of Yellowstone National Park. The northern branch runs for 440 miles from the northern part of Yellowstone National Park to...
from Interstate 10
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 is the fourth-longest Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90, I-80, and I-40. It is the southernmost east–west, coast-to-coast Interstate Highway, although I-4 and I-8 are further south. It stretches from the Pacific Ocean at State Route 1 in Santa Monica,...
into a full four lane highway. ADOT is considering putting a U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 70
U.S. Route 70 is an east–west United States highway that runs for 2,385 miles from eastern North Carolina to east-central Arizona. As can be derived from its number, it is a major east–west highway of the Southern and Southwestern United States...
loop south of the city that would run from Swift Trail Junction
Swift Trail Junction, Arizona
Swift Trail Junction is a census-designated place in Graham County, Arizona, United States. The population was 2,195 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Safford Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
to Thatcher
Thatcher, Arizona
Thatcher is a town in Graham County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 4,865. It is part of the Safford Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Thatcher is located at ....
.
Education
The Safford Unified School DistrictSafford Unified School District
The Safford Unified School District is the school district that serves the City of Safford, Arizona and some minor outlying areas.-Headquarters:The SUSD Headquarters is located adjacent to the Safford Middle School campus.-Transportation:...
serves the entire city of Safford and some minor outlying areas. The nearby Eastern Arizona College
Eastern Arizona College
Eastern Arizona College , is a community college located in Graham County, Arizona. The main campus is in Thatcher, with satellite locations in Gila County, and Greenlee County...
provides higher education services, and a University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
agricultural extension is located to the east of the city.
Legislation has been suggested in state committee to transform the nearby Eastern Arizona College
Eastern Arizona College
Eastern Arizona College , is a community college located in Graham County, Arizona. The main campus is in Thatcher, with satellite locations in Gila County, and Greenlee County...
from its present status as a two year community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
into a full four-year educational institution.
Safford is also home to Discovery Park, a unique public educational destination facility with features such as a Hall of Science, a small railway, and a restored Sonoran riparian water feature.
The Safford City-Graham County Library
Safford City-Graham County Library
The Safford City-Graham County Library is a public library in Safford, Arizona serving Graham County, Greenlee County and Gila County. It is known locally by the abbreviated Safford Library.It currently has 13,625 active users.-Library Today:...
provides citizens of Safford with books, computers, free classes, childhood literacy programs and entertainment. It serves 13,625 total citizens between Graham, Greenlee and Gila counties.
Public safety
The city of Safford is served by the Safford Police DepartmentSafford Police Department
The Safford Police Department is the municipal police agency serving the city of Safford, Arizona, United States, and some outlying areas. It serves approximately 10,000 people....
, headed by chief John Griffin. Additional law enforcement services are provided by the Graham County Sheriff's Office
Graham County Sheriff's Office
The Graham County Sheriff's Office is a local law enforcement agency that serves Graham County, Arizona. It provides general-service law enforcement to unincorporated areas of Graham County, serving as the equivalent of the police for unincorporated areas of the county. It also operates the county...
.
Fire protection is provided by the Safford Volunteer Fire Department. The department was organized August 7, 1907, with a Fire Chief and seven other town volunteers. Today, Safford’s volunteer Fire Department consists of a Fire Chief and twenty-seven other city volunteers. The department responds to more than 200 calls per year. The department services the city’s 5 square miles (13 km²) as well as encompassing an area of 110 square miles (284.9 km²) outside the city.
Observatories
Due to Safford's relatively isolated position, the area has been chosen as a prime spot for hosting observatories. Safford and Thatcher's street lights are even low-output to improve the quality of the images taken by the observatories atop the mountain to the southwest of the city. The mountain for which the county is named, Mount GrahamMount Graham
Mount Graham is a mountain in southeastern Arizona in the United States, in the Coronado National Forest. It is the highest mountain in the Pinaleño Mountains. As the name "Mount Graham" is often used by locals to refer to the entire mountain range, the peak itself is frequently referred to as...
, is just a few miles southwest of the city. The mountain is home to the Mount Graham International Observatory
Mount Graham International Observatory
Mount Graham International Observatory is a division of Steward Observatory the research arm for the Department of Astronomy at The University of Arizona. It is located in southeast Arizona's Pinaleno Mountains near Mount Graham....
(MGIO) and Large Binocular Telescope
Large Binocular Telescope
Large Binocular Telescope is an optical telescope for astronomy located on Mount Graham in the Pinaleno Mountains of southeastern Arizona, and is a part of the Mount Graham International Observatory...
, or LBT. It, when completed, will be the largest binocular telescope in the world. The mountain also is home to the Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope
Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope
The Vatican Advanced Technology Telescope, aka the VATT, is a 1.8 meter Gregorian telescope observing in the optical and infrared. It is part of the Mount Graham International Observatory. It is situated on Mount Graham in southeast Arizona, and it achieved 'first light', the first starlight to...
, or VATT. It is also home to the Heinrich Hertz Submillimeter Telescope
Heinrich Hertz Submillimeter Telescope
The Submillimeter Telescope , formerly known as the Heinrich Hertz Submillimeter Telescope, is a submillimeter wavelength radio telescope located on Mount Graham, Arizona. It is a 10-meter-wide parabolic dish inside a building to protect it from bad weather. The building front doors and roof are...
, or SMT. The Mount Graham International Observatory complex is operated by the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
.
In popular culture
Safford is the setting for the 1985 Albert BrooksAlbert Brooks
Albert Lawrence Brooks is an American actor, voice actor, writer, comedian and director. He received an Academy Award nomination in 1987 for his role in Broadcast News...
comedy Lost In America
Lost in America
Lost in America is a 1985 comedy film directed by Albert Brooks that was co-written by Brooks with Monica McGowan Johnson. Brooks stars alongside Julie Hagerty.-Plot:...
. Safford is also the setting for the Jim W. Coleman book Omens.
Notable natives
- D.J. Carrasco—MLBMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcher for the New York MetsNew York MetsThe New York Mets are a professional baseball team based in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York. They belong to Major League Baseball's National League East Division. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed National League... - Michael EnsignMichael Ensign- Early life :Ensign was born in Safford, Arizona and was raised in both the United States and England. He trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and spent the first ten years of his professional career working in the theatre in Britain.- Career :...
—Actor - Elliot JohnsonElliot Johnson (baseball)Elliot Tyler Johnson is a Major League Baseball second baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays.-Major league career:...
—MLBMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
second baseman for the Tampa Bay RaysTampa Bay RaysThe Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field... - Fred MortensenFred MortensenFred Mortensen is a former college football player at Arizona State University.In the 1990s He also served as a high school Football coach for the Tempe High School Buffalo Varsity football team where his son Todd Mortensen Attended. Fred quarterbacked Tempe High to the state finals in 1971...
—Former NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
quarterback for the Denver BroncosDenver BroncosThe Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
and Washington RedskinsWashington RedskinsThe Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...