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Clarkdale, Arizona
Population: 3,422
Located in Yavapai County
Clarkdale, Arizona The Town of Clarkdale is located on the banks of the Verde River in the north central part of Arizona. It is a thriving community and is the gateway to the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Area in the beautiful Verde Valley. Founded in 1911, Clarkdale is renowned as the first master planned community in the State of Arizona. Originally a ?company town?, Clarkdale was founded by the United Verde Copper Company to provide housing and services for the employees of their copper smelter.
Unlike other company towns of the period that grew haphazardly, Clarkdale was designed and built from a unified master plan. The main town site was located on a ridge overlooking the industrial smelter complex and was developed with residential homes, including upper and lower-income housing, a commercial area, an administrative center, schools, recreational and cultural facilities, and parks. They intended to include all the parts typically found in a small town within a comprehensive planned design. Today, the original town site of Clarkdale is recognized as an Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places.
Clarkdale remains a model of good urban planning today. The original rail line that served the smelter is now host to a scenic excursion train, the Verde Canyon Railroad, which allows travelers a four-hour round trip to view the protected ecosystem of the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Area and Verde River firsthand. In addition to the excursion branch, the Arizona Central Railroad (the parent company of the Verde Canyon Railroad) ships materials by rail to Salt River Materials Group, a local cement manufacturer.
Clarkdale?s historic Downtown Business District boasts many treasured historic assets, and is the center of Clarkdale?s government, cultural, and historic core. The Town and the business owners in the downtown area have invested heavily to keep the town core thriving. Approximately $1.5 million in streetscape improvements in the Downtown Business District were completed in March, 2005. The Downtown Business District provides a little of everything from a business perspective: a restaurant, taverns, coffee house, antique store, service station, light manufacturing, a Laundromat, and several internet based businesses. Two museums and the Clarkdale Chamber of Commerce information center will also open in the downtown district in 2005. The Old Town Players perform community theatre in the Clark Memorial Clubhouse.
Beyond the original town site, Clarkdale occupies approximately 10.1 square miles in the Verde Valley. Clarkdale is home to the Yavapai College Verde Campus, the Northern Arizona Regional Skill Center and the Small Business Development Center and, soon, the new Academic Resource Center. High school students in Clarkdale attend Mingus Union High School, and the Clarkdale-Jerome Elementary School boasts an excellent reputation for educating our students from Kindergarten through Eighth Grade.
The Verde River bisects the north portion of the town at a low elevation of around 3,300 feet. The west side of the town boundary is located along the foothills of Mingus Mountain in the Black Hills Range at a high elevation of approximately 4,600 feet above sea level. On the northeast border of Clarkdale, the National Park service operates the 42-acre Tuzigoot National Monument, an 800 year old Sinagua pueblo, which is surrounded by hiking trails and hosts a complete museum. Tavasci Marsh borders Tuzigoot National Monument and has been designated as an Important Birding Area by the North American Audubon Society. Arizona State Parks also manages portions of the Verde River Greenway along the Verde River in Clarkdale. The Town is surrounded by lands of the Prescott National Forest to the west and lands of the Coconino National Forest to the east. In addition, trust lands of the Yavapai-Apache Nation are located within the town boundary.
The education system in the Verde Valley is one that has maintained local control to respond to the needs of the community while preserving the accountability standards mandated by state and federal governments. In standardized testing Verde Valley schools have performed in the upper half of the state standards. With only two exceptions all schools have been labeled as Maintaining or Improving in the state standards. There are a wide range of programs that encourage diversity, respect, academic excellence and career exploration in all schools.
The community support for schools is strong, as is parent involvement. There have been numerous prestigious scholarships awarded to Verde Valley students. Cottonwood has one high school and five elementary schools. Two post-secondary college opportunities allow students to earn degrees up to the Masters level locally. Verde Valley Medical Center (VVMC) is a technologically advanced 99-bed hospital serving North Central Arizona. VVMC is located in Cottonwood, with views of the red rock splendor of Sedona. This non-profit facility is governed by a volunteer board of directors, sharing a common goal of continuous quality improvement, technology advancement and service expansion.
Limitless adventures await the tourist, in the Verde Valley. Nowhere else in Arizona will you experience the wide range of activities and experiences you will find in our area.
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