Douglas, Arizona
Population: 14,312
Located in Cochise County
Surrounding the City of Douglas in southeastern Arizona is an area that has been a crossroad of cultures for centuries. Native Americans, Spaniards and Mexicans, and Anglo-Americans alike have experienced the beauty of the desert and the surrounding mountains. The copper-laden Mule Mountains are to the west, the Swisshelm and Perilla ranges to the east and the mighty Chiricahuas to the north. The high desert climate brings Douglas sunny days, moderate daytime temperatures and cool nights under skies not obscured by city lights. Just to the south of Douglas is Agua Prieta, a Mexican city of nearly 100,000 people, which provides opportunities for international tourism and economic development. The town of Douglas was founded as the site of a copper smelter in 1901. The Copper Queen mine, in neighboring Bisbee, had outgrown its smelter, and the Phelps Dodge Company settled on the Douglas area after studying several locations. At this spot, 25 miles east of Bisbee, there was an abundant supply of water and the land was available at a fair price. The new town was named after Dr. James Douglas, then president of Phelps Dodge. In 1904 the new smelter was blown in and the town was incorporated the following year. Workers flocked to the new city, where more than 50% of Arizona's copper was processed in two smelters. Before World War I, the monthly payroll was $500,000--a sizable amount at that time. Needs occasioned by the war and the unprecedented demand for copper pushed production to 600-700 tons of ore/day. January 1918 saw the production of over twenty million tons of fine copper. The companion town of Agua Prieta in Mexico also prospered with the export of copper from the Nacozari mines. The historic residential areas, Church Square and the Gadsden Hotel are all memorials to this time of dynamic growth and prosperity. During the Great Depression copper prices declined, only to rise again in the late 1930s. Smelting operations ended in the 1980s and Douglas has now taken on a new look. It now emphasizes its unique historical, architectural and cultural heritage. Proximity to year-round outdoor recreation areas and the opportunity for convenient shopping and sight-seeing in Mexico have made tourism and retirement living an important factor in Douglas' economy.
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