Ajo
| Ajo | |
|---|---|
 Location in County and Arizona
|
|
| Basic data | |
| State : | United States |
| State : | Arizona |
| County : | Pima County |
| Coordinates : | 32 ° 24 ′ N , 112 ° 52 ′ W |
| Time zone : | Central ( UTC − 6 / −5 ) |
| Residents : | 3,705 (as of: 2000) |
| Population density : | 51 inhabitants per km 2 |
| Area : | 72.7 km 2 (approx. 28 mi 2 ) of which 72.7 km 2 (approx. 28 mi 2 ) is land |
| Height : | 536 m |
| Postal code : | 85321 |
| Area code : | +1 520 |
| FIPS : | 04-00870 |
| GNIS ID : | 0000538 |
Ajo is a census-designated place in Pima County in the US state of Arizona . The name is derived from the Indian Tin Aja De Mu Vavi , which the Tohono O'Odham used.
Ajo is located on Highway 85 near the junction with Highway 86 about 60 km from the border with Mexico . Not far to the southeast are the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and the Ajo Mountains . By 1985, one was in Ajo Copper - open pit .
history
| growth of population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Residents | ± in% | |
| 1950 | 5817 | - | |
| 1960 | 7049 | 21.2% | |
| 1970 | 5881 | -16.6% | |
| 1980 | 5189 | -11.8% | |
| 1990 | 2919 | -43.7% | |
| 2000 | 3705 | 26.9% | |
| 2010 | 3304 | -10.8% | |
| source: | |||
The Papago Indians used the extremely pure and easy-to-mine copper ore in ajo to gain color for body painting. The Mexican soldiers who stopped in the 16th century called the place Ajo ( Spanish: garlic ) and related the name to plants growing in the area. They were the first to mine and trade metallic copper.
With the expulsion of the Indians and Mexicans after the construction of the railroad (1853), the copper stores were also forgotten. It was not until 1910 (at that time Ajo had 50 inhabitants) that the turning point came with the resumption of copper mining in the New Cornelia mine . The site was shaped by copper mining in the opencast mine . The company's money and long-time manager John Greenway made the construction of a Spanish-influenced town center with splendid architecture in colonial style possible.
In 1985, after a labor dispute , the company closed its copper mining operations. The unmistakable spoil heaps and the huge open pit determine the townscape to this day. After the copper mine closed, almost 45% of the residents of Ajo left Ajo and the economy collapsed. A modest tourism, especially by pensioners from the working class, arose on the basis of the extremely low cost of living. In 2010 around a third of all residential buildings were empty.
In 2000, a former New England philosophy professor moved to Ajo and founded the International Sonoran Desert Alliance . With the help of government grants and foundations, she first renovated the schoolhouse and then other buildings in the Spanish style. On this basis, Ajo developed into a center for artists and later also as a host for conferences. The essential basis is the cooperation of interested parties from Mexico, the USA and the Tohono O'Odham.
Since around 2005, the high school switched its teaching methods and had tremendous success in taking into account the psychosocial circumstances of the students. Around 80% of the students come from families that receive government support. In 2010, 79% of all senior graduates passed the exams, making Ajo above the Arizona average for the first time in decades; by 2014 the value rose further to 89%. In the same year, half of the graduates were accepted into colleges. The school and community administration hope that some of the local children will settle down in Ajo again in the future and open businesses.
geography
The city is located at 32 ° 22 '53 "North, 112 ° 52' 10" West. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city spreads over an area of 72.7 km² . The place is off all major roads, around 100 miles from Phoenix and 40 miles from the Mexican border . The traffic-insignificant Arizona State Route 85 runs from north to southeast through the town.
The region is shaped by the Sonoran Desert in the geological Basin and Range Province . Two mountain chains, geologically regarded as eyrie , determine the environment. The Growler Mountains in the west and the Sauceda Mountains in the northeast.
Practically the entire area surrounding the place is federally owned and administered by various government agencies. In the south on the Mexican border is the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument , in the west the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge . Both are large areas that are primarily dedicated to nature conservation , but there is more tourist infrastructure in Organ Pipe NM. In the north is the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range , which is closed to all visits because bombing is trained there. The Papago Indian Reservation / Tohono O'odham Nation joins in the east .
Demographic data
After the census of 2000 3705 people in 1,659 households and 1,088 families live in Ajo. The population density is 51.0 people / km². Spread over the city area there are 2485 residential units, which corresponds to an average density of 34.2 / km². The population is divided into 78.70% White, 0.24% African American , 6.88% Native American , 0.08% Oceanian and 4.64% who are of two or more races. Hispanics make up the second largest proportion of Ajo's population at 37.57%.
Children under the age of 18 live in 19.7% of the 1,659 households, 51.4% are married couples who live together, 10.6% are women without a husband and 34.4% are not families. 30.1% of all households are inhabited by individuals and 17.1% by individuals over 65. The average household size is 2.23 and the average family size is 2.74.
20.6% of the population of Ajos are under 18 years old, 4.9% between 18 and 24, 17.2% between 25 and 44, 25.3% between 45 and 64 and 32.1% 65 and older. The average age is 52 years. For every 100 women there are 90.3 men.
The median income for a household in Ajo is 25,618 US $ a family at $ 29,310, the median income. Male residents of Ajos earn an average of $ 28,000 and females $ 18,571. The per capita income for the city is $ 14,548. 22.3% of the population and 16.5% of families are below the poverty line . Overall, 36.5% of people under the age of 18 and 9.5% of people 65 and over live below the poverty line.
Individual evidence
- ↑ CENSUS OF POPULATION AND HOUSING (1790-2000) . US Census Bureau . Archived from the original on July 8, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
- ↑ Unless otherwise noted, the story is based on: James Fallows: How America Is Putting Itself Back Together . In: The Atlantic, March 2016
- ↑ The Atlantik: Growing Up in Ajo , April 10, 2015