Administrative offices are located at 39 North Ninth Street, Clarkdale, AZ 86324. Phone 928‑639‑2400
Neighborhoods
Clarkdale [†]is a small, rural community of approximately 4,500 residents. Located on the banks of the Verde River, it is as old as the State of Arizona itself. Its population has waxed and waned in tandem with the mining industry upon which it had relied for decades, but has shown steady growth since the early 1980s as reliance upon mining decreased in favor of education, tourism, and other industries.
The town lies in the Verde Valley region in the northeast corner of Yavapai County, which is a lush and grassy area of Arizona that benefits ecologically and economically from the Verde River. Like many other Verde Valley communities, Clarkdale’s growth has resulted largely from the in-migration of retirees from >a href="/CA.html">California, the Phoenix area, and colder Midwest states. The combination of mild winters, abundant outdoor recreational activities, and spectacular views make Clarkdale and the Verde Valley an attractive place to live.
As the first master planned community in the state of Arizona, Clarkdale’s genesis was predicated on the understanding that a carefully and well-planned built environment is critical to a community’s orderly and efficient growth. Created specifically to meet the needs of the employees of William A. Clark’s mining and smelter operations, it truly is the original “Work, Live, Play” community.
Long before William A. Clark envisioned his ideal mining community, the area had been population by Native Americans for thousands of years. Archaic Hunter-Gatherer Indians first arrived between 11,000- and 12,000-years B.C. in pursuit of wild game and edible wild plants that grew here. The Sinagua people (“without water”) arrived around 650 A.D. and introduced farming to the hunting and gathering way of life. With the introduction of agriculture, populations could stay in one location longer as the additional food provided by crops could help sustain them during periods where little wild game was available. As a result, more permanent structures were erected as evidenced by remnants of their pueblos scattered across the area today. The Yavapai appeared in the area during the same approximate time frame as the Apache (1300 A.D. and 1275-1400 A.D, respectively), and just before the Sinagua abandoned their settlements around 1450 A.D. Introduction of the U.S. Department of Interior’s “civilization” program in 1851 resulted in generations of Yavapai and Apache being forcibly marched from the Clarkdale area, often in inhumane conditions, until they arrived at the San Carlos reservation east of Phoenix; nearly half did not survive. As reservations began to dissolve in the 1890s, much of the Native American population simply walked away, migrating back to their homelands. Today, many of their descendants reside in Clarkdale and on the Yavapai-Apache Reservation on the northeast side of town.
History
Founded in 1912 by William A. Clark, the town was designed and built by the Clarkdale Improvement Company, with the intent of creating a community that embodied the concepts of “work, live, play” for the families and employees of the United Verde Copper Company. Housing was provided for employees and their families, who resided in the well-planned, solidly constructed homes in Upper and Lower Clarkdale. The Clark Memorial Clubhouse, completed in 1927, was the center of the community’s recreational activities, offering an outdoor pool, bowling alleys, a gymnasium, stage, library, and Men’s and Women’s lounges. A commercial block was developed that provided the goods and services needed by the residents, complete with a grocery store, numerous retail shops, and a movie theater. The smelter and railroad were located at the foot of the hill, providing employment and the primary means of moving goods and services in and out of Clarkdale and the Verde Valley. Unlike many towns founded during Arizona’s early statehood, Clarkdale was constructed with efficiency and modern conveniences in mind. The grid layout created streets that were easy to maintain and navigate; they also provided integrated sewer and water systems, which were not at all common in that era. Telegraph and telephone service was also incorporated into the community, as was electricity to power streetlights and other conveniences not typically found in towns of that period.
As the copper mining dwindled, so did the population of Clarkdale. By 1953, most mining and smelting operations had ceased, and the management of the town was no longer a priority for the companies that had bought and sold the United Verde Mining Corporation. In 1957, residents of the town petitioned the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors to incorporate Clarkdale. Once granted, the town and its residents were no longer a company town. Just two short years later, the Phoenix Cement Company began manufacturing cement, reigniting interest in Clarkdale. Since that time, the Town has continued to grow. Over time, the initial 1,200-acre town site has grown fivefold, now encompassing just over ten (10) square miles or approximately 6,400 acres. The population has grown to 4,517 people, most of whom reside in newer residential developments on land annexed into Clarkdale since its incorporation. While growth stalled during the 2006 recession, it resumed as the economy recovered. Homebuilding in newer subdivisions continued to grow, providing additional housing stock for residents.
† Town of CLarkdale, General Plan, 2021, www.clarkdale.az.gov, accessed January, 2026.
Nearby Towns: Cottonwood City •