Jerome Arizona
Jerome is located in the heart of northern Arizona and situated in the foothills of central Arizona’s Verde Valley and surrounded by Coconino and Prescott National Forest lands. It is now considered as “America’s Most Vertical City” and the “Largest Ghost Town in America.”
Jerome was a copper mining camp that was once known as the wickedest town in the west. It was founded in 1876 and incorporated in 1899 with a population that peaked as high as 15,000 during the 1920’s. It was once the fourth largest city in the Arizona Territory. The mining operation slowed down during the Depression in the 1930’s and with the fall of copper prices and the slow demand for copper after World War II, Phelps Dodge Mine closed down in 1953. Jerome then became the world’s largest “ghost city.” Jerome was designated as a National Historic District by the federal government in 1967. In its 70 year active life, Jerome produced over a billion dollars worth of copper, gold, silver and zinc.
Today, Jerome at an elevation of 5,435 feet has a total population of 335 based on the 2004 U.S. Census. The town’s economy is now based on tourism and recreation.
