Central, Arizona | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 32°52′03″N109°47′34″W / 32.86750°N 109.79278°W | |
Country | United States |
State | Arizona |
County | Graham |
Area | |
• Total | 1.68 sq mi (4.34 km2) |
• Land | 1.68 sq mi (4.34 km2) |
• Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
Elevation | 2,884 ft (879 m) |
Population (2020) | |
• Total | 758 |
• Density | 452.27/sq mi (174.62/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-7 (Mountain (MST)) |
ZIP code | 85531 |
Area code | 928 |
GNIS feature ID | 2693 |
Central is a census-designated place in Graham County, Arizona, United States. Its population was 758 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Safford micropolitan area.
Central is located between the towns of Thatcher and Pima, all west of the Graham County seat, Safford. U.S. Route 70 is the main thoroughfare.
Central has a ZIP Code of 85531; in 2000, the population of the 85531 ZIP Code Tabulation Area was 404. [2]
Central is at 32°52′13″N109°47′35″W / 32.87028°N 109.79306°W , at an elevation of approximately 2900 feet above sea level. [3] From this location just south of the Gila River within the Upper Gila Valley, Mount Graham of the Pinaleño (Pinaleno Mountains) range dominates the southern skyline.
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1960 | 100 | — | |
2020 | 758 | — | |
U.S. Decennial Census [4] |
Central was first homesteaded by the Cluff family in 1880. The Cluffs extended the Central Canal to their lands on the eastern side of Central. Later settlers extended the canal west and north. In 1883 construction began on a one-room white rock building to be used as a church meeting house and school house. By 1884 twenty families, including Cluff, Norton, Shurtz, Bigler, and Webster households resided in Central. In 1978 the streets were named after these early Mormon pioneers. In December 1883 the Central Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized and Joseph Cluff was ordained the first bishop. A new red brick church was built in 1885. It was the first regular meeting house built in this part of Arizona and was also the first home of the LDS Academy from December 1890 to May 1891. A plaque east of Hwy 70 on Central Road commemorates the original home of the St. Joseph Stake Academy that later moved to Thatcher and became Eastern Arizona College.
In 1894, LDS Church historian Andrew Jensen reported on the Central Ward: "Thirty-five families or 178 souls, constitute the Mormon population, and there are only two other families in the district. Central excels in point of large orchards, extensive alfalfa fields and good grain. The meeting house is the only public building in the settlement, in which there is also a small store and a post office. There are a number of fine and comfortable private residences, built mostly of brick and adobe." [5]
A railroad through Central was completed in 1896. The head of the Central Canal washed out in 1905. Since then, the Smithville and Union Canals have been used exclusively. [6]
Central's population was estimated as 100 in the 1960 census. [7]
The Gila Valley Arizona Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, opened in 2010, is located in Central. The temple is the third LDS temple built in Arizona and the first temple announced by Thomas S. Monson after being sustained as President of the Church in 2008. Monson dedicated the temple on May 23, 2010. [8]
Graham County is a county in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,533, making it the third-least populous county in Arizona. The county seat is Safford.
Pima is a town in Graham County, Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 2,387, up from 1,989 in 2000. The estimated population in 2018 was 2,512. Pima is part of the Safford Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Safford is a city in Graham County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the population of the city is 10,129. The city is the county seat of Graham County.
Thatcher is a town in Graham County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 4,865. It is part of the Safford Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Payson is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 21,101 at the 2020 census.
Thomas Spencer Monson was an American religious leader, author, and the 16th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As president, he was considered by adherents of the religion to be a prophet, seer, and revelator. Monson's early career was as a manager at the Deseret News, a Utah newspaper owned by the LDS Church. He spent most of his life engaged in various church leadership positions and public service.
Dieter Friedrich Uchtdorf is a German aviator, airline executive and religious leader. He is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Called as an apostle in 2004, he served as Second Counselor to Thomas S. Monson in the church's First Presidency from 2008 until Monson's death on 2 January 2018. Currently, Uchtdorf is the fifth most senior apostle in the ranks of the church.
Below is a chronological list of temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with sortable columns. In the LDS Church, a temple is a building dedicated to be a House of the Lord and considered by church members to be the most sacred struct ures on earth. Upon completion, temples are usually open to the public for a short period of time, and then each is dedicated as a "House of the Lord," after which only members with a current temple recommend are permitted to enter. Thus, they are not churches or meetinghouses, but rather specialized places of worship. The LDS Church has 350 temples in various phases, which includes 189 dedicated temples, 52 under construction, and 109 others announced. Within temples, members of the LDS Church make covenants, receive instructions, and perform rituals and ordinances. Additionally, members consider the temple a place to commune with God, seek God's aid, understand God's will, and receive personal revelation.
Neil Linden Andersen is an American religious leader and former business executive who serves as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was sustained by church membership as an apostle on April 4, 2009, during the church's General Conference. At the time of his call to the Twelve, Andersen had been serving as an LDS general authority since 1993, including service in the Presidency of the Seventy from 2005 to 2009. Currently, he is the ninth apostle in order of seniority in the church.
Solomon is a census-designated place in Graham County, Arizona, United States. Its population was 399 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Safford Micropolitan Statistical Area.
The Gila River Valley is a multi-sectioned valley of the Gila River, located primarily in Arizona. The Gila River forms in western New Mexico and flows west across southeastern, south-central, and southwestern Arizona; it changes directions as it progresses across the state, and defines specific areas and valleys. The central portion of the river flows through the southern Phoenix valley region, and the final sections in southwestern Arizona form smaller, irrigated valleys, such as Dome Valley, Mohawk Valley, and Hyder Valley.
The Gilbert Arizona Temple at 3301 South Greenfield Road at the corner of East Pecos Road in Gilbert, Arizona, is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The design of the temple was overseen by Gregory B. Lambright of Architekton. Groundbreaking took place in 2010 and the temple was dedicated in 2014.
The Gila Valley Arizona Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the town of Central between the communities of Pima and Thatcher in Arizona. The temple was dedicated on May 23, 2010, following an open house lasting from April 23 to May 15.
The Phoenix Arizona Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, in the city of Phoenix, Arizona. It was completed in 2014 and is the 144th temple of the LDS Church. The announcement of the planned construction of the temple on May 24, 2008, came a month after the Gila Valley and Gilbert temples were announced for Arizona.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the second-largest religious denomination in Arizona, behind the Roman Catholic Church. In 2022, the church reported 439,411 members in Arizona, about 6% of the state's population. According to the 2014 Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey, roughly 5% of Arizonans self-identify most closely with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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The Indianapolis Indiana Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at the southwest corner of West 116th Street and Spring Mill Road in Carmel, Indiana, north of Indianapolis. It is the first temple constructed in Indiana. The Indianapolis Indiana Temple is similar in design to The Gila Valley Arizona Temple, a single-level temple with an end spire and approximately 34,000 square feet.
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The Tucson Arizona Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Catalina Foothills, Arizona, just north of Tucson. The intent to construct the temple was announced by church president Thomas S. Monson on October 6, 2012, during the church's semi-annual general conference. The temple is 38,216 square feet (3,550.4 m2) and is located on a 7.4-acre (3.0 ha) site.
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