Community Development, Tourism, and Retirement
Many of the natural elements that have attracted people to the Verde Valley since the time of ancient Indian inhabitants are still attracting newcomers today. The Verde Valley is rich in majestic views, vibrant riparian environments, sweet air, and pleasant climate. Add to that the friendly people, the abundant recreation opportunities, and the ruins and artifacts of its rich and colorful history, and it is no wonder that considerable population growth is predicted. To keep pace with the rapid population growth the Verde Valley is experiencing, some current businesses are expanding, several new shopping centers are being built, and new businesses and industries are springing up.
The following table traces the population growth from 1980 to 1990 and charts the predicted growth to 2020. Most of the towns, cities, and communities are expected to more than double in population over the next thirty years, which indicates a need for careful planning now.
The Verde Valley communities, in general, support quality growth. In particular, they support smaller companies that are sensitive to the needs of the community and the environment. The City of Cottonwood has instituted a formal program, the Industrial Development Authority (IDA), to attract, develop, and rehabilitate certain types of manufacturing, industrial, and commercial businesses which bring economic development and jobs to Cottonwood and the area. The IDA may provide incentives such as tax- exempt financing for projects that fall within its limits of responsibility. Yavapai County has a similar program for unincorporated areas in the Verde Valley.
The Verde Valley has become a popular retirement location; retirees provide a valued contribution to the communities' vitality as well as economy. For example, two-thirds of the Verde Village residents are retired, so much of the town's income is derived from savings withdrawals, stock dividends, retirement benefits, and social security payments. In addition, some retirees who are former corporate executives receive compensation for consulting services. Twenty-six percent of the Cottonwood population is over 65.
Tourism is also a major factor in the valley's economy. Cottonwood's employment structure is 65 percent based in retail trade and services. Camp Verde, likewise, has 55.3 percent of its employment based in retail trade and services; Clarkdale lists 50.0 percent (ADOC, 1989) Because of the many historic, scenic, and recreation opportunities that are available in the valley, there are significant opportunities for development of lodging, restaurant, other specialty businesses catering to tourists.
According to the figures presented in Table 5, there was a 43.5 percent increase in overall visits to these historic and scenic recreational attractions from 1980 to 1988. If this trend continues, the Verde Valley can expect significant economic impacts from tourism in the future.
Several recently developed enterprises add a rich diversity to the economic and cultural climate of the Verde Valley, such as the Arizona Central Railroad scenic excursions that showcase the Verde Valley natural and historical environment, the Rainbow American Dream Ranch and Historical Park for self sufficiency of mentally handicapped adults, and Captain Harry's recreational and educational boat tours on the Verde River. The railroad excursions have been more successful than expected, drawing thousands of visitors to the Verde Valley. Most likely, new restaurants and shops will open to cater to these visitors before and after their excursion trips.
Part of the attraction of the Verde Valley is its accessibility. Four public-use airports service the Cottonwood-Sedona area. The Cottonwood Airport is a full-service airport with paved taxiway, lighted runway, and parking tie-down areas; it provides car rental, aircraft rental, parts and supplies. Interstate 17 and connecting routes Interstate 40 and Interstate 10 provide ample north-south and east-west vehicular access to the Verde Valley for private and commercial needs. Interstate 17, the main north-south route that extends through Phoenix to the south and Flagstaff to the north, passes through the heart of the valley and crosses the Verde River. In addition, the valley is well-served by various trucking and transport companies, and express couriers, as well as rail and bus transportation.
While there are several outlying growing communities nearby such as Verde Village, Cornville, Page Springs, McGuireville, Rimrock, Lake Montezuma, Bridgeport, Jerome, and Sedona, the three largest incorporated cities or towns within the Verde River Corridor Project area are Camp Verde, Cottonwood, and Clarkdale.
Camp Verde
The oldest community and the largest of the incorporated entities of the Verde River Corridor is the Town of Camp Verde. Arizona Public Service (APS) has estimated the 1990 population of Camp Verde plus the unincorporated surrounding areas to be 11,783, and the projection in the year 2000 to be 15,245. Camp Verde's employment structure is based most strongly in services, construction, and retail trade. The area's major employers, however, also include ranching and light industry. The several national and state historical attractions such as Fort Verde State Park, Montezuma Castle National Monument, and Montezuma Well, in addition to the wide array of recreational opportunities such as canoeing, photography, horseback riding, hiking, camping, fishing, and hunting, attract both tourists and retirees to area. The nearby National Wild and Scenic River and the fifteen wilderness areas in the Verde basin entice adventurous types to visit (ADOC, 1989).
Cottonwood
The next largest city in the Verde River Corridor is Cottonwood, which was incorporated in 1960. APS predicted the city and surrounding unincorporated area to be 10,993 as of 1990, and predicts a population of 14,804 by the year 2000. Cottonwood provides a trading center for the Verde Valley, so the employment structure is based heavily in retail trade, services, and public administration. Other valued employers such as General Semiconductor Industries, Inc. and the Marcus J. Lawrence Hospital add to the diverse economic base. Retired persons, recreationists, and tourists also play a substantial role in the economic environment of Cottonwood. Cottonwood offers access to ancient Indian ruins such as Tuzigoot National Monument, the spectacular ghost town of Jerome, and the popular Dead Horse Ranch State Park. Recreation opportunities exist throughout the city and surrounding area for bicycling, horseback riding, fishing, walking, photography, canoeing, and wildlife and bird viewing (ADOC, 1989).
Clarkdale
Clarkdale is the third and oldest incorporated city in the Verde River Corridor, having incorporated in 1957. According to APS the 1990 population of Clarkdale and surrounding unincorporated areas is 4,166, which will increase to 5,466 by 2010. Clarkdale probably has the most diverse economic base of the three. The employment structure relies heavily on services, retail trade, manufacturing, and transportation/communication/public utilities. Seventy small to large-size companies are centered in Clarkdale, including C.T.I., a trucking firm which is headquartered there. Custom Manufacturing and Arizona Instrument are also important industries to the town. The historic "model town" of Clarkdale offers special attraction to many tourists, as do historical remains of Tuzigoot National Monument, the Arizona Central Railroad scenic tours, Peck's Lake, and mining operations. Recreational opportunities also abound for birdwatching, canoeing, Sycamore Canyon Wilderness hiking, rockhounding, hunting, and fishing (ADOC, 1989).
These Verde Valley communities were originally dependent upon agriculture, mining, and especially the Verde River. Today, the Verde River still provides the precious connecting thread of life, and recreation, tourism, retail and service industries, and light industry and manufacturing also provide new opportunities for employment. The array of fine community facilities and amenities contribute to the quality of life. The Verde Valley has developed quality schools, medical facilities, shopping centers, restaurants, resorts, public libraries and parks, newspapers, and radio stations. The communities exude friendliness and enthusiasm, and the civic leaders encourage new business. The local citizens proudly show off the communities' attributes by organizing many events throughout the year.
Annual Events in the Verde Valley
Governor's Cup Rallye - Each year the Governor's Cup Rallye begins in Prescott. Antique cars travel through Cottonwood where costumes are judged, proceed on to Flagstaff, and end up at the Grand Canyon where final activities re held. Approximately 70 antique cars are involved in this activity.
Verde Valley Concert Association - Six concerts are performed annually in Cottonwood featuring opera, classical, jazz, and chamber music.
Jazz on the Rocks - Continuous jazz music is performed outdoors among the splendor of the Red Rocks of Sedona in September each year.
4th of July in Clarkdale - 10K run, pancake breakfast in the park, parade, food, and fireworks highlight this event.
Made in Clarkdale - Showing and sales by professional artists living or working in Clarkdale - Clarkdale Memorial Clubhouse.
Fort Verde Days - An historical event is held each year in Camp Verde To commemorate the Fort Verde area. Activities include a parade, art show, and many other events.
St. Patrick's Day Parade - The annual St. Patrick's Day Parade features the "wearing of the green" each year in Sedona.
Verde Valley Fair - Each year during the last weekend in April, the Verde Valley Fair is held. This four-day event features displays of the arts, 4-H projects, FHA exhibits, a rodeo, and many other exciting events.
Bluegrass Festival - Jerome's Bluegrass Festival draws many spectators.
Jerome Home Show - Each year in May, six to eight historic homes are opened to the public in Jerome.
Sedona Arts Center - Various art shows are held throughout the year. The Theater wing presents three plays per season.
Southwest Theater Company - Presents three shows each summer in Sedona.
Phoenix Symphony - Sedona.
Cottonwood's Christmas Parade - An annual Christmas event held in Cottonwood.
Verde River Days - held at Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood. A day of exhibits focusing on the environment and the Verde River. Entertainment, food, displays, and demonstrations.
The Greater Cottonwood Aeroplane and Auto Show - An event held in May each year in Cottonwood featuring approximately 90 antique autos and airplanes at the Cottonwood Airport.
(Source: A Business and Economic Profile of Cottonwood and the Verde Valley, 1991)
Agriculture and Mining
Agriculture and mining together make up about 9.3 percent of Camp Verde's employment structure, 4.2 percent of Clarkdale's employment structure, and 0.4 percent of Cottonwood's employment structure (ADOC, 1989).
Geology and climate have played a major role in molding the demographics and lifestyles enjoyed in the Verde Valley historically and today. "Not only does the region's physiography strongly influence the region's aridity and precipitation traits, these landforms shape the run-off and river patterns and provide the alluvium which enhances further the Verde Valley's other attractive features (Foust, Byrkit, and Avery, 1991). Furthermore, these features supported two of the primary activities that caused settlement by man in the Verde Valley—agriculture and mining.
Agriculture
While archaeologists have evidence that the Hohokam established farms and built canals to divert water from the river to irrigate fields in the Verde Valley as far back as 700 A.D., scholars argue that the first agriculture there took place as long as 10,000 years ago. By the twelfth century the Sinaguan pueblo communities of Tuzigoot and Montezuma Castle were established, and irrigated agriculture was significant to the inhabitants' way of life. Though native agave remained an important staple, they raised beans, squash, corn, and probably, cotton. Later, in the sixteenth century, the Yavapai and Tonto Apache tribes, though traditionally nomadic hunter-gatherers, also raised crops for food.
Finally, in the late 1800s, the initial establishment of Anglo settlers in the Verde Valley was due to the need to find a suitable place to grow crops to supply Fort Whipple and Prescott. The Verde Valley proved very suitable, especially when they built a crude dam and diverted water to irrigate their crops. Soon after, cattlemen came to the valley during the great cattle boom that resulted from the burgeoning country's demand for beef. The lush marshes, tall verdant grasses, mossy pools, and semi-tropical climate created the perfect environment to raise cattle, and people flocked to the Verde Valley to take advantage of the cattle boom. The carrying capacity of the land was soon surpassed due to all the cattle, sheep, and horses that grazed the open range. The grasses were decimated and the once-spongy soils were pounded solid, causing erosion and added runoff into the river. The character of the Verde River was forever changed from mossy pools and grassy marshes to a deep channel. A serious drought hit the valley in the 1880s followed by a weather change and heavy rains that washed millions of tons of topsoil away. The cattle market had collapsed by 1890, and many of the ranchers began to grow fruit, vegetables, grains, and alfalfa for personal use and to sell locally.
Today, agriculture is not a dominant contributor to the valley's overall economic base; it occurs primarily in the Cornville, Page Springs, and Camp Verde areas along perennial streams or the Verde River and on irrigated land (Coyner, 1991). Farming and ranching still contribute largely, however, to the cultural identity of the Verde Valley and do provide some employment. Bermuda, alfalfa, and other mixed perennial grasses are cultivated, harvested, and sometimes sold locally or used for pasture. Canteloup, watermelon, sweet corn, and other fruits and vegetables are grown for self-use or sold locally (Nevitt, Young, 1991).
Cattle are grazed today on private lands and Forest Service or State Trust leased lands in the Verde Valley. Floodplain soils are naturally high in nutrients, and riparian vegetation has been cleared to make room, so alfalfa, grasses, and grains are available for livestock forage. Certain wetlands can produce hay crops, and some riparian areas can sustain grazing under properly managed conditions. Though farming practices in Arizona have often adversely affected riparian and wetlands environments by such means as changing water table and salinity levels, affecting erosion, and converting acres of riparian vegetation into farmland, there is encouraging news. Changes are occurring in livestock and rangeland management that reflect a more coordinated and integrated approach, an approach that considers resource values such as wildlife habitat and recreational uses (USDA, 1979). Methods such as fencing certain riparian environments until the system can recover, dividing grazing allotments into numerous pastures so cattle can be concentrated into specific areas at different times of the year, and providing alternate water sources for livestock away from riparian zones are resulting in improved range and habitat conditions (SCORP, 1988).
The open spaces afforded by well-managed agricultural lands are at risk in the Verde Valley; more and more of the land is being developed as farmers become hard-pressed to satisfy increasing tax burdens. While planned development is necessary to provide for desirable orderly growth, much of the rural attraction to visitors, retirees, and newcomers could be destroyed if prudent attention is not given.
Mining
Mining, likewise, has a prehistoric basis in the Verde Valley. The Hohokam, who irrigated fields for agriculture, also utilized mineral resources of the Verde Valley such as argillite, salt, and possibly copper during this time. When prospectors rediscovered a rich prehistoric copper mine near present day Jerome in 1876, the stage was set for explosive population growth and urbanization of the Verde Valley. Roads and railroads were constructed to move the ore, Jerome burgeoned into a boomtown, and Clarkdale was born to house the smelter and company personnel.
Economic vitality, however, was not the only effect of the mines. "Copper mining, although limited specifically to only a few areas, has had a significant impact on the visual quality of the landscape with large excavations, slag deposits, and tailing ponds left as irreversible modifications. Copper mining was one of the first stimuli for the urban development of the Verde Valley within the past 100 years..." (Whitmore, Cook, and Steiner, 1991).
More recently, sand and gravel extraction and cement production have dominated the mining activities in the Verde Valley. The natural formation of high quality sand and gravel deposits in the river beds and floodplains of the Verde River provide the basis for the local rock products industry. The deposits are readily available, economical to mine, and close to markets. "Transportation is a major factor in the delivered price of sand and gravel and related products. Because of the high cost of transportation, sand and gravel is invariably produced and sold in local markets. Assuming a typical transportation cost factor of 15 cents per additional ton-mile for sand and gravel and 50 cents per cubic yard per mile for ready-mix concrete, Arizona consumers will pay an additional $733.3 million if production sites average only five miles greater distance from delivery points during the 1990-2000 decade" (ARPA, 1989).
The increasing demands for sand and gravel products are a direct result of increasing population and the corresponding construction of buildings, homes, and roads. A typical 1,600 square foot house requires 100 tons of sand and gravel for driveway, foundation, floors, fences, and walls; each mile of urban freeway requires 400,000 tons of sand and gravel for pavement, pipes, drains, bridges, walls, and overpasses; and a typical metropolitan airport requires 1.3 million tons of aggregates. It is no wonder that the Arizona Rock Products Association (ARPA) projects that if the average 11 tons per capita consumption over the past five years remains constant, Arizona's demand for sand and gravel from 1990 to 2000 will be 512.9 million tons (ARPA, 1989).
According to ARPA the primary construction uses for sand and gravel are:
Concrete aggregate for construction (buildings, 20%
highways, dams, and airports)
Road and base coverings 17%
Asphaltic concrete aggregate 10%
Construction fill 9%
Concrete products (blocks, bricks, and pipes) 2%
Plaster and gunnite sands 2%
All other uses such as railroad ballast and roofing
materials 40%
According to a recent ASU study, Verde River Corridor Environmental Planning Recommendations (1991), the rock products industry contributes to the economy of the Verde Valley in several ways, including:
• Jobs
• Increased tax base
• Increased channel capacity
• Reduction of potential for overbank flooding
• Partial runoff storage
• Minor, local groundwater recharge
• Potential for wildlife habitats
Taxes paid statewide by sand and gravel mining and ready-mix concrete firms are a significant contribution in themselves, totalling $49.7 million in 1988, as follows (ARPA, 1989):
Sales taxes $27.7 million
Personal income taxes 5.5 million
Corporate taxes 2.8 million
Personal property taxes 1.7 million
Real property taxes 2.0 million
Fuel taxes 1.7 million
Tonnage taxes 1.5 million
Federal use taxes 0.8 million
Vehicle license fees 1.8 million
Unemployment tax 4.2 million
Furthermore, the statewide impact on Arizona's economy through employment and payroll by the rock products industry is considerable. There are 1,407 sand and gravel mining workers in Arizona, each of which supports an additional 73 jobs in the construction sector of the economy. In 1988 the sand and gravel mining and related construction industry payroll exceeded $2.3 billion (ARPA, 1989).
One vivid example of local mining industry impact is the Glen Canyon Dam, near Page, which was built with cement from the Phoenix Cement Company of Clarkdale. In fact, the process used the plant's total production for about three years. The company, which is owned by the Salt River Pima Indian Community, maintains a 2,000-acre site and is one of only two portland cement plants in Arizona. An approximate 100-year supply of limestone, volcanic rock and dolomite are estimated to exist though about a million tons are extracted each year (ADOC, 1989).
According to ARPA, there are four main steps in sand and gravel mining:
1) Site clearing of the land
2) Mining or extracting the materials
3) Processing the materials (crushing, washing, blending)
4) Reclamation of the site *
*Eighty percent of respondents to a survey of ARPA members have developed reclamation plans for mined sites upon depletion of sand and gravel reserves.