White Hills, Arizona
Census-designated place
White Hills Mining Camp (1898)
White Hills Mining Camp (1898)
Location in Mohave County, Arizona
Location in Mohave County, Arizona
White Hills is located in Arizona
White Hills
White Hills
White Hills is located in the United States
White Hills
White Hills
Coordinates: 35°44′17″N 114°23′51″W / 35.73806°N 114.39750°W / 35.73806; -114.39750
CountryUnited States
StateArizona
CountyMohave
Area
[1]
 • Total51.92 sq mi (134.48 km2)
 • Land51.92 sq mi (134.48 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
[2]
2,792 ft (851 m)
Population
 (2020)[3]
 • Total345
 • Density6.64/sq mi (2.57/km2)
Time zoneUTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
ZIP code
86445
Area code928
GNIS feature ID24687[2]
FIPS code04-82425

White Hills is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Mohave County, Arizona, United States. It is 12.5 miles (20.1 km) northwest of Dolan Springs. As of the 2020 census, White Hills had a population of 345.[3]

History

In 1892, Henry Shaffer discovered silver deposits in the area, with the help of local Native Americans. The resulting mining efforts led to the creation of the town of White Hills, which reportedly grew to a population of 1,500. The mines consisted of 27 miles (43 km) of tunnels, and a full fifteen mines were being worked within one mile (1.6 km) of the town. In 1894, the White Hills Mining Company was formed to run the operations, but they sold out in 1895 for a price of $1,500,000. The new owners, part of an English company, constructed a 40-stamp mill in the town. However, water had to be piped in from 7 miles (11 km) away, and the supply was never able to meet the mine and mill's demands. Production peaked in 1898, and soon after the mill began operating only half of the time. The town went into decline, and eventually became a ghost town.[4][5]

White Hills received media attention in 2014 when Charles Vacca, a shooting instructor, was accidentally shot and killed by a 9-year-old girl at a local gun range.[6]

In 2020, NextEra Energy began construction of a long-planned 127-turbine wind farm in the White Hills area, with initial power output expected by the end of the year. Southern California Clean Power Alliance has a 20-year power purchase agreement for 300 megawatts from the wind farm.[7] See Wind power in Arizona.

Geography

White Hills is in northwestern Mohave County, in the Detrital Valley and at the base of the White Hills, which rise to the east. U.S. Route 93 runs through the west side of the CDP, leading southeast 42 miles (68 km) to Kingman, the Mohave county seat, and northwest 64 miles (103 km) to Las Vegas, Nevada.

Demographics

This section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (May 2020)
Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
2010323—
20203456.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]

References

  1. ^ "2021 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Arizona". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  2. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: White Hills
  3. ^ a b "P1. Race – White Hills CDP, Arizona: 2020 DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171)". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  4. ^ "National Park Service – Prospector, Cowhand, and Sodbuster (Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings)". Nps.gov. May 22, 2005. Retrieved July 31, 2010.
  5. ^ Varney, Philip (1980). "Mohave Ghosts". Arizona's Best Ghost Towns. Flagstaff: Northland Press. p. 53. ISBN 0873582179. LCCN 79-91724.
  6. ^ "New Details Emerge in Fatal Shooting of Arizona Firing Range Instructor by Girl, 9, Learning to Use Uzi". September 3, 2014.
  7. ^ Hawins, DAvid (March 5, 2020). "Wind farm under construction in White Hills". Mohave Valley Daily News.
  8. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.

External links

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