Paradise, Arizona
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b6/Paradise_arizona.jpg/220px-Paradise_arizona.jpg)
In 1901 the Chiricahua Development Company located a vein of ore here. A post office was established on October 23, 1901, and at its peak, the town had saloons, general stores, a jail and a hotel. The town was essentially abandoned when the local mines failed, and the post office closed on September 30, 1943. However, a few residents remained. In June 2011, there were five permanent residents and 29 standing structures when the Horseshoe 2 Fire swept through the area. A few homes and cemetery remain.
Geography
Paradise is located 5.7 miles west (up-mountain) from Portal, Arizona, and is surrounded by Coronado National Forest land.
Climate
According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Paradise has a hot-summer mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Paradise was 104 °F (40.0 °C) on July 8, 1912, while the coldest temperature recorded was −2 °F (−18.9 °C) on February 3, 2011.
Climate data for Paradise, Arizona, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1906–present | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °F (°C) | 75 (24) |
81 (27) |
88 (31) |
89 (32) |
96 (36) |
103 (39) |
104 (40) |
101 (38) |
96 (36) |
95 (35) |
89 (32) |
78 (26) |
104 (40) |
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 54.4 (12.4) |
58.5 (14.7) |
64.8 (18.2) |
72.5 (22.5) |
81.0 (27.2) |
89.7 (32.1) |
87.5 (30.8) |
83.7 (28.7) |
79.7 (26.5) |
74.3 (23.5) |
63.2 (17.3) |
54.2 (12.3) |
72.0 (22.2) |
Daily mean °F (°C) | 39.3 (4.1) |
43.4 (6.3) |
49.1 (9.5) |
55.7 (13.2) |
63.3 (17.4) |
72.3 (22.4) |
74.1 (23.4) |
70.9 (21.6) |
66.2 (19.0) |
58.1 (14.5) |
47.5 (8.6) |
39.9 (4.4) |
56.7 (13.7) |
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 24.3 (−4.3) |
28.3 (−2.1) |
33.4 (0.8) |
38.9 (3.8) |
45.6 (7.6) |
54.9 (12.7) |
60.8 (16.0) |
58.2 (14.6) |
52.6 (11.4) |
42.0 (5.6) |
31.9 (−0.1) |
25.7 (−3.5) |
41.4 (5.2) |
Record low °F (°C) | 1 (−17) |
−2 (−19) |
8 (−13) |
16 (−9) |
25 (−4) |
37 (3) |
39 (4) |
44 (7) |
27 (−3) |
18 (−8) |
4 (−16) |
2 (−17) |
−2 (−19) |
Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.14 (29) |
1.28 (33) |
0.89 (23) |
0.33 (8.4) |
0.31 (7.9) |
0.61 (15) |
3.58 (91) |
3.41 (87) |
1.80 (46) |
1.01 (26) |
1.07 (27) |
1.53 (39) |
16.96 (432.3) |
Source 1: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Source 2: National Weather Service |
In media
The ghost-town of Paradise is also notably featured in media, such as video games and motion pictures.
- Postal (1997)
- Postal 2 (2003)
- Postal 2: Apocalypse Weekend (2005)
- Postal Babes (2009)
- Postal 2: Paradise Lost (2015)
- A Long Ride From Hell (1968 - Motion Picture)
See also
References
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Paradise
- ^ Sherman, James E.; Barbara H. Sherman (1969). "Paradise". Ghost Towns of Arizona (First ed.). University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 114–115. ISBN 0806108436.
- ^ Granger, Byrd H. (1970) Arizona Place Names, Tucson: University of Arizona Press
- ^ Southwest Incident Management Team (21 May 2011) "Emergency Bulletin: Horseshoe Two Fire Update; Precautionary Evacuation Remains in Effect" Arizona Emergency Information Network (AzEIN)
- ^ Rocky Basin Type-2 Incident Management Team (10 June 2011) "Emergency Bulletin: Horseshoe Two Fire 40 Percent Contained; Winds Expected from Southwest" Arizona Emergency Information Network (AzEIN)
- ^ Varney, Philip (1980). "Eleven: The Chiricauhua Ghosts". Arizona's Best Ghost Towns. Flagstaff: Northland Press. p. 122. ISBN 0873582179. LCCN 79-91724.
- ^ "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Tucson". National Weather Service. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- ^ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Paradise, AZ". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
Further reading
- Alden Hayes, A Portal to Paradise, University of Arizona Press (1999), ISBN 0816521441
External links
Media related to Paradise, Arizona at Wikimedia Commons
Ghost towns travel guide from Wikivoyage