Kearny is named after General Stephen W. Kearny, leader of the Army of the West, who explored along the Gila River from 1849 to 1850. He set up base camp near a site that would later bear his name. Kearny was a planned community built in 1958 for workers at the Kennecott Copper Company open-pit mine and reduction plant. This Pinal County community, located along the Gila River, is almost equidistant from Phoenix and Tucson. From Phoenix, take Interstate 10 east to state Highway 60, continue east on Highway 60 to U.S. 60 east to Superior and then turn south on state Highway 177. The quickest path from Tucson is taking U.S. 89 to Oracle Junction, turning northeast on state Highway 77 to Winkelman and then turning northwest on state Highway 177.

Principal Economic Activities

Today, ASARCO (Grupo Mexico) operates the large open-pit copper mine, reduction plant and smelter near Kearny. The mine, and the company’s smelter in Hayden, provide much of the employment for residents in Kearny. Most other employment in Kearny is in the commercial and services sectors.

Scenic Attractions

Kearny has off-highway vehicle (ATV) campsites in the mountain foothills and an 11-acre fishing lake with hiking and campsites. Kearny is in the heart of ATV country. Ray Mines, one of Arizona's largest open-pit mining operations, is 11 miles north. Hills and desert vegetation of the area provide opportunities for the rockhound, photographer, historian, bird watcher, botanist and hunter. Fishing, camping, walking and picnicking are popular along portions of the Gila River. Kearny has a nine-hole golf course. Area highways provide dramatic mountain and canyon scenery. A few miles west of nearby Superior is the Thompson Southwest Arboretum, famous for its variety of southwestern flora.

Community Facilities

The town of Kearny has a library, community center, three parks, one golf course and many athletic facilities including Little League, football, softball and baseball fields.

Kearny's uptown includes the General Kearny Inn, bars, cafes, a large grocery store, a drugstore and several commercial establishments. Its wide boulevard is used for many community festivals. Kearny has a downtown commercial area which includes an airport, restaurant and livestock corrals. The Copper Basin Railroad runs through the lower portion of the town.

Basic Information

Founded 1849 Incorporated 1959
Elevation 2,020 ft. Location Pinal County
     
Distance to major cities:
Phoenix 78 miles San Diego 428 miles
Tucson 80 miles Los Angeles 458 miles
Las Vegas 379 miles  

Population

2000 2010 2023 (est.)
Kearny 2,249 1,947 1,741
Pinal County 179,727 376,369 439,128
State of Arizona 5,130,632 6,401,569 7,285,370

Office of Economic Opportunity

Arizona Dept. of Revenue & Arizona Tax Research Foundation

SALES TAX / TRANSACTION PRIVILEGE TAX

Kearny 3.00%
Pinal County 1.10%
State 5.60%

Arizona Dept. of Revenue & Arizona Tax Research Foundation

Labor Force

2000 2010 2022
Civilian Labor Force 948 958 1,157
Unemployed 27 40 50
Unemployment Rate 2.8% 4.2% 4.3%

Office of Economic Opportunity

Workforce Education Attainment

Count Share
Less than high school 169 11.1%
High school or equivalent, no college 546 35.9%
Some college or Associate degree 623 41.0%
Bachelor’s degree or advanced degree 182 12.0%

American Community Survey

Industry (ranked by employment)

  Count Share
Education, health care & social assistance 182 18.0%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing, hunting, & mining 164 16.2%
Public administration 163 16.1%
Manufacturing 124 12.3%
Arts, entertainment, food & recreation services 117 11.6%
Retail trade 83 8.2%
Professional, scientific, & administrative services 76 7.5%
Transportation, warehousing, & utilities 33 3.3%
Other services, except public administration 27 2.7%
Construction 25 2.5%
Finance, insurance & real estate 18 1.8%
Information 0 0.0%
Wholesale trade 0 0.0%

American Community Survey

This profile was prepared by the Arizona Commerce Authority in cooperation with local sources. For further information, please contact:

Town of Kearny
Sharon Wolz
912-C Tibury Road
Kearny, AZ 85137
Phone: 520-363-5547
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.townofkearny.com
Copper Basin Chamber of Commerce
355 Alden Rd.
Kearny, AZ 85137
Phone: 520-363-7607
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.copperbasinaz.com
Arizona Commerce Authority
Statewide Economic Development Group
100 N. 7th Ave., Suite 400
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Phone: 602-845-1200
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.azcommerce.com



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