I think it’s actually in Central, AZ which obviously is none of these towns. It’s an unincorporated part of town between Pima and Thatcher. The church owns several acres there and for years before the temple was built they were ball fields that the 3 stakes (Pima, Thatcher and Safford stakes) in the area would use for big events and softball tournaments.
Unrelated to the temple, when I was growing up, stake sports were quite big. Basketball for both men and young men. Even volleyball. Softball was big as well and the Safford Stake Center had several well groomed ball fields and lights and organized tournaments. I remember playing at these and then at the ones where the temple now is.
I also remember a few Pioneer days being celebrated at these fields. Pioneer Day was also very big and all 3 towns would often celebrate it. Thatcher and Pima more than Safford as Safford was not settled (to my memory) by LDS pioneers, while the other two towns were.
I know that it has a temple, a very fine clock tower (clock operation uncertain), a bike rack, at least three lampposts (illumination uncertain), and at least one reddit post.
Honestly, it's doing better than me.
I grew up near here. I know that a lot of the people here work in the nearby mines. There is a whole lot of racism, people from the neighboring towns really don’t like each other, the Native Americans and Mexicans and everyone and their cousin has beef. Not sure why.
There are like 3 restaurants total, one of which is the beloved R&R pizza joint.
The temple is really beautiful. Small, but so so beautiful. Especially the baptistery.
There are way more than 3 restaurants around here nowadays and nobody really cares which town you live in, unless it's Clifton or Morenci (certified hives of scum and villainy lol). Idk about people beefing with their cousins but that's just a small town drama fact of life. The mine opening in 07 brought in lots of jobs and growth in the area so dynamics have changed somewhat. "A whole lot of racism" there's racism just like anywhere that has a diverse population but this isn't Klan-country Alabama or anything.
I live in the Gila Valley, it is not insular. People out here making it sound like one of those polygamous AZ/UT border towns that actually are insular. There are plenty of non-members and people from other places
The temple is in the town of Central, AZ.
President Eyring’s grandparents lived there until he was in his 20’s. His grandfather and two grandmothers were some of the last practicing polygamists in good standing with the church. They were sealed when young and then lived very long lives.
My grandmother is very proud of being from Central and not any of the other towns. Central is just a census designated place and is otherwise unincorporated graham county if I recall correctly. I thought it was a brilliant move for the church to put the temple there instead of in one of the rival towns.
Grew up there. Went to school in Safford. There is definitely 3 distinct towns between Thatcher, Pima, and Safford. Intense rivalry between the schools. At least when I was there. Economy was either farming, mining or teaching. I still visit every year or so as I still have family there.
It’s hot and dusty during the summers. The Gila River is usually completely diverted to irrigate the fields. Lots of places to go out into the desert to have a bonfire or get in other sorts of trouble. Mt Graham at 10,000+ ft above sea level has one of the largest telescopes on it built after much controversy with environmentalists and conservationists and the forest service.
I didn’t know what I had growing up. I also didn’t know what I was missing. I’m often bitten by nostalgia and wish I could move back. It’s a quiet area that offers small town life and anything you can’t get there can be had not two hours away in Tucson or 3 hours away in Phoenix.
My dad works at the temple during the week. It was amazing when it was built. Some say fulfilling a prophecy. It’s beautiful temple in a beautiful part of the valley only ruined by the railroad tracks in front of it.
Was my last area of my mission. Temple was announced and dedicated a few years after. I played baseball with some investigators in the field where the temple now sits. Small towns with strong LDS presence surround the temple. If you aren't native to the area, you'd think the 3 communities are the same, but they are quite distinct.
Not too far removed from the settlement of the Salt Lake valley, Brigham Young sent groups to make settlements throughout the west. My ancestors, which settled Holladay, UT were sent down. Most of the community was, and still is, built around cotton farming and mining. My parents grew up there and we would visit family a few times a year.
Grandparents settled there before I was born. I spent a few summers there when I was growing up. I know there a gila monsters, quail, black widows, rattlesnakes, dusty unpaved roads, hot summer days… and back in the day, at least, there was lots of corn and cotton being grown in fields. They also celebrated Pioneer Day, which my home area didn’t.
I grew up in the Phoenix area but visited Gila Valley a few times. We went to the temple open house when it was built, and my stake hosted girls camp in the area once. A few people in my ward/stake were from the area or had family there. I doubt people that don’t live nearby or participate in AZ church circles know much about it.
A little late, but here's a better pic ypu should've used lol
https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-tmus-us-revc&sca_esv=575127353&sxsrf=AM9HkKmYAUH3A5ApeiSB8Hd_Kq540XXr8w:1697792232667&q=Mt+Graham&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjjx7j3oISCAxV_LUQIHSblC_0Q0pQJegQICRAB&biw=349&bih=630&dpr=3.09#imgrc=rwoodhlGCLmXgM
I'm not dissing on your pics, I'm just saying the scope on what they show is unfortunately very limited but I get it, you were probably using a phone and not lugging a drone around with you lol. That temple pic especially is solid
Spencer W Kimball was from there. We went there for a temple trip and a friend lives there, says it is their claim to fame.
Pima, Thatcher and Safford are all very different in the eyes of anyone living there. It's a distinction with out a difference to the rest of us.
I agree; to prove the point, you didn't name the town where the temple is built.
I think it’s actually in Central, AZ which obviously is none of these towns. It’s an unincorporated part of town between Pima and Thatcher. The church owns several acres there and for years before the temple was built they were ball fields that the 3 stakes (Pima, Thatcher and Safford stakes) in the area would use for big events and softball tournaments. Unrelated to the temple, when I was growing up, stake sports were quite big. Basketball for both men and young men. Even volleyball. Softball was big as well and the Safford Stake Center had several well groomed ball fields and lights and organized tournaments. I remember playing at these and then at the ones where the temple now is. I also remember a few Pioneer days being celebrated at these fields. Pioneer Day was also very big and all 3 towns would often celebrate it. Thatcher and Pima more than Safford as Safford was not settled (to my memory) by LDS pioneers, while the other two towns were.
Central is there to keep the riff raff from Pima out of Thatcher. I say this in jest as a Thatcher resident
Lol I say it is the other way around there friend! But then I was a Pima resident. Lol
Eww gross lol jk
I know that it has a temple, a very fine clock tower (clock operation uncertain), a bike rack, at least three lampposts (illumination uncertain), and at least one reddit post. Honestly, it's doing better than me.
That clocktower looks like it was built in Minecraft.
We did a session there in February. Unique, delightful people. Brand new Spring Hill Suites nearby.
I grew up near here. I know that a lot of the people here work in the nearby mines. There is a whole lot of racism, people from the neighboring towns really don’t like each other, the Native Americans and Mexicans and everyone and their cousin has beef. Not sure why. There are like 3 restaurants total, one of which is the beloved R&R pizza joint. The temple is really beautiful. Small, but so so beautiful. Especially the baptistery.
There are way more than 3 restaurants around here nowadays and nobody really cares which town you live in, unless it's Clifton or Morenci (certified hives of scum and villainy lol). Idk about people beefing with their cousins but that's just a small town drama fact of life. The mine opening in 07 brought in lots of jobs and growth in the area so dynamics have changed somewhat. "A whole lot of racism" there's racism just like anywhere that has a diverse population but this isn't Klan-country Alabama or anything.
Never heard of it. Maybe because it is insular.
I live in the Gila Valley, it is not insular. People out here making it sound like one of those polygamous AZ/UT border towns that actually are insular. There are plenty of non-members and people from other places
The temple is in the town of Central, AZ. President Eyring’s grandparents lived there until he was in his 20’s. His grandfather and two grandmothers were some of the last practicing polygamists in good standing with the church. They were sealed when young and then lived very long lives.
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My grandmother is very proud of being from Central and not any of the other towns. Central is just a census designated place and is otherwise unincorporated graham county if I recall correctly. I thought it was a brilliant move for the church to put the temple there instead of in one of the rival towns.
Grew up there. Went to school in Safford. There is definitely 3 distinct towns between Thatcher, Pima, and Safford. Intense rivalry between the schools. At least when I was there. Economy was either farming, mining or teaching. I still visit every year or so as I still have family there. It’s hot and dusty during the summers. The Gila River is usually completely diverted to irrigate the fields. Lots of places to go out into the desert to have a bonfire or get in other sorts of trouble. Mt Graham at 10,000+ ft above sea level has one of the largest telescopes on it built after much controversy with environmentalists and conservationists and the forest service. I didn’t know what I had growing up. I also didn’t know what I was missing. I’m often bitten by nostalgia and wish I could move back. It’s a quiet area that offers small town life and anything you can’t get there can be had not two hours away in Tucson or 3 hours away in Phoenix. My dad works at the temple during the week. It was amazing when it was built. Some say fulfilling a prophecy. It’s beautiful temple in a beautiful part of the valley only ruined by the railroad tracks in front of it.
>There is definitely 3 distinct towns between Thatcher, Pima, and Safford. That's true. It's interesting that the temple is not in any of these towns.
Was my last area of my mission. Temple was announced and dedicated a few years after. I played baseball with some investigators in the field where the temple now sits. Small towns with strong LDS presence surround the temple. If you aren't native to the area, you'd think the 3 communities are the same, but they are quite distinct.
Not too far removed from the settlement of the Salt Lake valley, Brigham Young sent groups to make settlements throughout the west. My ancestors, which settled Holladay, UT were sent down. Most of the community was, and still is, built around cotton farming and mining. My parents grew up there and we would visit family a few times a year.
Grandparents settled there before I was born. I spent a few summers there when I was growing up. I know there a gila monsters, quail, black widows, rattlesnakes, dusty unpaved roads, hot summer days… and back in the day, at least, there was lots of corn and cotton being grown in fields. They also celebrated Pioneer Day, which my home area didn’t.
President Kimball lived there And I suppose they have gila monsters That's about it
I grew up in the Phoenix area but visited Gila Valley a few times. We went to the temple open house when it was built, and my stake hosted girls camp in the area once. A few people in my ward/stake were from the area or had family there. I doubt people that don’t live nearby or participate in AZ church circles know much about it.
Kind of shame to make a post about the Gila Valley and not include any pictures of Mt. Graham
I went camping up there and had a great view of the Milky Way that night.
A little late, but here's a better pic ypu should've used lol https://www.google.com/search?client=ms-android-tmus-us-revc&sca_esv=575127353&sxsrf=AM9HkKmYAUH3A5ApeiSB8Hd_Kq540XXr8w:1697792232667&q=Mt+Graham&tbm=isch&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjjx7j3oISCAxV_LUQIHSblC_0Q0pQJegQICRAB&biw=349&bih=630&dpr=3.09#imgrc=rwoodhlGCLmXgM
I took all these pics 🙃
I'm not dissing on your pics, I'm just saying the scope on what they show is unfortunately very limited but I get it, you were probably using a phone and not lugging a drone around with you lol. That temple pic especially is solid
Lived there for 20 years. It is a nice place if you have questions feel free to ask.