Clifton Arizona Map

About Clifton, Arizona

Clifton is a locality in Greenlee County, Arizona, United States. It has a population of approximately 3,933. The population density is 103.9 people per km². Clifton is located at 33.0296°N, 109.2840°W. It observes the Mountain Standard Time — no DST (America/Phoenix) timezone. Clifton is an incorporated locality. ZIP code: 85533.

Clifton occupies a rugged corridor where the San Francisco River carves a narrow, serpentine path through the base of the surrounding cliffs. It lies 28.2 miles east-northeast of Safford, AZ (from Safford, AZ: bearing 58°T), and is situated 13.1 miles south of Greenlee. The landscape is defined by the stark verticality of Devils Canyon, where the earth seems to fold upward in layers of iron-stained stone, and the distant, hazy silhouette of Coronado Ridge anchors the horizon. Sunlight here has a peculiar, heavy quality, intensifying the deep ochre of the rock faces as the afternoon heat recedes, leaving the air thin and quiet against the desert scrub. A few miles away, the Tailings Water Reclamation Reservoir holds a still, reflective surface that contrasts with the restless, sediment-rich flow of the river below, which dictates the layout of the streets clinging to the steep, rocky embankments.

Clifton emerged from the hard necessity of extraction, its economy tethered for generations to the copper deposits that color the very dust of the streets a faint, metallic copper-gold. The rhythm of daily life moves in sync with the industrial pulse of the mines, a legacy that has shaped the architecture of the hillside dwellings and the weathered faces of the buildings lining the main thoroughfare. Residents often look toward the higher elevations, where the Clifton Ranger District offers a respite of pine and cooler air, or they find a solitary stillness in Unknown Park, a local space that serves as a quiet boundary between the town’s industrious character and the vast, arid expanse. Though the pace is slow, there is a persistent, enduring vitality in the way the architecture persists against the elements, a testament to those who have built a life in the shadow of the canyon walls.

About This Clifton Map Page

This page provides an embedded street and satellite map of Clifton, Arizona. Coordinates: 33.029568, -109.284037. Live weather conditions are sourced directly from the National Weather Service. Real-time local and world news feeds keep the page current.

Detailed location data for Clifton includes the ZIP code (85533), telephone area code (480), county seat of Greenlee County (Clifton), and school district assignment (Morenci Unified District).

Location data is drawn from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) and cross-verified against 2020 US Census records by coordinate proximity. Population figures are sourced from the 2020 US Census.