Gila Valley Communities Guide

Arizona's oldest community college and a growing hometown

Thatcher was settled in the early 1880s by Latter-day Saint pioneers and named for Moses Thatcher, an apostle of the church who visited the young settlement. Its defining institution arrived almost immediately: Eastern Arizona College, founded in 1888 as a church academy, is the oldest continuously operating community college in Arizona and remains one of the valley's largest employers.

Adjacent to Safford along U.S. Route 70, Thatcher blends campus life with agricultural roots — and its dining scene, parks, and steadily growing neighborhoods make it one of the fastest-developing communities in Graham County.

• Home of Eastern Arizona College and EAC Discovery Park
• Thatcher Unified School District — home of the Eagles
• Named for LDS apostle Moses Thatcher

Explore our Visit Thatcher guide →

From Smithville to the valley's western gateway

Founded in 1879 by Latter-day Saint settlers and originally named Smithville, Pima is the westernmost of the valley's incorporated towns. Cotton, alfalfa, and family farms shaped its first century, and agriculture still defines much of the surrounding landscape.

Pima maintains a walkable historic core, the Eastern Arizona Museum on Main Street, and a proud small-town sports tradition through Pima Unified School District's Roughriders. Its taquerias — most famously El Mesquite — are essential stops on the Arizona Salsa Trail.

• Originally platted as Smithville in 1879
• Home of the Eastern Arizona Museum & Historical Society
• Pima Unified School District — home of the Roughriders

Official Town of Pima website →

A temple town at the heart of the corridor

True to its name, Central sits at the geographic midpoint of the valley corridor between Thatcher and Pima. Settled in the late 19th century as a farming community, it has grown steadily as a residential area while keeping its rural, tight-knit character.

Central's most prominent landmark is the Gila Valley Arizona Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dedicated in May 2010. The temple and its manicured grounds, set against the Pinaleño backdrop, draw visitors from across Arizona and beyond.

• Site of the Gila Valley Arizona Temple (dedicated 2010)
• Unincorporated community along U.S. Route 70
• Historic agricultural settlement with steady residential growth

Solomonville: where Graham County history was written

East of Safford lies Solomon, the community founded as Solomonville after merchant Isador Elkan Solomon arrived in 1876 and built a mercantile and charcoal trade serving the Clifton copper mines. From 1883 to 1915 Solomonville was the seat of Graham County, and in 1900 it saw the founding of the Gila Valley Bank — a predecessor of the Valley National Bank of Arizona.

Today Solomon is a proud Hispanic-heritage agricultural community anchored by Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Solomon Elementary School, and generations of family history. It was also the 1893 birthplace of silent-film actor Charles Stevens.

• Graham County seat from 1883 to 1915
• Founded by pioneer merchant Isador Elkan Solomon
• Birthplace of Hollywood character actor Charles Stevens (1893–1964)

Explore our Historic Solomon heritage guide →

Hot springs, farmland, and frontier quiet

Northwest of Pima, the tiny settlement of Eden preserves the valley's frontier quiet. Settled by pioneer farming families in the 1880s, Eden is best known today for nearby Indian Hot Springs, the historic geothermal oasis that discharges roughly 1.5 million gallons of 118-degree water daily and has cycled through lives as a stagecoach-era resort, health retreat, and storied local legend.

• Gateway to the historic Indian Hot Springs
• Small farming and ranching settlement on the valley's northwest edge