Thatcher

History

Thatcher was originally settled by members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first settler was John M. Moody who arrived in Thatcher with his wife and children in 1881. The founding of Thatcher is attributed to Mormon pioneer Christopher Layton, who bought two thousand acres, named the acreage "Thatcher", divided them into lots, and sold those lots to Mormon settlers. Layton also bought a gristmill and built roads, canals and homes. Eastern Arizona College traces its history to the St. Joseph Stake Academy started by the church in nearby Central. Central is also the location of the Gila Valley Arizona Temple.

Geography

The town is centered in the Upper Gila River Valley with one of Arizona's famous Madrean Sky Islands towering to the south and the Gila River to the north. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , including of water.

Most-observed species

• White-winged Dove

  Zenaida asiatica (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,670
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,630
• Great-tailed Grackle

  Quiscalus mexicanus (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  1,511
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,475
• Gambel's Quail

  Callipepla gambelii (Gambel, 1843) · Aves
  1,461
• American Coot

  Fulica americana Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  1,410
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  1,397
• Verdin

  Auriparus flaviceps (Sundevall, 1850) · Aves
  1,300

Largest nearby schools

• Safford High School
  High · SAFFORD · 836 students · 29.9:1 ratio
• Dorothy Stinson School
  Elementary · SAFFORD · 583 students · 21.6:1 ratio
• Thatcher High School
  High · Thatcher · 558 students · 18:1 ratio
• Thatcher Elementary School
  Elementary · Thatcher · 541 students · 22.5:1 ratio
• Pima Elementary School
  Elementary · Pima · 539 students · 20.7:1 ratio
• Ruth Powell Elementary School
  Elementary · SAFFORD · 529 students · 23:1 ratio
• Lafe Nelson School
  Elementary · SAFFORD · 455 students · 20.7:1 ratio
• Safford Middle School
  Middle · SAFFORD · 449 students · 23.6:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2025-08-09
  14 km ENE of Willow Canyon, Arizona
• M 2.8 — 2025-08-05
  0 km NE of Clifton, Arizona
• M 2.6 — 2025-07-15
  9 km N of San Jose, Arizona
• M 2.6 — 2024-10-26
  8 km W of San Simon, Arizona
• M 2.9 — 2024-04-26
  10 km S of Franklin, Arizona
• M 2.5 — 2023-11-24
  1 km SSE of Franklin, Arizona