Wow! Is This the Tiniest Town in Arizona?

A lot of newly transplanted residents are beginning to settle in the west, so many parts of Arizona have seen a sudden population boom. And that's got us redefining the concept of "small town" life.

Tucson is a pretty big town compared with some places in Arizona. Image: Canva

If you compare our towns to the Los Angeles or Chicago areas, then yes, we have a lot of small towns here. But it may surprise you to learn that Arizona has some of the fastest growing populations in the country.

Some of the Fastest Growing Towns are in Arizona

According to AZCentral.com, "Queen Creek, Buckeye, Casa Grande, Maricopa and Goodyear were all among the top 15 cities with at least 50,000 people with the largest percentage population growth between July 1, 2020, and July 1, 2021."

Cities near Phoenix are some of the fastest growing in the nation. Image: Canva

As a matter of fact, Arizona has more cities among the top 15 fastest growing than any other state, with the exception of a couple of towns in Texas.

Tiny Arizona Towns

In spite of the expansive growth Arizona has experienced lately, there's still one town in Arizona that is so small, the census barely even counts it.

There are towns in Arizona that were nearly abandoned with Route 66 lost out to Interstate 10. Image: Canva

Arizona boasts several small or very small towns. According to Wikipedia.org, the town of Wikieup, for example, is about 139 miles northwest of Phoenix and 162 miles southeast of Las Vegas in Southeastern Mohave County. This teeny little village counted a total population of 135 citizens in the 2020 census.

Route 66. Image: Canva

Smaller still is Valentine, Arizona, a dusty little place that became a Route 66 ghost town when Interstate 10 became the predominant western route. Valentine, which is also in Mohave County, had a mere 39 souls, according to the last count.

The Tiniest Town in Arizona

But those are booming metropolises, compared to this little place. The award for Tiniest Town in Arizona goes to Willow Canyon, with just one permanent resident.

Willow Canyon, in the Catalina Mountains, is so tiny, only has one permanent resident. Image: Canva

Wikipedia describes Willow Canyon this way: "The community [of Willow Canyon] is an area of cabins within the Coronado National Forest, north of Tucson on the Catalina Highway. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the community has an area of 0.333 square miles all land."

The area is filled with cabins for seasonal visitors. The 2010 Census marked Willow Canyon's population as "S," or seasonal.

Willow Canyon, Population 1. Is this house small enough for one? Image: Canva

Source: Wow! Is This the Tiniest Town in Arizona?

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