Coolidge, Arizona


Coolidge is a city in Pinal County, Arizona, United States. The population was 13,218 at the 2020 census, and was estimated to be 19,674 in 2024.
Coolidge is home of the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument. The monument was the first historic site to receive protected status by the United States Government in 1892. Coolidge is also home to both Central Arizona College and the Central Arizona Valley Institute of Technology.
WWW Official Site

History

The area containing what is now the city of Coolidge was occupied by the Hohokam, an indigenous ancient Sonoran Desert people who built a massive compound consisting many of caliche structures and remained in the area for over 1,000 years. The only remaining and preserved structure from this compound is the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.
The modern history of the city is centered around agriculture, particularly cotton. Coolidge was founded in 1925 when R.J. Jones laid out an site during the construction of the Coolidge Dam on the nearby Gila River, which was completed in 1930. Both the dam and the townsite were named for Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States. The dam made the sandy soil native to the area into very rich farmland, and soon vast expanses of desert were plowed and acres of cotton were planted. This is when the area's status as the hub of the Arizona cotton industry was solidified and led to the incorporation of Coolidge as a city in 1945.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and is water. It contains no mountains and is almost entirely flat, lying in a fertile valley located just south of the Gila River. The Sacaton Mountains are visible to the west, and the Picacho Mountains are visible to the southeast.
Arizona State Route 87 and Arizona State Route 287 pass through the town, providing connections to the Phoenix metropolitan area, Casa Grande, and Eloy. Interstate 10 is located approximately to the west. Coolidge is southeast of Phoenix, northwest of Tucson, northeast of Casa Grande and 11 miles southwest of Florence. Picacho Reservoir is just south of town.

Climate

Coolidge features a hot desert climate, typical of the Sonoran Desert. Winters are characterized by abundant sunshine and are typically brief and mild, consisting of daytime highs in the to range. Lows are usually between and, though several freezes occur annually. Rain is infrequent, occurring 2–3 days per month usually following the passage of a cold front. The record low temperature for the city is.
Summers are long and very hot, with temperatures of to almost daily from the end of May until September, with temperatures above not uncommon. The record high temperature for the city is. Summertime lows are usually above, with occasional periods of lows above. Coolidge is affected by the North American Monsoon, which brings brief heavy downpours and gusty winds in the second half of summer. Severe events can sometimes cause haboobs and flash flooding.

Demographics

According to realtor website Zillow, the average price of a home as of June 30, 2025, in Coolidge is $276,260.
As of the 2023 American Community Survey, there are 4,935 estimated households in Coolidge with an average of 3.10 persons per household. The city has a median household income of $57,161. Approximately 22.2% of the city's population lives at or below the poverty line. Coolidge has an estimated 62.2% employment rate, with 13.2% of the population holding a bachelor's degree or higher and 85.8% holding a high school diploma.
The top five reported ancestries were English, Spanish, Indo-European, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Other.
The median age in the city was 34.5 years.
Race / ethnicity Pop. 2000Pop. 2010% 2000% 2010
White alone 3,6095,1535,38946.35%43.58%40.77%
Black or African American alone 6238681,1078.00%7.34%8.37%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 3494454174.48%3.76%3.15%
Asian alone 521031050.67%0.87%0.79%
Pacific Islander alone 29100.03%0.08%0.08%
Race and ethnicity in [the United States census|Other race] alone 310640.04%0.08%0.48%
Mixed race or multiracial 962754951.23%2.33%3.74%
Hispanic or Latino 3,0524,9625,63139.20%41.96%42.60%
Total7,78611,82513,218100.00%100.00%100.00%

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, there were 13,218 people, 4,399 households, 3,110 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 4,871 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 51.14% White, 8.89% African American, 4.86% Native American, 0.95% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 16.92% from some other races and 17.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 42.60% of the population.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 11,825 people, 3,947 households, _ families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 4,796 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 62.73% White, 7.85% African American, 5.67% Native American, 0.97% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 17.72% from some other races and 4.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 41.96% of the population.

2000 census

As of the 2000 census, there were 7,786 people, 2,585 households, and 1,938 families residing in the city. The population density was

Economy

Until the 1950s, the city's economy was completely dependent on mining and cotton. It has since diversified to include manufacturing, regional trade, and services for agricultural producers and farm families.
In 2019, Nikola Motor Company purchased in Coolidge and operates a factory for zero-emissions heavy trucks, with a production capacity of 2,500 trucks per year.

Education

Coolidge High School, a high school located in the central part of the city.West Elementary School, a K-5 school located in the western part of the city.Imagine Schools Coolidge Elementary, a K-5 charter school located in the northern part of the city.Imagine Prep Coolidge, a 6–12 charter school located adjacent to Imagine Coolidge Elementary.Central Arizona CollegeCentral Arizona Valley Institute of Technology

Infrastructure

Transportation

The city of Coolidge operates the Cotton Express, which provides local bus service. The city of Coolidge also operates Central Arizona Regional Transit, which provides transportation between Florence, Coolidge, Central Arizona College and Casa Grande.
The town was home to a station for Amtrak; it closed in June 1996.
The Coolidge Municipal Airport, which has two asphalt runways, is located southeast of the city and had 56,050 aircraft operations in the yearly period ending April 2, 2020. The closest major airports to Coolidge are Phoenix [Sky Harbor International Airport] and Tucson International Airport. Casa Grande Shuttle provides an airport shuttle to Sky Harbor.

Notable people